A LEED platinum project is still a pretty rare thing to see. But as of today, Seattle gets to add another LEED platinum project to the grand tally sheet. 

The project is called Kenyon House and is a supportive community with 18 studio apartments for people with HIV/AIDS. It is certified under LEED for Homes and the organization says it is the first of its kind (affordable multifamily) to receive the platinum certification in the state. It was done by Building Changes and Housing

Courtesy William Wright

Resources Group.

The first thing to understand is that LEED for homes is different than just plain ole’ LEED. The other LEED ratings (new construction, commercial interiors) are all lumped together on the USGBC’s registry. According to that registry, there are three LEED platinum projects in Washington: WPUDA headquarters, the Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station and the Perkins + Will Seattle office’s interior.

But LEED for homes, what Kenyon is certified under, is a whole other (some might say easier) ballgame. That’s listed in a separate document here. According to that document, in Washington there are six LEED platinum homes. They are all in Seattle and turns out, I’ve written about all of them. For more on the other LEED platinum homes, click here for Ashworth Cottages, here for the Alley House and here for Michael K. Mastro’s home. Or read past blog entries here and here for Alley House.

The second thing to understand is that the other LEED platinum homes are are single family market rate projects. This is the first LEED platinum home in Washington (again according to the USGBC document) that is affordable. It’s a pretty important milestone.

“Green theory” (if you will) or the large ideas behind living in an eco-conscious way says people in affordable housing complexes are often the ones who most need the benefits of green design but also are the least likely to get them. Green buildings and affordable housing, they say, need to be linked together otherwise green is just providing a better quality of living for those who can afford to pay for it.

But green buildings are also seen as being tremendously more expensive than the cost of typical affordable housing. The fact that this group has done platinum, for $5 million, is quite something.

The team used efficient gas-fired boilers which provide baseboard hydronic heat in all units, high insulation, high efficiency windows, 100 percent fluorescent lighting. It focused on air quality due to the health of the residents and had a pre-occupancy flush of the project. There is water-resistant flooring in potential wet areas to reduce the chance of mold or rot.

For more info on the project, read the DJC’s entry on it here.

Tags: LEED, Projects, Social equity, Social Justice

This entry was posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 at 4:52 pm and is filed under LEED, Projects, Seattle, Social Justice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.