CLEVELAND, OH - The Residences at 1717, an historical renovation and conversion of the 21-story East Ohio Building in downtown Cleveland to apartments and street-level retail, has earned a LEED Silver rating from the US Green Building Council. Sol design + consulting, Cincinnati, provided energy efficiency consulting, performance testing, and LEED green building certification services for the 223-unit, $65 million project, developed by Willoughby, Ohio based K&D, and designed by Berardi + Partners, Columbus.
The historic property’s location in the former financial district of Cleveland is within a few minutes’ walk of the Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field, Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers featuring LeBron James, supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, a park, public library, arts and entertainment venues, transit stops, and more basic services. Walkability, utilization of existing infrastructure and ready access to community services are hallmarks of green development.
Another important principle in sustainability is reuse; in this case, the reuse of the building’s structure and envelope. The reuse and renovation strategy employed on The Residences at 1717 uses far less embodied energy than new construction of a similar scale.
Energy efficiency of the renovated 56-year old building is a major factor in its sustainability rating. Sol design + consulting conducted infrared testing to evaluate the selection of window replacements. The retrofit storm windows proved to be energy efficient and a historically sensitive choice.
Apartments received new water source heat pumps served by a new 95% efficient gas-fired boiler and refurbished cooling tower. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) provides fresh air to the entire building and further enhances energy efficiency. Thorough air sealing of each unit, often a challenge in historic renovations, was successfully implemented, minimizing air infiltration and leakage into common areas and adjacent apartments.
Other green features that contribute to the Residences at 1717 LEED Silver sustainability award:
- High efficiency LED, CFL and other fluorescent lighting
- ENERGY STAR refrigerators
- ENERGY STAR dishwashers and clothes washers save electricity and water, too
- WaterSense® toilets and lavatory faucets
- Green label carpet and low-VOC paints for healthy indoor air quality
- High recycled content drywall and extensive building component reclamation
The original East Ohio Building, designed in the Modernist International Style by prominent New York City architects Emory Roth and Sons, has significance meriting its addition to the National Register of Historic Places, championed by developer K&D and Cleveland leaders. Headquarters for the East Ohio Gas Company, the building was just the second high-rise in Cleveland when it was completed in 1959, and the first to utilize a glass curtain wall. The renovation was partially financed with state and federal historic tax credits.
The building sat vacant from 2009 until K&D purchased it in 2012. The careful historic renovation, sustainability features and magnificent views of the city and Lake Erie made the transformation of this Modernist landmark an immediate hit in the market, and Residences at 1717 leased up completely in eight months.
About Sol design + consulting: Sol design + consulting specializes in energy efficiency and green building certification services for developers, owners, builders and architects. Certification programs include LEED, ENERGY STAR, Enterprise Green Communities, NAHB National Green Building Standard, Passive House, Net-Zero Energy Building and other state and local sustainability programs. What sets Sol apart is 25 years of professional design and construction experience brought to green building consulting. The company has certified over 100 projects in 15 states and is working on its first international projects.