Green Buildings

The Greenest Houses in Massachusetts have been completed in Cambridge: "Homes for 21st Century Sustainable Living"

If you are a lucky buyer of one of two new townhouses on Field St. you could get to live in an affordable, very healthy home with significant energy savings, a home that minimizes its impact on the environment in countless ways.  Developer Manny Stefanakis of Sustainable Living LLC has just completed the city's greenest, healthiest and most environmentally friendly residences. In fact the project's  expected LEED Platinum rating,  which will likely be granted in the next two weeks by the U.S. Green Building Council, would make it the first residential project in Massachusetts and among only 10  such projects in the entire US. to receive this honor.  

Each of the townhouses, built as two attached 1500 sq. ft. condominiums, incorporate two different kinds of solar panels, serious insulation and are expected to save owners about $2000 in energy costs per year over comparable homes.  

"This is a triumph for green building.  These townhouses are ultra-green!" said City Councillor Henrietta Davis who introduced the City green building policy that has governed the building of municipal buildings since 2000. "These are the first two homes built in Cambridge to receive this highest standard of the U.S. Green Building Council and they are truly homes for the 21st century," she said.  

Each unit contains the following energy saving measures: proper solar orientation, photovoltaic cells generating electricity, solar heated domestic hot water, triple-glazed windows, icynene insulation, fluorescent lighting, radiant floor heating, insulated basement, and a heat recovery ventilation system and Energystar rated appliances.  

The houses also are designed to maximize natural ventilation to maximize comfort without the need for air conditioning.   The townhouses also integrate sustainability features like rainwater management, native plant materials for landscaping, use of wood products from ecologically managed forests, bamboo flooring, low VOC paints, small timber sizes from young forests, recycled glass tiles, and a fire suppression system.     For more information contact:   Manuel Stefanakis President Sustainable Living LLC stefanakis@gmail.com

617 792 3262