- Crystal Lake, Illinois
The firm designed a three-story Victorian-style apartment building for seniors aged 62 and older. Located on 3 acres in Crystal Lake, the building features turrets and gables that allow many of the apartments to have rounded living rooms, full kitchens, lots of windows, and an open floor plan. It is conveniently located close to nearby shopping and banking.
The building features 60 one-bedroom units as well as a community room with outdoor patio and seating, library, computer room giving residents internet access, game room with pool table, fitness room, and 24-hour on-call maintenance. The main lobby features a fireplace and a player piano, and the main entrance features a wrap around porch.. Each floor features various nooks and a central laundry with power-operated doors.
The facility has hot water generated from roof mounted solar collectors, hydronic through-wall heating, and electric cooling units in both apartments and common areas. It utilizes heating with a high efficiency boiler and cooling by rooftop units.
This facility is one of the first in the United States to earn both ENERGY STAR New Homes Version 3 and EPA Indoor airPLUS certifications. Additionally, the average HERS Index for living units was a 62, making them approximately 15-20% more efficient that the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).
