Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Supportive housing building receives LEED Silver certification

Last year, Odyssey House opened Soundview Avenue, a New York State Office of Mental Health-funded building that provides permanent housing in the Bronx for 56 single, low income adults living with special needs. Designed to be our first eco-friendly building, Soundview Avenue incorporates environmentally sustainable and energy-efficient design, construction, operation, and maintenance practices. We are pleased to announce that Soundview Avenue, a LEED-certified project, has now achieved Silver level certification, a first for a NYS Office of Mental Health-funded supportive housing program.


LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program by the US Green Building Council that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. To receive LEED certification, building projects satisfy prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification. Key green design features that contributed to our Silver certification include drought-resistant landscaping; water-saving fixtures; daylight and occupancy sensors; low-VOC paints and materials; Energy Star appliances; and bike storage.