Designed by KieranTimberlake, Belles Townhomes are the only newly constructed residential buildings in the Presidio, the first to be designed in the modern vernacular there, and the first multifamily homes in San Francisco to receive LEED Platinum Certification. The three-story, seven-unit attached LivingHomes townhomes were developed by Forest City and built in partnership with The Presidio Trust, and are adjacent to Presidio Landmark, an adaptive re-use of the largest historical building within the Presidio. The Townhomes will be available for lease later this fall.
"It is an honor for LivingHomes to be a part of a groundbreaking project like Belles Townhomes," said Steve Glenn, CEO of LivingHomes. "The Presidio is an incredible wilderness in the middle of San Francisco, and it's critical to build new buildings there in a way that minimizes the impact on natural resources. We hope Belles Townhomes set the bar for future projects there. It's also our first foray into multifamily housing, which is arguably the most responsible kind of housing. We hope to do make this a major focus for LivingHomes." LivingHomes has another multifamily project currently in production for a site in Los Altos, CA. The Belles Townhomes project brings the number of LEED Platinum homes designed by LivingHomes to nine.
Belles Townhomes recently received U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Platinum certification. Platinum is the highest achievable level of LEED, the leading national green certification program, which reviews building performance in five areas: energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, materials selection, sustainable site development and water savings. Few homes have been certified Platinum in the city of San Francisco and Belles Townhomes are the first multi-family to achieve it.
The townhomes are also GreenPoint Rated with a score of 158 (50 points are required for a green rating), a system developed by the nonprofit Build-It-Green to promote green building of new homes in California to maximize energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and improved indoor air quality.
Belles Townhomes were designed to maximize achievement of LivingHomes Z6 environmental goals: zero energy, zero water, zero indoor emissions, zero waste, zero carbon, and zero ignorance. Some of the Z6 features of Belles include:
Energy Efficiency
The Townhomes include Energy Star appliances, compact fluorescent lighting, radiant heating and high insulation that will dramatically reduce energy use. They are connected to a solar panel array.
Water Efficiency
Low flow Kohler water fixtures minimize water usage. Rainwater captured on site or on the building roof is routed to an underground aquifer, reducing the load on the city sewer system during heavy rains.
Resource Efficiency
The Townhomes include recycled and sustainably harvested materials, including Forest Stewardship Council certified cedar, TREX decking, IceStone and Caesar Stone countertops made of recycled materials, and a SWISSPEARL rainscreen system.
Healthy Materials
The Townhomes feature no or low Volatile Organic Compound carpets, paints and sealants. Cabinetry is made from formaldehyde free wood.
Real-time Resource Feedback
To give homeowners better clarity on their resource use - and to inspire them to make responsible choices -- each home includes advanced sensors that monitor and manage electricity, water, and gas usage, and that display the information over the internet or on a LCD screen in real-time.
Belles by the Numbers
There are seven attached 3-story contemporary townhomes overlooking a shared central green and wooded area. Belles are custom-designed LivingHomes and were site-built by Forest City as part of the Presidio Landmark adaptive re-use project, which includes not only the Townhomes but also the renovation of a former hospital on the site into over 200 rental units.
The Belles Townhomes building is 11,770 total square feet, and rental units are 1,655-1,687 square feet. The Townhomes are 3-bedroom and 3-baths. Each has a patio at ground level overlooking the green, a terrace at the main living level off the living room, a panoramic roof top deck, a garage and private entrances from the street. More information, including leasing information, can be found at Presidio Landmark.