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LEED-Gold Certification Earned for Fort Knox Homes

   Actus Lend Lease, a leader in public-private community development and a partner with the US Army under the Military Privatization Housing Initiative (MPHI), recently completed work and finalized inspections on 46 new homes in the South Dietz neighborhood at Knox Hills. The homes were evaluated using the stringent rating system known as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes (LEED-H) program which evaluates energy efficiency in through water use and overall performance of the home. The rigorous building process was evaluated and tested by a third party, known as a “green rater.”

   The 46 homes earned a “Gold” rating for outstanding energy and water conservation, as well as overall performance in the LEED system. The Gold rating is the second highest rating available in the LEED-H process.

   Undertaking the construction of LEED-Gold homes was a voluntary option for Actus Lend Lease that began in May 2009. “Our goal was to build the homes at Knox Hills without making any significant changes to our planned design, in order to demonstrate that all new homes being built on Fort Knox were capable of achieving a high LEED rating,” stated Rob Evans, Actus Project Manager for the LEED-H program at Knox Hills. “This achievement demonstrates Actus’ commitment to construct homes that are extremely energy efficient and healthy for our Soldiers, their families, and the planet.”

   During construction, an emphasis was placed on finding sustainable products that were priced relative to other building material in order to achieve LEED requirements, while making only small adjustments to the overall planned budget.

   Prior to this project there were only two homes in the entire state of Kentucky certified in the LEED-H program, and only one of those homes achieved a Gold rating. Additionally, there were only four homes in the entire Army housing inventory certified as Gold prior to this project.

   Actus Lend Lease is committed to ensuring that all of its neighborhoods throughout its portfolio are as energy efficient and sustainable as possible.

 

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