LEED Platinum rating puts Huntsville Housing Authority’s Gateway Place in ‘elite group’

 By Steve Doyle | sdoyle@al.com 

The $17 million senior apartment building on Gallatin Street was recently certified as LEED Platinum, which means it meets the organization’s highest standards for green construction. Just over 1,000 buildings worldwide carry the platinum rating.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

“We are proud to be among this elite group,” housing authority Executive Director Michael Lundy said today. “Being awarded the LEED Platinum designation is an example of how the Huntsville Housing Authority aspires to do the best possible job when it undertakes a development plan.”

All 86 units at Gateway Place have low-flow toilets, faucets and shower heads to reduce water usage, plus Energy Star appliances and triple-paned windows filled with argon gas. Behind the walls, there’s a high-efficiency heating and air conditioning system.

Also, most of the construction materials were manufactured within a 500-mile radius of Huntsville to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.

Open since January, Gateway Place is home to a mix of elderly public housing residents and seniors earning up to 60 percent of the area’s median income. A private management firm, The Integral Group, runs the property for the housing authority.

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