Originally built in 1941, South Boston’s Old Colony is the oldest public housing development in the United States. The Architectural Team’s redevelopment has transformed what was once a symbol of urban decay into The Homes at Old Colony. The efforts taken on this 147,000-square-foot national model for sustainable multifamily design and successful community revitalization has earned the project EDC’s 2013 Excellence in Design award for Residential New Construction.

Phase One of The Homes at Old Colony, completed in December 2011, replaced seven dilapidated structures with 116 new multifamily units in four groups of townhouse buildings and a six-story midrise building. The project’s total cost was $56.4 million, but includes the demolition and abatement of the previous buildings. The design and planning reorganized and rebuilt the community as an affordable LEED-certified community of townhouses, midrise apartment buildings and a shared learning center—all with solar power and other green features. Through a partnership with a third-party solar company, photovoltaic systems have been installed on all new buildings; the partnership facilitated financing energy conservation and renewable energy generation normally out of reach for affordable housing developments.