At a time when opinions about the economy are still unsettled, one issue is clear: there is an undeniable housing shortage afflicting much of the country. “Home prices are up about 60 percent over the past decade, adjusted for inflation,” noted the New York Times last March. “About a quarter of renters — some twelve million households — spend more than half their income on housing, far in excess of the one-third level that is considered healthy. Homeless camps have expanded, and ‘super commuters’ — who drive for 90 minutes or longer to work — have migrated well beyond the expensive coasts to smaller cities like Spokane, Wash., and fast-growing metropolitan areas like Dallas and Phoenix.”
You can add Pittsburgh to that shortlist of cities.
The importance of developing affordable housing in Pittsburgh cannot be overstated. At a press conference last September announcing various zoning changes to facilitate construction, Jamil Bey, director of City Planning, outlined some of the challenges facing Pittsburgh. “Our goal is to create a city where everyone has the opportunity to thrive,” he said. “And that starts with ensuring access to affordable quality housing. Right now, the odds are stacked against us when it comes to building affordable housing. The demand far exceeds our capacity to deliver, and some of our existing zoning and planning regulations make it challenging to attract the kind of development that provides affordable units close to the city’s opportunities, amenities, and public transportation.”
With office vacancy rates still hovering at about 20% years after the ravages of the pandemic, Downtown Pittsburgh is finally seeing the long-planned conversion of office buildings into apartments picking up steam. The Allegheny Building on Forbes Avenue (developed by Henry Clay Frick in 1906) and the GNC headquarters on Sixth Avenue have recently been renovated, creating 190 and 254 new rental units, respectively. These two projects, however, reflect market rates, and will likely freeze-out anyone with even an average income.
Fortunately, affordable housing has been given a critical boost in Pittsburgh by non-profit organizations, including Action Housing and Uptown Partners, and the downtown redevelopment plans initiated by Governor Shapiro and Mayor Gainey promise to alleviate a shortage of units.
Over the last year or so, several inspiring projects with an affordable housing component have made headlines. A few months ago, Beacon Communities announced that it had begun construction on The Standard on Fifth, a mixed-income development generated through a joint effort of Uptown Partners and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The Standard on Fifth will add fifty-one apartments to the neighborhood, with the following breakdown: 78% of the units will be affordable and 22% will be market rate. Robin Wiessmann, Executive Director and CEO of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, said, “Affordable housing is necessary for helping residents of Pennsylvania achieve their best quality of life. When housing is readily available at various income levels, it brings families together, stabilizes communities, and brings economic stimulus to a neighborhood. We hope that The Standard helps Pittsburgh’s Hill District grow in vitality and aids its residents in achieving their fullest potential.”
Another notable project is the possible renovation of the John P. Robin Civic building at 200 Ross Street. Nearly 125 years old, this 13-story Jacobean Revival was originally constructed as the Pittsburgh headquarters of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company. Now, Action Housing has proposed a makeover of the building that would convert it into dozens of affordable rentals, with its lower floors earmarked for office space.
As Pittsburgh works to revitalize downtown and ease a housing crunch, the current atmosphere of civic brainstorming is the perfect time to introduce high-performance building principles to the equation. Combining sustainability, energy conservation, thermal comfort, and well-being, high-performance design is uniquely suited to serving the individual and the municipality.
High-performance buildings use photovoltaic arrays to offset electrical usage as well as air-tight construction to maintain thermal comfort. As a result, high-performance projects often achieve net-zero status. The pragmatic benefits (beyond sustainability and carbon minimization) are unambiguous: Reducing energy costs is crucial for low-income families whose Duquesne Light bill is often the deciding factor between paying for groceries or going without electricity.
Another important aspect of high-performance buildings is improved indoor air quality. Living in an apartment with fresh air means reducing the severity of chronic respiratory ailments, a critical distinction in Pittsburgh, which is routinely cited for long-term particle pollution. In addition, research has shown that breathing fresh air has positive effects on cognitive ability giving occupants a chance to flourish in an environment optimized for productivity.
Other high-performance elements include acoustic design, which can lower stress by offering a quieter environment, and water softening and conditioning systems, a crucial element for a city with moderate hard water. By prioritizing health, sustainability and energy-efficiency, developers and architects can have a positive impact on the community and the environment simultaneously. The financial savings from reducing power usage (along with sustainability imperatives) also provides long-term gains for the city.
For architects with a sense of social responsibility, designing affordable housing that is sustainable, energy efficient, and healthy is vital. After all, the built environment has a significant impact on the physical and psychological well-being of the community, and architecture, if it is to reach its ideal, needs to balance art and the public good.