The Beacon will become the most sustainable residential tower in the world

Developer Lumiere Developments has recently announced The Beacon, a 17-story residential tower that will be located in Hemel Hempstead, 25 minutes from London Euston. According to Lumiere Developments, The Beacon will become the most sustainable residential tower in the world upon completion, saving residents up to £11,000 a year in living expenses.

Some of the key features for the new building include:

The highest density solar farm in the world (0.8mw on <0.5 acres)
Solar photovoltaic panels – embedded into the solar balustrades at each floor level
Triple-glazing to all apartments
Quadruple-glazing to upper level apartments
Ground Source Heat Pumps – to extract heat from the basement of the building to heat the hot water
Air Source Heat Pumps to extract heat from the atrium
100% rainwater harvesting (collected at roof and balcony levels) for toilet flushing and irrigation of the green planters on each external balcony and internal arboretum
MHVR – Mechanical Heat and Ventilation Recovery System – to ventilate apartments and create comfort cooling
Thermal emissivity of less than 0.2W/M2K
UK’s tallest residential indoor arboretum
UK’s largest underground automated robotic car park (supplied by Skyline Parking) - 319 car park spaces underground in less than half an acre

The Beacon does not want to be a one-trick pony, however. In addition to all of the sustainable features, a myriad of luxury amenities will also be included. Each one of the 272 apartments will be move in ready and can be accessed from the central atrium via glass elevators that overlook the arboretum. All apartments will include smart-controlled thermostats, comfort cooling systems, and automated blinds.

The 13^th floor will be home to the premium Skyline apartments, which will feature terraces with winter gardens, hot tubs, and electro-glass for privacy.

All residents will have access to a 2,120-sf gym and a communal roof garden with an observatory at the top of the building. An in-house electric car and electric bike share scheme (a first for a residential development in the UK) will be included. Residents with cars will have access to the UK’s largest automated underground car parking system with 319 spaces. Skyline Parking will manage the system, which cuts 80% of CO2 emissions compared to a standard car park and can also reduce the wait time by 50% and car insurance by up to 20%.

The tower is set to be complete in 2018 and will offer studio, one, two, and three bedroom balconied apartments and luxury penthouses. Prices will start at £217,950.

The Pittsburgh 2030 District, an alliance of property owners in the Pittsburgh area, says that it has reduced carbon emissions by 44.8% below baseline. Begun in 2012 under the guidance of the Green Building Alliance (GBA), the Pittsburgh 2030 District encompasses more than 86 million sf of space within 556 buildings.

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