WinnCompanies wins awards from Rental Housing Association for Oliver Lofts and Castle Sq. Apartments

According to WinnCompanies, the Rental Housing Association (RHA), a Massachusetts affiliate of the National Apartment Association (NAA), recognized Oliver Lofts and Castle Sq. Apartments at its Multifamily Conference and Expo with awards for "Best Green Project" and "Best Affordable Housing" respectively. These properties will be entered into the forthcoming 2013 NAA Paragon Awards competition. Oliver Lofts was also selected by the National Housing & Rehabilitation Association (NH&RA), in association with the National Trust Community Investment Corp., as the winner in the Achievement in Sustainability category of the 2012 J. Timothy Anderson Awards for Excellence in Historic Rehabilitation. Winners were chosen based on overall design and quality, interpretation and respect of historic elements, innovative approach to construction and use of building materials, impact on the community, financial and market success of the project, and sustainability. "We are honored that our work to create quality green housing at Oliver Lofts and Castle Sq. has been recognized by such esteemed industry organizations," said Gilbert Winn, managing principal of WinnDevelopment. "Historic rehabilitation and affordable housing projects are very important lines of work for Winn, and we are pleased that our efforts to bring these buildings back to life have made such a positive impact in the Boston community." The NH&RA J. Timothy Anderson Award and RHA's award for "Best Green Project" went to WinnDev.'s Oliver Lofts, a historic 19th century building in the city. Previously known as the Pickle-Ditson factory, Oliver Lofts represents an exceptional rehabilitation of a formerly vacant, underutilized historic mill. Winn renovated the Mission Hill property after 30 years of vacancy and converted it into 62 homes, 43 of which are affordable. Oliver Lofts is the only midrise, multifamily building in the city, and one of two historic midrise buildings in the country awarded LEED Platinum certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) after being converted into mixed-income housing. The RHA also honored WinnDev.'s Castle Sq. Apartments with the "Best Affordable Housing" award. Located in the city's South End neighborhood, this 540,000 s/f mixed-use property is comprised of 500 affordable apartment units and 20,000 s/f of retail space. Castle Sq. consists of four mid-rise buildings and 19 town house buildings containing one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments. Amenities at Castle Sq. include a fitness room, community garden, two playgrounds, a basketball facility and one tot lot with a water sprinkler. Castle Sq. was recently awarded LEED for Homes Multifamily Platinum Certification, the highest green building rating offered by the USGBC, after completing the nation's largest Deep Energy Retrofit of an existing affordable housing community. A Deep Energy Retrofit is defined as a renovation with energy savings greater than 50%. The Deep Energy Retrofit completed at Castle Sq. differs from standard energy efficiency renovations due to the insulation, which at Castle Sq. is located on the outside of the building. As a result, the property is modeled to reach a 72% reduction in energy usage. Castle Sq. is the second Winn property to receive LEED certification at the Platinum level. WinnDevelopment has long been at the forefront of green building and sustainability. Just recently, Canal Lofts, a 64-unit mixed-income housing community in Worcester, was awarded LEED Gold certification. In May, Castle Sq. was presented with the "Green Residential Award" and named "Climate Action Leader" by mayor Menino. The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) also selected Castle Sq. as the winner of the 2012 Vanguard Award for "Major Rehabilitation of an Existing Rental Housing Community." In addition, Oliver Lofts recently won a Multifamily Executive Award in the Mixed Income Project of the Year category.