Green Roof to Garner Platinum Points

The Lofts @ Cherokee Studios have been designed to achieve LEED Platinum certification from the USGBC, ensuring that the new structure (designed by Pugh + Scarpa) will be one of the most energy- and resource-efficient buildings of its kind on the West Coast. Some of those LEED points that will certainly make up the Lofts' winning USGBC report card will surely come from the building's gorgeous roof top garden designed by FormLA Landscaping.

The green roof will save energy and reduce the heat-island effect produced by the building. Rooftop greenery will absorb the unrelenting Los Angeles sunshine which means that residents and businesses in the building will need less air-conditioning to maintain pleasant indoor temperatures. The green roof will also produce a community benefit in mitigating the reflection and amplification of heat production by the building.

Irrigation and storm water runoff mitigation were also concerns when designing the roof. Storm water will be captured on the roof and routed through a drainage and filtration system beneath a landscaped parkway. There it will be cleaned, filtered, and directed back into the ground water table to reduce pollution and run-off.

The roof will be planted with native plants that require minimal irrigation. These natural grasses will softly frame 365 degree views of the urban landscape that is Los Angeles. With views from Malibu to downtown, from the Griffith Observatory and Hollywood Sign all the way out to the Pacific Ocean beyond, this rooftop deck and lounge is the perfect place to chill out after a long day of work in the studio.

As Form LA's Cassy Aoyagi explains, "This rooftop will be beautiful place to entertain with incredible views of the city and abundant greenery."

Check back for photographs, or better yet, join us for the Rock-n-Platinum Preview & Party or Public Tours, coming up in October. We'll be posting ticket information very, very soon.

USGBC-LA Visits the Lofts @ Cherokee Studios

Last week, the Los Angeles Chapter of the USGBC stopped by for an informal hard hat tour.  The group got up close and personal with the project, checking out all the ins and outs of the sustainable features.  

Once the Lofts @ Cherokee Studios are completed in September 2009, the USGBC will send an evaluator back with a giant check-list to make sure that all the green features that were proposed during design made it through to construction.  And then....the project will receive its official LEED rating.  

We humbly predict...Platinum!

Thanks to everyone who came out for the hard hat tour! 

Platinum Features for a Platinum Future

With such a rich and storied history of platinum records, the new Lofts @ Cherokee Studios could settle for nothing less than a LEED Platinum rating from the USGBC.  

The decision to build platinum features into the project 

from day one in order to ensure a platinum future was not a small one, especially when one considers that of the 4,775,000 loft, condo, and apartment homes in the State of California, only twelve units are designed to meet LEED Platinum green certification.  And all twelve are located at 751 N. Fairfax.

The USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental

 Design (LEED) program is the one of the most rigorous green building systems in the world.  Platinum is the highest certification level achievable.  This high level certification is only possible through a steadfast commitment to the highes

t standards of healthy, environmentally friendly design and construction practices.

Together, REthink Development and two-time American Institute of Architects Top 10 Green Award Winner Pugh + Scarpa have created the greenest live/work building in California.

So what makes a green building platinum?

• Being evaluated as over 40% better than California's strict Title 24 Energy Efficiency Standards (this means a smaller monthly bill!)
• 20 kW solar electric array (power up your laptop with pure sun juice!)
• Dynamic double facade creates shade and buffers street noise while enabling ventilation 
• Electric car charging for every unit
• Located in a walker's paradise (being car-dependent is so passe in LA!)
• Extensive bike storage (LA has one of the biggest emerging bike cultures in the nation, who knew?)
• Reclaimed Black Forest Walnut from Sinatra's Studio One
• Formaldehyde-free cabinets and flooring
• High efficiency air filtration (breathe clean air...a rarity in LA)
• Optimal natural ventilation
• Efficient lighting, including strategic use of LED lighting
• Abundant natural daylight
• Green, living, cooling roof (with crazy views of the city)
• Upgraded glass enhances thermal and sound insulation
• High recycled content and locally produced products
• Forest Stewardship Council certified wood (50% of all wood products)
• Reduced landfill waste by over 75%
• Reduced storm water runoff through groundbreaking under-sidewalk infiltration system
• Drought resistant native landscaping
• Energy star appliances
• Dual flush Toto Aquia II toilets
• Water-efficient fixtures
• Design for durability (like a good song, a green building can last forever)
• Double walls between units for sound insulation (and enhanced 'rockability')