A Guide to Developing an Environmentally-Friendly Residential Apartment Complex

People are increasingly becoming aware of their carbon footprints and environmental issues, increasing the demand for environmentally-friendly apartments. Fortunately for developers, the added cost of implementing environmentally-friendly design and construction principles can pay off by attracting admirers of green living.

Green apartments have energy-efficient appliances, insulation, water conservation, and many other environmentally-friendly features. What’s more, green apartments help tenants and landlords reduce operations and maintenance costs. So if you’re thinking of going green, here are some key factors to consider when developing an environmentally-friendly residential complex.

Thinking about the location and transportation options

The first thing you should do is find a location for your complex that’s close to public transport and within walking or cycling distance to local amenities such as shops, schools, post offices, entertainment, and so on. This way, tenants won’t have to rely on their car to get from A to B.

The best location for your apartment complex would be in an urban village where tenants can go to the shops to get their groceries, buy clothes, eat out or hit the bar. Another good location would be on a major transport corridor where tenants can easily get to and from work or the closest central business district. The shorter the amount of time a tenant has to drive, the more they can save money on gas and reduce carbon emissions.

You can also consider providing an easy and brightly lit bike path that leads to a safe and secure bike storage space, that can be easily accessed from the front entry foyer. You can even let your tenants rent parking spaces that are located close to elevators and staircases, and that have their own personal electric car charging stations. You might also want to hire a car share company, so tenants can carpool with others instead of using their own car, or offer a ride-sharing service that uses hybrid cars.

You can also incorporate grocery stores, retail shops, cafés, bars and gyms into your community so tenants don’t have to leave the complex. Build these on the ground floor of the building, especially if it faces the street, to encourage people to travel by foot or by bike.

Energy and water efficiency

An energy-efficient residential complex can reduce tenants’ energy usage and utility bills. For example, you can incorporate double-glazed windows for optimal insulation (e.g. control the internal temperature), spray foam insulation, appliances with high Energy Star ratings and eco-friendly plumbing fixtures.

You can even add energy-efficient lighting such as light emitting diodes (LEDs) or compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), as well as energy-efficient HVAC units and other household products. Adding fans and having windows that can open can further reduce the amount a tenant uses the HVAC unit.

You can also consider developing a complex that’s completely powered by the wind and sun. You can do this by installing a wind turbine between each floor and solar panels to generate electricity.

Don’t forget to ensure that all habitable rooms, such as bedrooms and living rooms, have access to natural light and ventilation. You can place light corks in the building to receive natural airflow and get natural light into every room.

As for saving water, you can install dual-flush toilets and water-efficient faucets, showerheads, dishwashers and washing machines. They optimise water consumption levels without compromising water pressure. You can also add water tanks and a greywater system. You can further limit water usage by installing a constructed wetland.

Additionally, you can make the complex more energy and water efficient by letting tenants share services. For example, you can have one centralised boiler for heating, one centralised solar collector for heating the solar hot water, and one centralised water tank for providing rainwater to all apartments. If there are 24 apartments in the complex, you can consider having a shared laundry with only eight washing machines, four troughs, four sets of taps and one lot of plumbing waste.

Green materials and recycling capabilities

When developing your residential complex, consider using recycled materials for construction, sourcing building materials locally, recycling waste materials during construction and reducing the amount of materials you use and the amount of waste you generate.

Also use green building materials that are eco-friendly and sustainable. These include bamboo for flooring, natural stone and hardwood. Not only are they durable and easy to maintain, they’re also aesthetically appealing.

Likewise, you can consider using non-toxic or low-emission materials, like low VOC paint and formaldehyde-free flooring, to reduce the amount of contaminants released into the indoor environment. This is particularly important for tenants who are sensitive to chemicals.

You can also reduce waste and manage your impact on the environment by having a complex-wide recycling and composting program.

Sustainable gardens and landscaping

You can also make your complex more green by adding sustainable interior or terrace gardens. This, in turn, allows tenants to regularly breathe fresh air, which can improve their health and wellbeing. Or, you can have rainwater-irrigated rooftop gardens.

To reduce the environmental impact of your landscaping, hire an organic lawn care company or completely get rid of the lawn. You can then have a water-wise xeriscape or a lush native plant garden to provide habitat for wildlife.

You can also consider edible landscaping, using ornamental edible plants like apple trees, blueberry bushes and flowering herbs to create beautiful and tasty gardens. On the other hand, you can provide vegetable garden plots for tenants so they can grow their own fresh, local produce.

Reducing your impact on the environment

By developing an environmentally-friendly residential complex, you can reduce your impact on the environment. What’s more, many people want to live in an environmentally-friendly place, so it’s worthwhile taking the above factors into account when developing your complex. Building green can help you create a healthier, better and more sustainable living environment for the future.