“Modern construction methods are incredibly wasteful of resources. Up to 25 percent of the total waste generated in the United States, India, and other countries is directly attributed to building, construction, and demolition activities. These — often hidden — waste products can be environmentally hazardous and polluting, both as solids and in the atmosphere. ” – Vani Bahl, Associate AIA

“Going Green” has been a conscious global effort in recent years.  This growing campaign has been embraced by most major industries;  specifically, the building industry.

In Downtown San Diego, residential housing has gone “vertical” with the high costs of building materials and the demand for land in key locations.  New construction has been categorized in a variety of concepts ranging from high-rise to low rise, conversion developments to new construction developments, and a variety of concepts in between.

Solara Lofts, an award winning community in the Cortez Hill neighborhood of Downtown San Diego, stands alone as the only available new home development categorized as an “adaptive reuse building.”

Solara Lofts: A Beautiful New Home Community completed in 2007.

A recent article published in Architecture Week, written by Vani Bahl states:  “Today’s renewed interest in “green” architecture should heighten attention to the ethic of preservation, as a cornerstone of sustainability. Now that the idea of recycling waste has permeated our culture, I believe we should adopt the slogan, “recycle wasted architecture.”

Solara Lofts is a combined effort -designed by RJC Architects and developed and built by Skandia that was adapted from a Type 1 Commercial Structure, into a beautiful new residential boutique mid-rise community.  A complete gut rehab of its original commercial design, Solara’s sustainable skeletal frame has been reused and incorporated into its new design.

Benefiting from its heavy-duty Type 1 structural component of steel and commercial grade concrete slabs between floor levels. Solara Lofts also incorporated the original commercial parking structure which provides the community with an abundance of  side-by-side parking. In Downtown San Diego, parking has become a premium, and Solara Lofts has a surplus of this valuable commodity!

With an emphasis on Quality of Construction, Skandia had a vision for a new community that was not only Eco-friendly, but luxurious in its design. The end result is Solara Lofts, unlike any other new home community in Downtown San Diego.

To Learn more about the benefits of adaptive reuse buildings check out the recently published article in Architecture Week called:  Ethics of Adaptive Reuse.