Aegis Living project set to open in spring 2021 wraps around Living Building Challenge certification
Today’s smart home solutions do simple things like they turn lights on and off. Mostly built around minimizing human efforts, these homes automate tasks based on pre-defined user profiles. However, these smart homes somewhere still lack sustainability preferences. With philosophy: “make every day count,” Aegis Living, a national leader in senior assisted living and memory care, broke ground on the world’s greenest senior living community. The first-of-its-kind development measures an incredible milestone for Aegis Living and the senior assisted living community as a whole.
The project aims to construct green building solutions that are still behind due to the challenge of senior residents spending approximately 95 per cent of their days on the premises, more than any other building occupancy type. This constant use of resources makes the project more difficult to mitigate demand with green building mechanisms. Aegis Living navigated to offset these building’s total energy demand with fulltime resident use which has been a challenging, yet rewarding process.
Smart plus green home solutions
Set to open in spring 2021, Aegis Living Lake Union charting new territory to create a sustainable and green-certified facility that can meet the unique needs of residents, Aegis Living demonstrates that building green can be achieved. The green residential solution is on track to be the first assisted living community to meet the most rigorous global green/sustainability building standards. The construction can around a Living Building Challenge certification and is participating in the City of Seattle’s Living Building Pilot Program. The project for a novel emission-free design approach developed credible features as follows:
- Eco-friendly interior– To build emission-free, Aegis Living Lake Union aims to use standard electricity to support the entire 70,000 square-foot building, including large appliances and kitchen equipment, significantly reducing overall environmental impact.
- The solar solution– The community will offset more than the building’s total energy demand through various energy reduction measures, an onsite solar array and an offsite solar energy farm.
- Resolving first home problems– The amenities would have key features including improved insulation such as triple-pane windows and thermal insulation for exterior walls, heat recovery through forced-air ventilation, a recirculating heat pump system, LED lighting and sensors to monitor use, installation of all high-efficiency appliances and more.
Amenities will include a spa/wellness centre with a salon, massage parlour, and fitness centre. Residents will enjoy a variety of gathering spaces to spend time with family, friends, and neighbours. The community will feature an onsite cinema and sky lounge and a terrace with views of Lake Union.
Zero-emission leads to a sustainable future
The community expects to save approximately 320,000 kilowatt-hours annually – equivalent to planting more than 12,000 trees each year. Another 1.7 million kilowatt-hours is aimed at generating between the solar array and offsite energy farm.
Aegis Living developed new energy and water consumption benchmarks for the senior living category to build emission-free community. All non-drinking, usable water will be supplied through captured rainwater and treated greywater. The portable water will be reserved for consumption only. These measures will save more than 140,000 gallons of water annually that can be used for the life of the building.
