MNN - Mother Nature Network

Still reeling over the extravagant details (A staff of 600! Three heliports! A 150 garage!) of Mukesh Ambani’s billion dollar, 27-floor “green” skyscraper/palace in Mumbai? Well, here’s another opulent, eco-friendly property (this one has LEED credentials to prove it) that’s decidedly a lot more toned down but still not geared towards folks who don't normally use the word “luxurious” to describe their homes.

 

The home in question is a $6.8 million townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that at only 5,000 square feet spread across six floors is miniscule compared to Ambani’s project. Most notably, the home is the first and only LEED Gold certified townhouse in Manhattan. The East 82nd Street home, originally on the market for $8.3 million, was built in 2 ½ years using locally sourced construction materials with much of the demolition waste from the site's original structure being recycled.

 

Green features that helped the townhouse achieve LEED Gold status include EnergyStar appliances, a rooftop garden, radiant floor heating, a rainwater harvesting system, and a thermal envelope that allows for superior indoor air quality. The townhouse is 30 to 40 percent more energy efficient than comparable townhouses but I’m thinking that the eventual owners won’t be entirely too concerned about trimming money off of their monthly utility bills. Non-green features of this high-end urban infill project include five bedrooms, five bathrooms, three fireplaces, an elevator, a wine cellar, two laundry rooms, and ample outdoor space.

Developer Teddy Schiff of Oyster Capital Group LLC tells The Wall Street Journal:

 

 

While the home’s developer doesn’t come off too well in the above quote and the home itself is out of reach for those of us who aren't Manhattan millionaires — Preston over at Jetson Green notes, “notwithstanding the economy, I imagine there are folks in Manhattan that would drop $6.8 million on a green townhouse without batting an eyelash” — I have to admit, I’ve taken a good look at the home’s Sotheby’s listing and do think it is quite beautiful. Take a look for yourself. Sure, this is an instance where beauty and green come with a ridiculously high price tag but among all the gilded, multi-million dollar Manhattan townhouses, it’s good to see one for once that actually is Gold.  

 

Via [Jetson Green], [WSJ]