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Nations Greenest Condominium Is Now in Portland
Attaining the highest standard of green building is not a mean task. But Portland had proved that it can achieve it. Portland now has the greenest condominium of the nation--- The Casey condominiums. The condo tower has recently been awarded LEED platinum, and with this it becomes the nation’s first high-rise condo tower to receive the highest standard certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Energy efficiency of the highest standard, outstanding architecture and luxury features are all that make the dream of true green living come true.
The Casey condominium has been developed by Gerding Edlen, the celebrated developer of other two platinum projects in Portland, the Gerding Theater, the nation’s first platinum historic renovation and performing arts center, and Oregon Health Science University’s Center for Health & Healing, the nation’s first and largest platinum medical office building.
Located at Portland’s Pearl District and 16 stories tall, The Casey also showcases outstanding architecture. By covering just one-quarter block in area, this Portland condo creates a sleek and chic profile. The sizes of the units vary between 1,000 to 3,600 square feet. This $54 million project took off in January 2006, and by December 2008, the first lot of units were ready for possession.
This green Portland condo that also happens to be the greenest in the USA incorporates a list of sustainable design principles. The property aims at reducing the usage of fossil fuels; on the other hand it encourages the usage of sustainable, regional, renewable and low-VOC materials. The building also made use of water-efficient fixtures and appliances. In its attempt to reduce heat gains, the building has used glazing in the places. Eco-roof feature has been included to reduce the heat island effect. With the help of cutting edge mechanical equipment and a solar PV system, it supplies renewable energy to all the units of the building. ERVs (Energy Recovery Ventilators) have been installed in each unit so that exhausted heat can be utilized for the purpose of preheating incoming fresh air.
This environment-friendly condo is geared for achieving a 52 percent energy savings over a code-compliant building. All these green features are supposed to help reduce the building’s environmental footprint.
Kelly Saito, managing principal of project developer Gerding Edlen Development hopes that such green Portland condos become the norm rather than exception in the upcoming years. “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment, and ultimately we hope that this level of green building will be the standard. We’re trying to discover ways to push beyond platinum in an effort to create net zero buildings that generate more energy than they consume and that consume more waste than they generate,” Saito said.
