In September, Southface Institute welcomed members from The Integral Group and Westside Future Fund to its campus for the first session of the Atlanta Residential Upgrades Multifamily Program (ATL RES UP).
Sponsored by Atlanta Housing and offered in partnership with Georgia Power and The Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience, ATL RES UP uses a cohort model to provide peer learning among building operators. The format allows experts to share knowledge of residential property markets, green building certifications, financial feasibility, and the latest best practices for sustainable operations and maintenance.
Through six monthly sessions, participants will learn to expedite the installation of energy, water, and waste efficiency upgrades in multifamily affordable properties, using education, technical support, and financial incentives. Each session follows Urban Green’s GPRO Operations and Maintenance curriculum, so building operators and property managers will receive a green building certification at the end of the program.
Most importantly, ATL RES UP participants are learning how their everyday actions as building operators can help ensure their properties are both sustainable and affordable. As a bonus, attendees of the first session were treated to a special lunchtime visit from Southface’s beekeeping partner, Alvéole, where they tasted honey straight from the hive and learned the importance of honeybees.
ATL RES UP pairs these educational opportunities with Southface’s BIT Building program, an online software platform designed for building operators to help implement and maintain sustainable operations and maintenance best practices. Participants can learn and apply green building fundamentals to their properties by seeing real-time savings in building operations during the program.
As ATL RES UP continues, participants are not only gaining valuable skills but are also proving that sustainability means affordability, ensuring that multifamily housing in Atlanta remains both eco-friendly and cost-effective for years to come.
