The Highlands stands firm in its commitment to a green lifestyle in ways large and small. Starting from a prime location in a highly walkable neighborhood, we’ve worked hard to create apartments and condominiums that exemplify the intersection of twenty-first-century convenience, efficiency, openness, biophilia, and comfort.
This community is emblematic of what a sustainable living environment can be and can do — for its people and for the planet.
A HIGHER
STANDARD.
The program takes into account building features, design details, space usage, appliances, and more. Categories include Location and Transportation, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
GET AROUND
GREENER.
The Highlands is in the heart of West Rosslyn, with a Walk Score of 94, making it a “Walker’s Paradise.” (For context, the average Arlington score is 69, and the average DC score is 76.) Within a half-mile radius, you have easy access to restaurants, grocery stores like Safeway, shopping, and public parks.
Want to learn more about transportation options to and from your new home at The Highlands? Check this out
Within that same half-mile radius are three Metro lines — Orange, Silver, and Blue — plus two Metro bus routes and two Arlington Transit bus routes. Together, these services offer more than 550 rides per weekday and 345 on weekends, giving you the ability to travel throughout Arlington and DC with ease. www.wmata.com.
For two-wheeled commuters, The Highlands is just as convenient. You’re located within a bike network that comprises designated bike lanes as well as streets with speed limits of less than 25 miles per hour. The Highlands also offers private storage for 350 residents’ bikes and 34 visitors’ bikes.
Drivers have additional options too. For residents who own electric cars, the on-site parking garage also houses 30 ENERGY STAR–Certified Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, which can charge a typical electric vehicle at the speed of about 25 miles of driving per hour.
WIDE OPEN
SPACES.
It’s spread across lounge areas, tables and chairs, cooking spaces, pools, and other greenscaped spaces for gathering — giving residents the ability to stretch out and catch some fresh air no matter the weather or time of day.
Thoughtful outdoor touches make this a more comfortable home for residents, including light-colored pavers on building rooftops and terraces, which keep surfaces cooler to the touch and resist contribution to warming in dense, urban areas. Specialized outdoor lighting fixtures have been selected to reduce backlighting, uplight, and glare to reduce light pollution. These light fixtures are also controlled with timers to prevent illuminating areas when they’re unoccupied.
EFFICIENCY BY
DESIGN.
We’ve created landscaping that requires 55% less potable water than traditional landscaping of comparable size. It also gives us an opportunity to reuse captured rainwater, reducing strain on the municipal water supply
Resource conservation is crucial to the sustainability of new buildings and to keeping our carbon footprint as small as possible, so we’ve installed ENERGY STAR washing machines, dishwashers, and refrigerators to further reduce consumption of electricity and water.
Our low-flow plumbing fixtures, including 0.8 gallon per flush toilets, conserve 8 million gallons per year in Evo and Pierce (equivalent to 12 Olympic-size swimming pools) and 5.34 million gallons per year in Aubrey (about 8 Olympic-size swimming pools).
A HEALTHY,
LOW-EMISSIONS ENVIRONMENT.
The process of modeling and optimizing our designs for The Highlands has enabled us to ensure that mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems will be an operational success, which we’ll confirm through third-party testing and verification by a Commissioning Agent after ten months of occupancy
In Evo and Pierce, we’re planning on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,063 metric tons of CO2 annually — the equivalent of 132 traditional homes’ energy usage. This will free up more than 1,500 acres of forest for other carbon sequestration opportunities. In Aubrey, we’ll reduce CO2 emissions by 584 metric tons every year due to energy efficient system designs for HVAC, lighting, and water. This is comparable to the emissions of 74 traditional homes, and will free up 839 acres of forest for additional carbon sequestration opportunities.
Our commitment to low emissions and to air quality indoors and out is also evident in the materials we’ve used in these spaces and in the air filtration systems we’ve implemented (MERV-13, compliant with CDC recommendations). We’ve sourced from transparent manufacturers who prioritize positive environmental and human health effects. Paint, flooring, and ceiling systems comply with the California Department of Public Health’s emissions standards, while internal structures like concrete and rebar have been evaluated to determine impacts across their life cycles.