Green Features
Site Design
The landscaped site surrounding the Trio Newton buildings were thoughtfully designed to provide residents with a beautiful connection to the outdoor environment while minimizing the potential negative effects of landscaping and site design on the environment. These measures include:
- No installation of invasive species or water-intensive turf grasses;
- Incorporation of drought tolerant plantings where reasonable; and
Building Features
A team of experts, specializing in high-performance buildings, designed the building’s structure. The team emphasized sustainable design throughout the building systems and components, which help reduce energy usage and utility bill rates, provide a comfortable and healthy indoor environment, and facilitate greener living for building residents. These measures include:
- Well insulated exterior and unit demising walls-minimizing air leakage to the outside, as well as air transfer between interior living spaces;
- Very high-efficiency heating and cooling systems;
- Filtered supply air into each unit, providing a continuous healthy indoor environment;
- High-performance plumbing fixtures, including toilets, showerheads and faucets;
- Energy efficient appliances throughout the building;
- High-efficiency lighting fixtures and bulbs;
- Environmentally preferable building materials, including available local and recycled content products;
- Flooring and Cabinetry with no harmful chemical emissions; and Low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) within all installed primers, paints, sealants, caulking, and adhesives.
Construction Methodology
Throughout the construction process, careful attention was paid to opportunities to minimize the environmental impact of all onsite activities and generation. These measures included:
- Off-site panelized construction to minimize the amount of waste produced on-site;
- Management of run-off from the construction site to avoid erosion and sedimentation in surrounding areas;
- Continuous protection of all ductwork for heating, cooling, and fresh air transport-minimizing dust contamination; and
- Responsible construction waste management to maximize recycling and reduce landfilled waste.