Building to Sustain the Earth’s Resources
At Kensington Investment Company, we are committed to sustainable and “green” construction and repositioning through environmentally responsible practices.
Additionally, our residential properties utilize environmentally friendly practices such as these:
- Recycling programs including single-stream recycling and others
- Paperless communication with building residents
- Common-area lights on timers or LED lighting throughout the property
- Entirely smoke-free policy in apartment homes and all common areas
- Sustainable low-VOC paint
- Free bike racks
See examples of KIC’s “green” projects.
Alnoba: Where Inspiration Meets Action
24 Cottage Road, Kensington, NH
Alnoba is New England’s premiere destination for corporate retreats, leadership development, wellness programs, and special events. Opened in the fall of 2016, Alnoba is a Passive House Standard-certified and built to reduce energy usage by 75%-90%. It is designed as a model for unrivaled environmental stewardship. Preservation Timber, a small, Maine-based company specializing in rescuing and restoring New England barns, provided the building’s 17th-century restored timber frames.
Passive House architects and engineers at G-O Logic created a high-performance building that employs superinsulation, passive solar technology, and electric and geothermal systems, resulting in a grid-tied, net-zero-energy building (that is, ultra-low energy requiring little energy for heating or cooling). Alnoba is built to be the first Passive House gathering center in the Northest.
361 Newbury Street
361 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Renovations completed in 2015
The enhancements of this building’s 2015 renovation project included a new digital control system, for a more efficient HVAC system. We have replaced the original oil-fired boilers with a high-efficiency, gas-powered (clean burning and 95% efficient), water-cooled, chilled air system, and the inefficient steam-perimeter heat system has been replaced on the upper three floors. The old steel-frame, wired-glass roof monitors have been replaced with new double-insulated clear windows, and the original roof system containing asbestos has been completely replaced.
The result of these mechanical improvements include an approximate 5% improved efficiency in cooling seasons and an approximate 15% improved efficiency in heating season utility costs. These improvements were needed to ensure that we were running the most energy-efficient building possible and aligning with KIC’s mission.
The Kensington: Smart Apartment Living
665 Washington Street, Boston, MA
LEED Gold Certified in 2014
Built in 2013 and LEED Gold Certified in 2014, The Kensington is an eco-conscious community. Materials and systems have been carefully selected to minimize impact on the environment and maximize the convenience, comfort, and health of our residents. Add to that the commuter-friendly location — steps from the Orange Line train — and the fact that The Kensington is smoke-free inside and out, and you’ll see why it is a model for both lifestyle and eco-friendly design. Among its most important sustainable features are:
- Entirely smoke-free in apartment homes and all common areas
- Energy-efficient centralized heating, cooling, and hot-water system
- Free electric car-charging station
- Efficiencies that include ENERGY STAR appliances, solar shade window coverings, and low-flow plumbing fixtures
- Sustainable materials, including low-VOC paint and carpet manufactured with recycled materials
- All building lighting provided by energy-efficient LED and CFL fixtures
- Occupancy sensors that control lighting in main common areas
- Digital communication with residents to reduce paper waste
- Single-stream recycling containers for paper/glass/metal collection and specialty recycling for toner, batteries, and bulbs
- Use of housekeeping and consumable products such as trash bags, paper towels, and copier paper manufactured with recycled materials
- Use of “green” cleaning products approved by Green Seal or U.S. EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE)
Kensington, NH Projects
Pinnacle Leadership & Team Development
199 South Road Kensington, NH
The Farm at Eastman’s Corner & The Food Barn
244 Amesbury Road Kensington, NH
Pinnacle’s pristine, 400-acre campus is dedicated to developing leaders, supporting inner-city youth, team-building offsites, and other charity endeavors. The Farm at Eastman’s Corner is a year-round farm and farm market that specializes in the production and sale of local, fresh produce, baked goods, and prepared food. In 2012, ReVision Energy—a firm specializing in the design, installation, and service of solar-energy systems—was retained to install solar panels across these two properties. In all, ReVision installed 152 solar panels at Pinnacle, 51 solar panels at The Farm, 264 panels at the Eastman Goat Barn, and 48 panels at the Lewis Farm Food Barn. As a result, 95% of all electrical usage at these properties is generated by solar power, and excess power from Pinnacle and the Goat Barn is being net-metered to other Pinnacle Leadership Foundation meters.
Other energy-saving measures implemented at these properties include drilling a well to offset the use of plastic water bottles. Installing two electric car charging stations at each The Farm and Alnoba. Additional projects include the purchase of electric vehicles to transport supplies around the properties. Our ultimate goal is for these properties to be entirely self-sustaining by 2020.
