340 On The Park
More eco-friendly building news, this time out of Chicago. The development, 340 On The Park, which is nearing completion, is set to be the first residential high-rise in the Midwest scheduled to meet the LEED Silver certification standards of the United States Green Building Council. The 62-story building has floor-to-ceiling windows with lake, skyline and park views.
Eco-friendly elements include the building's exterior curtain-wall of low-e tinted glass and aluminum panels which peels back to provide a two-story landscaped winter garden, a fitness room in the sky, 25-yard lap pool, clubroom lounge for gathering or entertaining, and Wi-Fi access. During construction, Related Midwest was able to divert 82% of its construction waste – over 2800 tons -- from landfills to be used in projects such as road beds. Green construction practices at 340 on the Park also included using locally produced and recycled building materials, an indoor air quality management plan to keep mechanical systems clean during construction so dust is not trapped in air ducts, and the implementation of an erosion and sediment control program to minimize impact on storm water systems. The building's 343 residences, which include one-, two- and three-bedroom and penthouse homes have mostly sold out but you can buy a one-bedroom unit for $799,000 .
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mehul Kamdar Jul 21st 2007 1:10PM
I drive past this location every day from work and if there is a more ghastly location for a home anywhere, I don't know about it. Only a city worthy of Al Capone and a building mafia could line a beautiful lakefront with the ugliest brutalistic architecture after the structures along the Moscow River built in Stalin's era. Driving is a crawl every day and whatever green building practices the builders may have employed, all you have to do is come out and breathe in some of the filthiest air from the worst traffic jams around you and from the endemic congestion on the I-90 and 94 nearby every day and night.
All this is just evidence that there is vastly more hype to this "green" business than anything else. Chicago's builders are out to make a buck or a billion and there is no shortage of idiots who would fall for their nonsense.