Legacy at Riverpark Apartments: A Seattle Coming Home Attraction

EnviroCitizen.org recently discovered Riverpark, a community within one of our most green and enterprising cities-Seattle. It's an urban village of shops, restaurants, natural surroundings and urban features. The Legacy apartments are also green, making city living great for anyone. To top it all off, the building is in the process of being awarded a Built Green Three Star certification, a strict set of standards that rate a building.

In regards to energy use and conservation, Riverpark has a lot to offer. The windows are ENERGY STAR rated and functional, so they not only conserve energy, but can be used to ventilate the rooms. The insulation used was super insulation, which means that not only does it meet building codes, but it has no cellulose or formaldehyde, leading to a better indoor air quality. Tenants have an energy monitoring program in addition to paying energy costs to encourage conservation. Passive solar design is used. The gas furnaces are also noted to be at least 90% efficient. Programmable thermostats are used in single family homes and user-controlled thermostats for multifamily buildings are all used. All appliances meet or exceed ENERGY STAR standards. Energy-efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs are in place along with the use of natural lighting during the day.

When it comes to water consumption, many water conservation measures were taken. Aerators and low-flow units are in each apartment. There are also waterless urinals and dual flush toilets. Permeable surface materials are used so less runoff occurs outside, too. Recycled water is used for gardening and other non-food purposes so drinking water doesn't have to be used. There are high efficiency heaters and insulated pipes too.

Building materials were chosen with as much care as the rest of each home's features. Low or no-VOC interior paint was used in the interior. There were no formaldehyde-treated woods used as natural flooring such as bamboo or marmoleum was used instead. Natural wood was also used on both the interior and exterior. Salvaged materials were used wherever possible.

There are other wonderful features in this community aside from the building features. There are lots of strategically placed trees to give seasonal shade as well as to create gathering places. Mature trees in the area were carefully saved during the project. All in all, EnviroCitizen.org has found that this project has created superior living conditions for Seattlites.