People who live at the Austonian can now enjoy an exclusive distinction beyond the downtown condo's luxurious modeling. The Austonian has been granted a four-star energy ranking under Austin Energy's Green Building program. It's the first downtown condo to earn the recognition.
A statement issued today by the developer, Benchmark Development, lists the reasons why. Here are some highlights:
The building occupies just one-third of a city block, providing luxury homes for 166 families on less than three-quarters of an acre. In contrast, a suburban residential community housing the same number of families on one-acre lots requires at least 27 acres of asphalt and concrete. Compared to a 166-family Hill Country community, The Austonian will save 33.2 million gallons of drinking water each year in landscape watering. This is due to The Austonian’s minimal land-use and its unique irrigation system, which uses condensation from the cooling system to irrigate the 10th floor rooftop urban garden. The building’s landscape architecture also utilizes native plants and creates a cooling effect at the street level and on the 10th floor garden.
You can read the full list of energy efficiencies in their news release.
Earlier this year, we sent an intern to the Austonian to capture some of the views from atop what is now the tallest building in the city. Check it out:
