Environmental Works Programs
Community Facilities design for non-profit social service organizations
For 30+ years, Environmental Works’ productive partnership with the City of Seattle Human Services Department supported provision of design services to community-based non-profit agencies. After the City’s 2009 financial termination of this critical program and in the face of growing need, EW now pursues ongoing and new partnerships with organizations such as El Centro de la Raza, Country Doctor, and Immanuel Lutheran Community Services. EW provides feasibility assistance that allows agencies to plan for, acquire, improve, expand, or rehabilitate facilities supporting human-service program delivery to communities in need.
Sustainable building research and education initiatives
Our Sustaining Affordable Communities initiative, funded by grants from the Seattle Foundation, The Russell Family Foundation, and Home Depot, has allowed us to develop green building resources, complete post-occupancy evaluations, create educational fact sheets, and provide project-specific technical assistance. Through this initiative, we have identified cost-effective green building strategies for affordable projects. We share this work with our clients and with the larger community through our website and presentations.
Affordable Housing design
Throughout our 43-year history, Environmental Works has worked with numerous housing developers and non-profit organizations to create affordable housing for low-income populations including senior housing, family housing, and homeless shelters in urban and rural locations. In the past decade, EW has completed over 30 affordable housing projects with approximately 1,000 units of affordable housing.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
Recent Successes
The Puyallup Longhouse Place of Hidden Waters, a new affordable, super energy-efficient housing project with a new community center and gym for the Puyallup Tribe, earned
- LEED for Homes Platinum certification
- LEED for Homes 2012 Project of the Year recognition by the US Green Building Council
- 2013 Structures for Inclusion People’s Choice Award.
- 2013 SEED Award for Excellence in Public Service Design (among six projects worldwide)
From the SEED Award jury: “The Puyallup Longhouse project is to be commended for comprehensively addressing affordable housing, environmental sustainability and strengthening community. The project provides an excellent example of triple bottom line design.”
Current Need
In the absence of the City of Seattle funding supporting the provision of design and planning services to local social service agencies, Environmental Works aims to continue providing this work with community financial support.
Your donation will help ensure that now and onward, non-profit agencies have the spaces they need to succeed. Environmental Works’ critical early technical assistance provides non-profit agencies with the necessary tools to maintain and improve operations, to establish fund raising and capital campaign goals, and to target appropriate funding sources.
GiveBIG 2013
With your support this year we will be able to assist the Asia Pacific Cultural Center in the design of their vision for a new cultural center serving as an interactive cultural crossroads between local and international communities through art, culture, education, and business.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 towards this effort.
We are happy to announce that an anonymous donor will be matching your donation (doubling the $5,000 goal)!