Evanston Condos Seek LEED® Gold Certification: Winthrop Club Condominiums
1567 Maple Ave.
Location
1567 Maple Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 map
Developer
Bob Horner and Ibrahim Shihadeh of Winthrop Properties
Architect
FitzGerald Associates Architects
Builder
Bovis Lend-Lease
By William Olson
The Chicago metropolitan housing market is experiencing one of the steepest declines of the past several decades. But a high rise condominium project in Evanston seems to be heading in a different direction and just might prove that building green offers a significant avenue for product differentiation, even in an uncertain economic climate.
The Winthrop Club Condominiums in downtown Evanston are nearly complete.
Initially shooting for the LEED® Silver certification, the project now expects the green features and construction methods will ensure them Gold certification. The project will be outfitted with a green roof and will feature native vegetation landscaping. In addition, the project uses locally manufactured building materials and will recycle at least 75 percent of the development’s construction waste. The condo interiors features include rapidly renewable elements such as bamboo flooring and wool carpeting. Also, at least three percent of the parking stalls reserved for residents will provide alternative energy refueling (electric charging).
Even the energy used to build the project is from renewable sources. The project uses a delivery system known as “green power”. The “green power” system allows the developer to purchase power from an independent provider—who promises to deliver a commensurate amount of power generated by renewable energy sources to Winthrop Club or to another user. The general idea is that the purchase of “green power” is used in the grid and makes an impact regardless of who the end user is.
Unlike other high rise projects in the area, Winthrop Club has garnered ample sales to clear its financing hurdle. Due to the current gridlock in the credit markets high- and mid-rise condominium programs in Evanston, akin to the rest of the region, have taken it on the chin of late. Through the third quarter of this year, there were a total of twelve net sales among eight new-construction condominium programs in Evanston, four of which either lost sales or recorded no new contracts thus far this year. By contrast, Winthrop Club tallied eleven year-to-date sales through the third quarter, far outpacing every other active condominium project. According to the developer, this bodes well for the remainder of units still unsold at the community, which is roughly 50 percent of the 96-unit project
It is no surprise that The City of Evanston has welcomed this privately financed project as something new, more environmentally sustainable and desirable in these dismal economic times.
Tags: green building materials, green condos, green power, green roof, LEED® certified, LEED® gold, recycling, renewable energy, winthrop club
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