We’re anxiously awaiting some larger renderings for eco18, a new condo project in the South Loop. In the meantime, we’ll pass along the news that a sales center and model open Thursday, June 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m at 1830 S Wabash Ave.
The project, a 12-story tower from Dynaprop Development Corp., will be built up the street at 1818 S Wabash Ave.
This is the first large-scale condo development in the city to seek LEED Gold Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Dynaprop president Rick Turner says in a statement. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a national rating system that measures sustainability in building.
The project’s green features include a geothermal energy system with pipes 450 feet underground. It functions much like the basement of a house, which is naturally cool in the summer and warm in the winter, according to Turner.
Almost half of the hot water will be heated by solar panels on the roof, which will also have a 12,000-square-foot garden to reduce heat emissions. The insulation and plumbing are designed to conserve energy and water. And a limited number of parking spaces will be set aside for condo owners with hybrid cars.
The building – from what we’ve gathered so far without seeing the bigger pictures – seems fairly traditional. Chicago architecture firm Wight & Company’s designs call for a stone facade ornamented with an octagonal turret and recessed balconies with wrought-iron railings. The building will have 93 condos and 9,000 square feet of ground-floor retail that residents will be able to access without going outside.
Units will have one to two-plus bedrooms and one to two bathrooms, and range from 809 to 1,583 square feet. Interior finishes include 9.5-foot ceiling heights, stainless steel appliances, Moen faucets and granite or limestone counters. Some units have nooks that provide space for a home office.
Pre-construction prices start from the mid $200s to the upper $500s. Heated garage parking is $29,900.
It’s great that the developer is going for a very enviormentally responsible building with the LEED Gold Rating. However, wouldn’t it also be responsible to design a building that’s friendly to the eyes as well? This is a real clunker, aesthetically speaking. Very trashy-looking postmodern banality….
As opposed to all that beautiful glass cheap crap by the developers of 1712 and the building next door? Have you seen the streetscape of the units on those buildings? Unbelievable, people literally have newspaper and pictures taped to the glass exterior walls…a great touch; if the look can be trashed so easily, is it really good architecture?
I agree with Sam and it actually reminds me of some of the garbage they’ve thrown up in River North and specifically, the building on Division right around Larabee. Something like that looks more at home in Del Boca Vista.
At the same time, I applaud the developers motivation in getting a green building together. It’s much more difficult and over time, owners of units in green buildings will see better appreciation for the mere fact that buildings like this will be in higher demand as people become more environmentally conscious, at least in the states. China and India could make that whole desire moot though, as they aren’t doing anything to put a lid on their emissions. Get back in the boat Noah, the flood is coming!
Apparently, they spent all the money going green and forgot to pay for a little design. Tragic.
The name of the building had me really excited for it. After seeing the model at the Green Festival, I was less than enthused to see much more.