Silver Gardens Apartments Albuquerque, NM

Silver Gardens Apartments is located in downtown Albuquerque near theaters, museums, restaurants, shops, offices, and schools, and across the street from a bus/rail transportation center. The apartments have a mix of lower- and middle-income tenants. According to the project’s developer Jonathan Rose Companies, “Silver Gardens serves the widest tenant income mix possible,” and meets the Albuquerque business community’s goal to add much-needed workforce housing to the downtown. With its easy access to bus and rail transportation, Silver Gardens reduces residents’ dependency on cars. Located on a reclaimed brownfield, the U-shaped building wraps around a courtyard with native, drought-tolerant plantings, a community garden, and a play structure for children. Other green features include a solar photovoltaic system on an adjacent parking garage to provide electricity, a roof-mounted wind turbine, and rooftop rainwater collection for irrigating landscaping. Silver Gardens’ green design benefits residents by lowering their energy bills and providing a healthier indoor air environment. It was the first affordable housing project in the U.S. to receive funding for carbon offsets—the Enterprise Green Communities Offset Fund purchased over 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide that were not released into the environment thanks to the building’s environmentally friendly design.