Step Up on Vine

LEED Platinum Permanent Homeless Housing

Step Up on Second Street’s Step Up on Vine located in Hollywood, CA is a historic retrofit and rehabilitation of a 1925 concrete hotel into an affordable housing project. The project totals 20,718 square feet throughout one structure with three levels above grade. It includes 34 affordable housing units.

The facility is intended for the psychosocial rehabilitation and support of the homeless affected by severe and persistent mental illness. The ground floor features community spaces including a computer lab, restrooms, cafe and commercial kitchen to be used by residents and to serve the public. The second and third floors consist of living quarters and a laundry facility. Each 285 square foot unit includes built-ins, a kitchenette and a bathroom. The rooftop includes an outdoor respite for tenants with an aeroponic garden where tenants can grow their own herbs and vegetables.

SIZE: 20,718 SF

SUSTAINABILITY: LEED Platinum, Human Focus

MARKET SECTOR: Residential, Affordable Housing, Homeless Housing

LOCATION: Hollywood, CA

The project received a notable LEED Platinum Certification. Sustainable features include ENERGY STAR Rated appliances and fixtures, high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow system for heating and cooling, the addition of a cool roof including a 50 kW solar array on roof deck, exterior green screens, daylighting strategies, use of a grey water/irrigation system and new efficient electrical and mechanical systems. The rehabilitation improved the building’s existing energy efficiency by at least 20%.

The facility is owned and operated by Step Up on Vine, LP and HCHC, both 501(c)3 organizations. With initial funding from the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health and a private contribution by Aileen Getty, Shangri-La Construction facilitated Step Up on Second’s initiative, “Step Up in Hollywood: Sustainably Ending Homelessness”. This commitment is to create 200 units of permanent housing with supportive services in Hollywood using multiple green technologies by 2014.

Founded in 1984 and based in Santa Monica, Step Up on Second provides the help, hope and home that lead to recovery for individuals and communities affected by serious mental illness and chronic homelessness in the Los Angeles area. Step Up on Second is dedicated to long-term support of people in recovery and their families, offering quality housing, educational, social and work experience. Step Up is committed to increasing public understanding of mental illness. HCHC is a nonprofit developer of over 700 units of affordable housing in Hollywood, serving low-income individuals and families, people with disabilities and the chronically homeless.

Tonight Kobe and I joined former President Clinton as we celebrated the grand opening of Step Up on Vine, a permanent supportive housing project in Hollywood as a part of our commitment to end youth homelessness through the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. It means so much to Kobe and I to be able to see how Step Up on Vine will directly impact young people by not only providing food, clothes and shelter but by offering vital services addressing their overall health and life skills. The building is amazing and has a Platinum LEED Certification. So happy to see this vision come to life! For more info please visit KVBFF.org #KVBFF

Vanessa Bryant

So take advantage of it, build it, support what Kobe and Vanessa are doing, support what Step Up is doing, and stay at this until there is nobody wandering the streets alone just because their friends and neighbors didn’t realize they were also their brothers and sisters.

President Bill Clinton

President Clinton’s full speech can be viewed here.

Awards

USGBC-LA Chapter, Sustainable Innovation Award 2014, Innovation & Design
USGBC-LA Chapter, Sustainable Innovation Award 2014, Energy & Atmosphere (Honorable Mention)
Los Angeles Business Journal, Commercial Real Estate Awards 2014, Best Sustainable Project
Los Angeles Business Council’s 44th Annual Los Angeles Architectural Awards 2014, Green Building category winner

Project Photos

Citadel Environmental Inc.

LEED Platinum

Citadel Environmental Services, Inc. is the remodel of an 8,000 sq. ft. 1973 building to become Citadel’s LEED Platinum and Net Zero Energy Corporate Offices. Citadel’s remodel project is a case study proving that sustainable remodels can be accomplished at the budget of a “traditional” (i.e., non-green) remodel–with the right team in place and a keen understanding of all the potential green building incentives, both nationally and locally.

The team worked closely to accomplish a long list of green-building improvements.

SIZE: 8,000 SF

SUSTAINABILITY: LEED Platinum, Net Zero Energy, Human Focus

MARKET SECTOR: Commercial Office

LOCATION: Glendale, CA

Highlights include:

Maximum use of natural light: skylights installed, primary dependence on daylight vs. lights, and every seat in office has access to outside view
New energy efficient double-paned exterior windows and storefronts;
New packaged air handling systems (SER-14 units), which are 37% more efficient
New water-efficient interior plumbing and bathroom fixtures reduce usage by 62%
Green Seal certified furniture systems (contains high amount of recycled content)
120 solar panels provide 45,000 khw per year, enough to power the entire building (Citadel and tenant), and net meter additional energy back to the City of Glendale;
Native, drought-tolerant landscaping with temporary drip irrigation system;
New energy-efficient lighting design requires 38.5% less power aesthetic; and
Focus on a 500-mile radius for sourcing over 20% of its materials.
Citadel even managed to salvage a historic mural of the Three Stooges that existed from the prior building tenant, the licensing arm of that well-known comedy team. It now resides as a wall in the kitchen/break room.

In addition to a LEED® Platinum certified workplace, Citadel integrates sustainability and well-being principles and practices across many facets of the daily operation for their employees: reducing paper consumption and utilizing electronic communications, purchasing and utilizing “green” products, placing recycling stations in offices, offering telecommuting as an option for employees, promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging use of mass transit as well as fuel efficient and alternative energy vehicles, making use of teleconferencing and video-conferencing to reduce travel, choosing vendors that support the company’s sustainability goals, and maintaining an interactive intranet site to share sustainability information, news and best practices.

Citadel Environmental Services Inc.’s LEED® Platinum certification is a prime example that sustainability is scalable and makes sound economic sense.

Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council

Awards

The first LEED® CI project to receive Platinum certification in the Tri-City area of Glendale, Pasadena & Burbank; 1 of 10 in the state of California; and 1 of 89 in the country.
The second LEED® project to receive Platinum certification in the Tri-City area of Glendale, Pasadena & Burbank, second only to Shangri-La Construction’s Hangar 25 in Burbank, CA; and 1 of 60 in California.
One of 6188 certified projects in the country as of certification.
Citadel Environmental Services, Inc., also has received the Climate Leader Award from CoolCalifornia.org on May 3rd, for being proactive in reducing their climate impacts. CoolCalifornia recognizes small business owners in California who have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), incorporated climate-friendly activities, and used the tools at CoolCalifornia.org.
Ranked by the LA Business Journal as a “Best Place to Work” in 2013, 2014, 2016-2018