Gables Union Market - Green Building Features

Gables Union Market, a LEED for Homes Mid-rise Development Benefits its Residents and the Local Neighborhood Gables Union Market in Washington, DC, a 300-unit apartment home community entwines its neighborhood setting with contemporary style. The community demonstrates Gables Residential’s commitment to sustainable, healthy living via enhancements to both the apartment homes and amenities. The development is pursuing LEED for Homes, Gold Level and Fitwel certifications.

LEED for Homes, developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), is a voluntary green home certification system for assuring homes are designed and built to high quality standards and are resource-efficient and healthy for occupants.

Fitwel is a building certification that uses evidence-based design and operational strategies to support the health and well-being of the building’s occupants and surrounding community. Fitwel was developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the General Services Administration (GSA).

Location & Connectivity The community is located in the highly desirable Union Market District and within walking distance to the NoMa-Gallaudet U NY Ave Metro station, dining and entertainment. It enjoys incredible connectivity to the Capital, major federal government agencies, D.C.’s central business district, NoMa and H-Street.

The development has a Walk Score of 95 “Walker’s Paradis.” Most errands can be accomplished on foot, as defined by Walk Score. Walk Score analyzes walking routes to nearby businesses, services and amenities.

A public plaza directly adjacent to the property is a welcoming place to gather. The plaza brings valuable open space, storm water management with its large bioretention feature and an urban escape with seating near a bubbling fountain. Gables worked closely with the City and its retail partner EDENS to design the plaza and its key features.

Promoting Green Commutes Gables Union Market offers alternative forms of transportation with sustainable commute options. The community is located within ½ mile walking distance to the METRO station. Low-emitting vehicles have access to preferred parking spots located close to building elevator banks. Residents can charge their electric vehicles at the charging stations located onsite. Cycling residents can store their bikes in the secured, covered storage area and bike workshop. This location encourages cycling for commuting or recreation with a Bike Score of 87, “Very Bikeable.” “Bike Score measures how good an address is for riding a bike. Scores are calculated by assessing bike lanes, hills, destinations, road connectivity and bike commuting mode share,” per Walk Score.

Interior Environments The qualities of a home impact how we feel. A comfortable and quiet respite with good air quality, and an environment conducive to sleeping support a healthy lifestyle. The air we breathe is one of the most important contributors to wellness. Gables Union Market is a 100% smoke free community eliminating exposure to second hand smoke. All homes have a fresh air circulation system which automatically brings 1

in fresh air at regular intervals. The apartment homes and ductwork are sealed tight to control pollutants and improve comfort.

Interior materials impact air quality. Homes were painted with low VOC paint. They have luxury vinyl plank, hard surface flooring certified by FloorScore, an indoor air quality certification for flooring.

Building operations manage air quality onsite with practices focused on managing moisture and green cleaning procedures.

Residents will sleep soundly in their quiet homes with a building that’s designed and constructed to control exterior and interior noise. Living spaces have natural light and views to nature through expansive energy efficient windows.

Natural Resource Use Residents will have a high-quality living experience in premier apartment homes that are healthy, comfortable and efficient, while using natural resources responsibly. LEED-certified homes are built and tested to be energy efficient ensuring comfort with minimal energy use. LEED homes are more efficient than homes built to typical building code standards, based on average HERS ratings.1 The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. It’s the nationally recognized standard for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance, per the RESNET HERS Index.

The systems in these homes include LED lighting, ENERGY STAR® dishwashers, refrigerators and washers, programmable thermostats, high efficiency HVAC systems and hot water heaters, and high performance low-e glass windows.

Trees were planted throughout the open areas of the site and building to provide shade and to help reduce heat island effect. This is caused by dark roofs and paved surfaces which absorb the sun’s heat during the day making the air temperature in urban areas warmer than surrounding suburban and rural areas. The trees also help manage storm water and provide natural elements to be seen from inside of the building.

Like fossil fuels used to generate energy, water is another precious resource. Homes have efficient plumbing fixtures using less water than a typical fixture. In addition to saving water, high performing fixtures using hot water like showerheads, bathroom faucets and dishwashers (uses less than 8 gallons per cycle) also save energy because the hot water heater is not working as hard.

Water efficiency and conservation strategies are designed in the landscaping and irrigation system.

Ninety percent of the plants used are drought tolerant and require less water. Invasive species were not used throughout the community. Grass areas on the grounds are limited to reduce watering and fertilizer needs. Drip irrigation is used to water most of the planting beds, it is more efficient than spray heads. Controllers and moisture sensors manage water use by watering only when needed. Rainwater from the roof is captured and filtered by a series of bio ponds before it enters a retention vault and slowly released into storm water system. This system mitigates flooding and pollution of local waterways caused by stormwater.

Tropical wood used throughout the community is FSC certified. The FSC certification confirms that the wood is sourced from a responsibly managed forest promoting environmental, social and economic benefits.

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LEED for Homes signifies a high quality, sustainable and healthy place to live. Each home is third-party inspected, performance-tested and certified to perform better than homes built to standard building code.

One hundred percent of Gables new developments built since 2015 have earned green building certifications. Visit gables.com/everyday-green/ for more information.

Benefits of Green Homebuilding, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

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