The Cardinal at West Center on Sustainability
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. The Cardinal was conceived and built to capitalize on new sustainable design, technologies and construction processes in order to minimize environmental impact. As a company we feel a responsibility to preserve and protect our environment through thoughtful design and construction. The Cardinal’s designation as a Gold Level - LEED certified building is a testament to that effort.
Here's how we achieved LEED Gold:
Indoor Air Quality and Materials
- Low VOC paint
- All fiberglass insulation includes a minimum of 50% recycled content
- Outside air is supplied for all apartment units
- Bathrooms and kitchens are exhausted outdoors
- Each unit is air sealed and compartmentalized
- Material efficient framing technologies utilized
Indoor Water Use
- High efficiency showers using only 2.0 gallons per minute (gpm)
- Very high efficiency lavatory faucets (sinks) using only 1.5 gpm
Transportation
- 94 secured bicycle parking spaces
- ½ mile of Razorback transit bus lines
Energy
- Projected to use 22% less energy than ASHRAE Stnd. 90.1-2007 baseline building requirements
- Roofing material is high albedo (light colored) to reduce the local heat island effect
- Energy Star appliances and bathroom fans
- Combination of LED and fluorescent lighting
- All HVAC equipment is SEER 13
Landscape
- 90% of plants are drought tolerant, none are invasive
- Terraced landscaping in steep areas to avoid long term erosion