Alta Vista at St. Joseph’s Park
Rochester, NY
Owner: Ibero-American Development Corporation | Location: Rochester, NY
Architect: IN/EX Architecture | Construction Manager: Hamilton Stern Construction
Completion Date: 2025
Project Overview
Alta Vista at St. Joseph’s Park is a 76-unit affordable and supportive housing development located in downtown Rochester, NY. The six-story all-electric multifamily building transformed four previously vacant lots adjacent to the historic St. Joseph’s Church into a high performance residential community focused on sustainability, housing stability, and neighborhood reinvestment.
Developed by Ibero-American Development Corporation (IADC), the project includes affordable apartments for households earning up to 80% of the Area Median Income, including supportive housing units for survivors of domestic violence in partnership with the YWCA of Rochester & Monroe County.
Designed to meet rigorous Passive House performance standards, Alta Vista combines advanced building performance strategies with resident-focused amenities and community-oriented design. The project also includes commercial and gathering spaces intended to support public events and community engagement connected to the neighboring historic church campus.
As part of Rochester’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Alta Vista demonstrates how affordable housing, historic urban context, and high performance building design can work together to support long term community growth.
Sustainable Comfort supported the project team from early energy modeling through on site verification and final Phius certification. This work ensured the project met Phius program requirements while coordinating compliance across multiple state and federal programs.
Photo courtesy of Hamilton Stern Construction
Project Highlights
76 affordable and supportive housing units
Approximately $35M mixed-use affordable housing development housing development
PHIUS Core Certified
Fully electric multifamily building
Heat pump HVAC and hot water systems
Rooftop solar integration
Triple-pane high performance windows
Downtown Rochester DRI project
Supportive housing partnership with YWCA
Community and Supportive Services
Alta Vista was designed to support both housing stability and long term resident wellbeing. In addition to affordable apartments, the development includes supportive housing services for survivors of domestic violence, helping residents access safe, stable housing within a high quality residential environment.
Residents have access to shared community spaces, indoor and outdoor gathering areas, free high speed internet, and energy efficient appliances designed to improve comfort and reduce utility costs.
The project also strengthens connections to the surrounding neighborhood through community-oriented commercial and event spaces adjacent to the historic St. Joseph’s Church campus. Architectural materials and detailing were carefully selected to complement the surrounding historic context while introducing a modern high performance residential building into downtown Rochester.
Residential apartment interior at Alta Vista at St. Joseph’s Park.
Photo courtesy of Hamilton Stern Construction.
Sustainable Comfort’s Role
Sustainable Comfort supported the project team from design through certification by providing Passive House consulting, energy modeling, HERS rating services, and construction-phase verification throughout the project lifecycle.
Working closely with the owner, architect, engineers, and construction team, Sustainable Comfort helped coordinate building enclosure strategies, mechanical system performance, and certification documentation required to achieve PHIUS Core Certification.
Regular inspections and quality control reviews were conducted throughout construction to verify that insulation, air barriers, and mechanical systems were installed in alignment with certification requirements and project performance goals.
Early testing and frequent site inspections played a critical role in the project’s success. Initial blower door testing identified air leakage around the balcony door assemblies, a common challenge with double-door systems. Through coordination between Sustainable Comfort, Hamilton Stern, and the project team, additional weatherstripping and air sealing measures were implemented to improve performance and help the project achieve certification requirements.
Building Performance and Systems
Alta Vista was designed as a fully electric high performance building utilizing heat pump technology, enhanced insulation assemblies, energy recovery ventilation, and airtight construction strategies to significantly reduce operational energy use while improving indoor comfort and air quality.
Key systems and features include:
Flat roof assembly with 8” polyisocyanurate insulation
Low flow and WaterSense plumbing fixtures
ENERGY STAR certified appliances
LED lighting with occupancy sensors
Rooftop solar integration
Triple-pane Kohltech Supreme 2020 windows
VRF & multi-split heat pump heating & cooling systems
Swegon Gold F RX energy recovery ventilation systems
LG heat pump domestic hot water systems
Metal stud wall assemblies with R-22 insulation
Wood stud wall assemblies with R-30 insulation
Project Complexity
Alta Vista presented several unique challenges during the path to PHIUS Core Certification. One of the most significant involved maintaining continuity of the air, thermal, and vapor control layers around the building’s recessed balconies. The design team carefully balanced the desire to provide residents with natural light and outdoor access while maintaining the stringent enclosure performance required for Passive House certification.
Another challenge involved separating the commercial space from the certified residential portion of the building during blower door testing. Through smoke testing, the project team identified air leakage between the commercial space and an adjacent dwelling unit. Hamilton Stern worked with the team to address the issue, ultimately using AeroBarrier to improve airtightness and achieve the required performance targets.
Early testing identified air leakage between Early testing identified air leakage between the commercial and residential portions of the the commercial and residential portions of the building, allowing the project team to resolve the building, allowing the project team to resolve the issue before final certification.
Results
Alta Vista at St. Joseph’s Park demonstrates how sustainable design, affordable housing, and urban redevelopment efforts can work together to create long-term benefits for residents and the surrounding community.
The completed project delivers healthy, energy-efficient housing designed to reduce energy use, lower utility costs, and improve indoor comfort for residents year-round. Through all-electric construction, high-performance envelope systems, heat pump technology, rooftop solar integration, and PHIUS Core Certification, Alta Vista establishes a new model for high-performance affordable housing in downtown Rochester.
Achieving PHIUS Core Certification required close collaboration between the ownership team, design professionals, Sustainable Comfort, and Hamilton Stern Construction. Early testing, proactive problem solving, and a commitment to addressing issues as they were discovered helped keep the project on track and ultimately achieve certification.
By transforming four previously vacant lots into a mixed-use residential development located near public transportation, community services, and downtown amenities, the project also contributes to broader neighborhood revitalization and long-term community investment.
