Philly ranks 8th in nation for green residential projects

How “green” is Philly? It’s environmentally friendly enough to rank 8th in the nation for LEED-certified residential projects, according to a new study.

Real estate website ADOBO recently revealed a new ranking of the U.S. cities with the most certified green construction. Philly fared pretty well, cracking the top 10 list with 909 LEED-certified residential projects under its belt.

The average square footage of these green projects in Philly comes out to 17,901 square feet, with 0.15 projects per 1,000 people.

Philly’s numbers are nothing to scoff at. But they pale in comparison to the so-called LEED Capital of the U.S. That title goes to Washington, D.C., which has 2,675 LEED-certified residential projects—more than double the amount of Philly, according to the ADOBO report.

A previous study that named Philly 11th in nation for green buildings, both residential and commercial, that are either LEED-certified or Energy Star compliant. It found that just 2 percent of the building’s in the city are LEED-certified.

Courtesy of Rasmus Hjortshøj–COAST

But while Philly does have some catching up to do compared to other major U.S. cities, an increasing number of residential and commercial construction projects have recently delivered and more are in the works and expected to add to the city’s collection of LEED buildings.

One of the city’s most recent LEED-certified projects includes Penn’s New College House Dormitory by Bohlin Cywynski Jackson. The dormitory is LEED Gold certified and was recently named a 2017 Groundbreaker by the Delaware Valley Green Building Council. The building, situated on rolling hills in the middle of Penn’s campus, features plenty of green roofs.

The Navy Yard is home to a growing collection of LEED buildings, and the Goldtex apartment building in Callowhill was the city’s first LEED-certified high-rise. And when it opens in 2018, the Comcast Technology Center will aim for LEED Platinum certification, the highest level available.

• Washington D.C. is Nation’s Capital of LEED-Certified Construction [ADOBO]
• 2017 Groundbreaker Awards [DVGBC]