Live Maintenance-Free in a LEED Certified Downtown Chicago Apartment

The developing Chicago skyline is becoming defined by new luxury apartment buildings. Each of these downtown Chicago apartments have one major thing in common; they are all incorporating more sustainable designs and concepts through the rigorous standards of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification.

In 2004, Chicago began to embrace sustainable efforts when city leaders decreed that all new buildings must be LEED-certified. However, the first LEED-certified residential high-rise in Chicago didn’t arrive until 2009, when the South Loop apartment building, AMLI 900, was constructed. Once the rental developer drought came to an end in 2013, the downtown Chicago apartment market gained 5,300+ new apartments and another 3,000+ by the end of 2015. All of these new luxury rentals are LEED-certified.

Most of our clients don’t include a property’s eco-friendly status on their “must have” list. However, they do request for it in a different, subconscious way, by requesting maintenance-free living.

How does selecting a LEED-certified property equate to maintenance-free living? The LEED certification is a set of rating systems for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings. The concept starts at the core of the property’s building design; through the use of: more efficient construction methods, eco-friendly materials, and the life cycle analysis for the future quality of life to be sustained.

In a LEED-certified building, when you have a light bulb go out, it’s not your problem to fix it. The on site staff will replace it for you. Now that’s luxurious living! This level of service is not only due to an excellent staff, but it’s actually necessary for them to continue to obtain LEED-certification. If residents started replacing their own light bulbs with different brands, it would create inconsistency within the building as a machine, thus jeopardizing the quality and its certification status.

When it comes time to start searching for a new downtown Chicago apartment, just view that beautiful LEED-certified plaque hanging in the lobby as the cherry on top of an already stunning new luxury high-rise.