ECO Modern Flats becomes first LEED Platinum-certified apartment complex in Arkansas
Last December, Fayetteville was patting itself on the back after news that it would become home to the first LEED certified multi-family development in the state. Now there’s even more to celebrate.
MC3 Multifamily this week announced that their newly renovated apartment complex, ECO Modern Flats, has been awarded a LEED Platinum certification, the highest recognition awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council for green building and design.
Model unit photo
Courtesy photo
The 40-year-old complex, formerly Glendale Apartments, is located at 130 S. Hill Avenue just south of the University of Arkansas campus near downtown Fayetteville.
The certification applies to the first of four buildings being remodeled at the 96-unit complex. The other three buildings are expected to qualify for LEED Platinum upon completion later this year. As part of the certification process, the building underwent a technically rigorous process including onsite inspections to verify that it is built to be energy and water efficient, environmentally sound, and a healthier place to live.
Nate Kredich, Vice President, Residential Market Development with the USGBC, said the residential sector contributes greatly to climate change and is responsible for 21 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions.
“Green homes like ECO Modern Flats are an immediate and measurable way individuals can make a difference for the environment,” said Kredich. “This project will serve as an example to the community of the benefits of building green.”
Seth Mims, MC3 Multifamily
Photo: Todd Gill
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the complex in mid-April, Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan said he and his staff were “blown away” with the project. “It is my belief that Eco Modern Flats has forged a path for others to follow as a model of excellence.”
Eco Modern Flats is the first multifamily development in the state to attain any level of LEED certification. It is the first project in Washington County to qualify for the LEED Platinum standard. The LEED Platinum certification places the Fayetteville complex among an elite number of developments in Arkansas including the Clinton Presidential Center and Heifer International Headquarters.
ECO Modern Flats design and construction team
Project and Property Management: MC3 Multifamily, a division of Specialized Real Estate Group
Architect: Modus Studio
Balconies, Terraces, and Railings: Razorback Ironworks
Cabinetry: Twin Oaks Custom Cabinets
Construction Managers: The H7 Group
General and Landscape Contractor: Town Builders
Green Building Consultant: Greenovation Builders
Green Lifestyle Consultant: A Splash of Green
Landscape Design: Stuart Fulbright
LEED Consultant: Viridian
Mechanical Contractor: Kimbel Mechanical Systems
Plumber: Ready Rooter Plumbing
Solar Energy Company: Stellar Sun
Window Treatments: Accent Blinds & Shutters
Source: MC3 Multifamily / ecomodernflats.com
Way to go, everyone involved! Good news for Fayetteville, and a testament to how the private sector is finding that energy efficiency as a practice can result in a marketable and desirable form and function.
A lot of people talk the talk when it comes to green infrastructure. It’s good to finally see someone walk the walk in Fayetteville.
Hooray for Modus Studios on a job well done!
Dig the look, and the enviro-consciousness.
Hip does come at a price, though. Utilities are included in the monthly rent, so it’s not unreasonable pricing, but not always student-friendly, either. The bigger apartments in the building are 80% of my monthly house expenses (mortgage + utilities in peak months), and we have dual full-time household incomes to support it.
As the U of A grows, demand for nearby apartments will also rise. This is a smart business move to refurb a building as premium/modern. Still, Fayetteville loves a copycat (frogurt, burritos, etc.), and a trend in moving near-campus dwellings up-market will push more students into more distant, cheaper rentals. Longer drives, more gas, less green.
Hopefully, the cost of living green/hip near campus will go down and become more common.