Pleasant Hill Cohousing   Pleasant Hill, California

Nevada City | Cotati | Pleasant Hill
World Bank | Sonora | Sutter's End

Pleasant Hill Cohousing Community, a 32-unit neighborhood of clustered town houses on 2.2 acres in Pleasant Hill, California, completed construction in 2002.

This project's sustainable building innovations fall into three categories: (1) reducing occupants' energy use, (2) sustainable construction practices, and (3) ecological and personal health.

Energy & Systems

• Solar electric system (Light Energy Systems)
• No A/C installed—portable units made available
• Passive Cooling
• Window shading
• Three-foot overhangs
• Polarply radiant barrier
• Corrugated metal roofing
• Low-E² windows
• Thicker/denser gypsum board throughout
• Extensive natural lighting
• Dual purpose water heater provides radiant base-board heating & potable hot water
• Low water use fixtures--toilets, shower heads, faucetes
• Compact fluorescent light fixtures
• Wet-blown cellulose insulation
• Perimeter insulation
• Photoelectric smoke detectors

Materials & Products

• Concrete floors
• Bamboo Flooring
• Metal Roofing
• Underground electric supply lines
• Low-toxicity wood preservatives & "ACQ Preserve" deck framing
• 15% fly ash concrete
• Sustainably grown lumber for framing
• Trex decking
• Non-toxic interior materials--low VOC paints/finishes
• Wool carpet
• Natural flooring (Marmoleum)

Other Green Features

• Drip irrigation system
• Advance framing techniques reduced the use of wood and minimized the need for large dimensional lumber.
• 32-unit cohousing community on infill site adjacent to bike trail

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