The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that The Tilley Lofts in Watervliet, N.Y. is a recipient of the LEED Homes Awards in the 2015 Outstanding Multifamily Project category. The annual LEED Homes Awards recognize architects, developers, homebuilders and projects that have demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in the residential green building marketplace. The Tilley Lofts project team consists of Redburn Development, Kirchhoff-Consigli Construction; Harris A. Sanders, Architects, P.C.; and Sustainable Comfort, Inc.

“Homes represent a critical piece of the buildings industry and our daily life,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “We applaud these amazing honorees for their significant contribution to greening the residential sector by implementing strategies that positively impact the environment and enhance the health and wellbeing of their occupants.”

The 80,000 square foot Tilley Ladder Warehouse – once the oldest ladder manufacturing facility in the country – sat mostly vacant the past 10 years. In spite of its neglected condition, the structure, conveniently located in Watervliet’s Port Schuyler neighborhood, in close proximity to a park and bike trail and easily accessible to the interstate, presented an ideal site for energy efficient apartments. Through collaboration with Sustainable Comfort, Inc., the warehouse was converted into 62 luxury loft-style apartments, achieved LEED Platinum certification and ultimately considered one of the nation’s most energy-efficient residential developments.

“I want to congratulate the entire Tilley Lofts team on a great project. This recognition from the USGBC is well deserved and reflects the team’s efforts to deliver a one of a kind project,” remarked Albert LaValley, President of Sustainable Comfort Inc.

The LEED Homes Award winners include multi-family, single-family and affordable housing projects and companies that are trailblazers in the residential sector and have prioritized incorporating sustainability within their projects in 2015. This year, for the first time, the awards also recognize the “LEED Homes Power Builders,” which USGBC developed to honor an elite group of developers and builders who have exhibited an outstanding commitment to LEED and the green building movement within the residential sector. In order to be considered as a Power Builder, developers and builders must have LEED certified 90 percent of their homes/unit count built in 2015. Homes at any LEED certification level – certified, silver, gold or platinum – were eligible for consideration.

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) has become the world’s most recognized rating system for green buildings. The LEED for Homes rating system was created in 2008 as a way for single-family homes and multi-family buildings to achieve LEED certification. LEED for Homes projects undergo a technically rigorous process to become certified, including multiple on-site inspections and diagnostic tests.

Quality control and quality assurance are built into the process so that builders, architects and homeowners can rest assured they get what they paid for and specified. More than 1.2 million residential units are currently participating in LEED. USGBC’s recent Green Building Economic Impact Study found that the residential green construction market is expected to grow from $55 million in 2015 to $100.4 million in 2018, representing a year-over-year growth of 24.5 percent. 

To learn more about LEED for Homes, visit usgbc.org/homes.