Leeds’ Greenhouse development makes sustainability history
Greenhouse by eco home developer Citu sets new standards in green living as the UK’s first, large-scale housing development to generate more energy than it uses. Carbon neutral homes are hot on the agenda, particularly as Gordon Brown’s recent budget outlined provisions for those qualifying as carbon neutral to be exempt from stamp duty. Citu, however, is going one step further in ensuring that Greenhouse will be carbon negative and so actually give energy back to the grid.
The conversion of a 1930’s art deco building into ecological history, Greenhouse will provide 172 one, two and three bedroom homes that are on sale this week. When complete in 2009, the development will also house retail and office space and is located in New South Leeds, a regenerating area targeted for massive investment over the next five years.
Greenhouse’s groundbreaking carbon-negative rating will be achieved via a range of carefully planned features to ensure minimal wastage and maximum energy generation, including:
· A stunning, 80-metre, off-site wind turbine to create enough electricity for Greenhouse and 50 other local homes
· Silent rooftop wind turbines to power the lift and communal lighting
· Ground-source heat pumps for heating, cooling and hot water
· Rooftop solar heating for hot water
· Heat recovery systems
· State-of-the-art insulation to keep the building cool in summer and hot in winter
· Fixtures and fittings that are A-rated in terms of energy conservation.
Residents could save up to a third on energy bills and will also have access to a variety of schemes and features designed to make green living easier and life generally more pleasant. These include:
· A car club of vehicles powered by renewable fuels
· On-site green cabs and an eco shuttle bus to the city centre
· An organic allotment scheme
· Recycling facilities
· Home-working spaces to alleviate commuting
· Secure cycle storage and free, on-site cycle rental
· Umbrellas to make the 10-minute walk to the city centre more comfortable on rainy days.
While everything has been thought through to put the environment first, there has been absolutely no compromise on design, and Greenhouse will appeal as much to style conscious young urbanites as those looking for a way to give something back to the planet.
Neither does such eco-friendly living come at a great cost – apartments at Greenhouse range from £59,000 to £205,000, making them affordable for local first-time buyers who have been unable to afford homes at other new developments in the city, as well as great buys for investors.
Citu director Mac Maclean says, “All our developments are designed around what we call eco-modern living. With Greenhouse we’ve raised the bar and achieved a new level of sustainability to prove what can be done, and indeed to meet growing consumer demand.
“By ensuring that contemporary features and great design are prioritised as highly as eco-friendly attributes, we’ve created a new kind of home that buyers will love to live in, as well as feeling good about their contribution to maintaining the planet.”
Architect Andrew West of Leeds-based West & Machell says of the state-of-the art building, “This development is one of the biggest challenges we’ve faced. We’ve achieved a design that gives a monolithic building an airy, contemporary makeover in a visual sense. But, more than that, it’s been done using the most advanced technology available along with practical commonsense measures to turn it truly and completely green.”
For more sales information please call 0870 8799111 or visit www.greenhouseleeds.co.uk
-ENDS-
For more media information and photography, please call Sebastian Mysko on 0113 259 3695 or email sebastianm@wolfstarconsultancy.com.
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