Eco-Friendly Newcastle Multifamily Community to LEED the Way

By Alex Girda, Associate Editor

The Pacific Northwest is growing its eco-friendly housing stock one development at a time. SolTerra recently announced that it is set to begin construction on a new green apartment property in Newcastle, Wash. Part of a large current slate of sustainable development projects in the Pacific Northwest, the Atlas community in Newcastle will incorporate a number of energy-saving and environmentally friendly features.

The Atlas

Atlas will consist of 98 residences, as well as a retail component of around 2,000 square feet of space. The six-story development project will also feature an underground parking facility that will serve residents, along with patrons of the nearby Newcastle Library. As is the custom with all SolTerra communities, Atlas will offer residents a unique design feature, in this case a wall of built-in bookshelves in each unit. They will also have access to a large outdoor courtyard on the second floor.

Set to be fitted with green living walls, eco-roofs, a storm-water retention facility, rooftop solar, and private and public roof terraces, Atlas is meant to be a highly efficient community. The LEED Platinum-designed multifamily complex will feature 9,100 square feet of vegetated eco-roof insulation on the roof, which will also collect storm water. According to building plans, the community should save about 30 percent over average buildings constructed according to the state code. The building is set for completion next summer.

Image courtesy of solterrasystems.com