3DG to Host “Green Building Open House” in Columbia Heights
14-May-2007
Neighborhood’s First LEED-Certified Condominium
3DG is proud to introduce its most environmentally advanced project ever, located at 1362 Otis Place, in the rapidly developing Northwest Washington neighborhood of Columbia Heights.
The project represents a breakthrough in the DC condominium market, as the first small-scale, LEED-Certified spec development in the Washington area. And it represents a breakthrough for 3DG, as the first project the DC-based architecture, development and construction firm has taken from start to finish with the specific goal of LEED Certification.
To celebrate the accomplishment and spread the word, 3DG will host a Green Building Open House on Sunday, June 3rd, 2007, from 1-5 PM, in partnership with Crate and Barrel, whose first Green line of home furnishings is being introduced nationwide this Spring.
Refreshments will be served, including organic foods, wine, beer and soft drinks. 3DG experts will share information about the environmentally friendly methods and technologies employed in the building, and product literature and samples will be available. Interested parties can obtain sales information and discuss financing options for the condominium units, which are offered for sale through Tutt, Taylor & Rankin Sotheby’s International Realty.
About the Project
The unusual 25-foot wide Wardman row house at 1362 Otis Place had a beautiful façade and a coveted location just blocks from the Columbia Heights metro, but had fallen into disrepair after many years as a group house, with leaky windows, old appliances and virtually no insulation.
In short, it was a huge drain on the environment.
3DG used the building as a showcase for a wide range of environmentally sustainable technologies and construction methods, in the process creating the city’s most environmentally advanced boutique condominium. The building contains two 1,600 square foot condominiums, each with two bedrooms and two baths, and filled with the luxury features and exquisite design details that characterize all 3DG developments.
What’s perhaps most significant about the project, though, is that 3DG was able to prove that genuine sustainability does not have to come at a significant price – in cost or in lifestyle: the cost to build using alternate materials and construction methods was nominally the same, and the home looks and functions as it would have if sustainability had not been considered at all.
The main difference: building it didn’t trash the environment, and living in it won’t either.
It's Not Just Us Saying It's Green
The U.S. Green Building Council explains the LEED program best:
“The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
“LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle.”
With several LEED Accredited design professionals on staff, 3DG elected to submit the Otis Place project for certification. In so doing, the firm placed itself under the microscope, so to speak, as the design and construction processes were thenceforth subjected to close scrutiny by a LEED commissioning agent. Certification requires many specific steps to be followed and compliance is ensured through regular inspections and a rating system.
>3DG: A Step Above the Competition
While many developers are claiming to incorporate “green design” into their projects, there is good reason why so few achieve or even attempt LEED Certification: the standards are extremely high, compliance is closely monitored, and the process applies to the entire scope of the project, from design to construction methods to the long-term environmental impact of the built project.
In other words, LEED Certified projects can’t simply include Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent lighting and bamboo flooring to get dubbed “green.”
LEED Certification represents more of a core company philosophy than a marketing ploy.
And that’s what sets 3DG apart from its competition. 3DG combines development, design and construction to carry out projects to a level of quality and environmental consciousness that is simply not achievable in projects marketed by profit-oriented developers, designed by outside architects, and built out by bottom-line-oriented construction firms.
With 3DG developments, since design and construction are all carried out in-house, you can trust that the commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility is real, and the execution is without compromise.
Just ask the LEED commissioning agent who has been reviewing the plans and construction of 1362 Otis Place since the beginning.
About 3DG
3DG delivers world-class architectural design, project administration, construction and real estate services to the Washington DC-area residential and commercial real estate markets, as well as a limited number of high-end single-family and multi-unit dwellings designed and developed in-house. Employing a highly qualified team of award winning architects, LEED-accredited professionals, interior designers, construction management professionals, licensed real estate agents, and financial analysts, 3DG is able to provide a unique, holistic approach to development, project management, and property buying, leasing and selling.
For further information regarding any of 3DG's design, construction and development projects, please visit 3dgllc.com or contact us at info@3dgllc.com or 202.291.3282.