Client: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service

JV Team: Watts-Weitz A JV

Type: Apartment Complex/Housing

Size:  64,000 SF Total (8 Buildings)

Completed: 2011

LEED Platinum

The construction of eight, 2-story, 8-plex apartments on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park helped the National Park Service overcome its inadequate employee housing. The project included construction of one and two-bedroom apartments (64 units), 96 parking spaces, utility connections, sidewalks and landscaping, as well as the construction of an access road, and the demolition and removal of several obsolete trailers units that previously occupied the site.  The project was challenging due to its remote location and ecologically- and historically-sensitive environment.

The project required new utility systems which included potable water, sewer, electrical power, and communications. The overall site work included site clearing and excavation, surface parking, sidewalks, roadways, fencing, and landscaping with selected local, drought-resistant plants and trees. The eight buildings are wood framed with hardie siding and asphalt shingles.  Sustainable features of each building included 8 kW solar panels and an HVAC system used energy recovery units (ERVs) to re-use conditioned air within the space.  Landscape irrigation utilized reclaimed water.