Living lightly: Condos go ecofriendly
Q: I鈥檝e followed the trends in 鈥渆co-homes鈥� now for many years. Are there equally encouraging things happening in the world of condos?
鈥� Charlie Anderson, Seattle
A: Believe it or not, condominiums may be some of the most environmentally responsible housing out there today, especially since more and more developers are paying attention to sustainability.
By their very nature, many condo complexes adhere to some of the most basic tenets of green housing: density, to maximize surrounding open space and minimize buildings鈥� physical and operational footprints; proximity to mass transit, given their typical location in urban areas; and reduced resource use per unit, thanks to shared systems, walls, and common spaces.
Builders can elect to layer on other green elements, such as high-efficiency appliances and HVAC systems, green roofs, and organic landscaping.
鈥淧rojects are embracing green [to] be more responsive to what the buying public is looking for,鈥� says Gail Vittori, chairwoman of the US Green Building Council, which produced and manages the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. 鈥淭hey also want to have the built environment become much more in line with environmental and health considerations,鈥� she says.
One example is Florence Lofts, a new development of 12 townhouses and a 4,200 square foot commercial building in Sebastopol, Calif. The LEED-certified project features roofs covered with a photovoltaic film that鈥檚 expected to produce most of the electricity needs. A commercial-scale 鈥済ray water鈥� system diverts sink and shower water for irrigation purposes, and a tank collects storm water from roofs to prevent excessive runoff.
Another example is The Riverhouse overlooking the Hudson River in New York City鈥檚 Battery Park district. The LEED-certified, 320-unit building 鈥� the new home of actor/environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio 鈥� has geothermal heating and cooling, twice-filtered air, nontoxic paint, and landscaped roof gardens.
Developers need not break the bank to go green on condo and apartment projects. Two-thirds of the units in Harlem鈥檚 much-publicized 1400
Fifth Avenue building 鈥� touted as New York鈥檚 first green condominium 鈥� are considered affordable, priced at $50,000 to $104,000 and restricted to families of moderate income.
Also in the New York metropolitan area, Habitat for Humanity recently announced it has assembled a green design team to build 鈥渞eal affordable condos鈥� in New Rochelle and other parts of Westchester County.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e doing a moderately green building, the premium to build is typically in the 1.5 to 2 percent range. It鈥檚 very small,鈥� says Leanne Tobias of Malachite LLC, a Maryland-based green real estate consulting firm. Additionally, the carrying costs for green units are lower, since such buildings operate on less energy and water and generate less waste than conventional high-rises.
鈥淎ll of those will be savings every month for the homeowners or residents of those buildings,鈥� Ms. Vittori adds. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big plus.鈥�
Got an environmental question? Write: Earth颅颅Talk, c/o E 鈥� The Environmental Magazine, Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881. Or e-mail: earthtalk@emagazine.com.
