Winthrop Club in Evanston Aiming For Gold LEED Rating

Winthrop Club Condos in Evanston

In the emerging green movement, there are many opinions and standards as to what “green building” means for new homes in Chicago.  Typically a commercial and multifamily high-rise standard, the Winthrop Club in Evanston is designed to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, by the U.S. Green Building Council) Gold Certified rating for its soon to be completed tower.  To earn this designation, the developer Winthrop Club LLC, designed and built the entire structure to a set of strict resource and efficiency standards and is required to have a third-party verifier from the USGBC to confirm its performance.

LEED is a voluntary program that can be applied to any new building type and retroactively to an existing structure.  It promotes a whole-building approach beginning with design, construction processes, energy performance and quality of living. The Chicago real estate market has few such buildings of this caliber.  The Winthrop Club has 96 condominiums with one to three bedrooms and 1 to 3½ baths.  Base prices start from $329,000 to $1,859,000 with parking included.   The downtown Davis Street Market location guaruntees that a resident could walk to a different restaurant for almost 2 straight months.

According to a Winthrop Club press release, this will be the first residential high-rise to be LEED Gold certified.  In addition to Energy Star-rated appliances, all condominiums will feature floor-to-ceiling low-e windows that maximize daylight and protect from the loss of cooled or heated air while also providing a filter from the sun’s damaging rays. To increase a healthy indoor environment, Winthrop Club is using low VOC-emitting paints, sealants and adhesives and installing air filtration system.

Located at 1567 Maple St., just south of Davis Street, Winthrop Club’s transit-oriented site will offer residents alternative transportation options and immediate access to the many walkable amenities of downtown Evanston. And for residents who do want to drive, in addition to the extra-wide parking spaces that come with the purchase of each home, the building’s parking garage will also have a handful of outlets for electrical cars.