The George Woodward Company (www.georgewoodwardco.com)  just received the highest green building certification issued by the United States Green Building Council for four new environmentally friendly twin homes in Chestnut Hill, making Philadelphia the home of the nation’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certified side-by-side duplexes. Platinum certification is the highest rating offered by LEED for Homes, a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. The duplexes, which were designed by Re:Vision Architecture and built by Gardner/Fox Associates, exceeded the Platinum certification level by a whopping 9 points.

“Stanley and Svaha Woodward have been personally committed to conservation and sustainability for years, and they wanted to bring that passion into their daily business,” says Tansy Foster, President of the George Woodward Company. “We chose Chestnut Hill for the project because it’s a walkable, environmentally aware community with excellent schools, restaurants, shopping, parks and public transportation.”

Completely airtight, the 1,900 square foot homes feature an extremely efficient heating and air conditioning system supported by bio-based foam insulation. Green products such as Energy Star appliances and fixtures, recycled glass countertops, dual-flush toilets and aluminum clad windows with insulated glass and low-E glazing also contributed to the home’s high LEED rating. In addition, rain barrels capture rainwater for watering the garden to reduce the strain on the potable water supply. Natural swales and pervious driveways also help the on-site water table recharge.

The two 275 foot standing-wells for the geothermal heat pump HVAC are so efficient that they contributed 30% of the points needed for the Platinum certification. The responsible use of materials also factored in to the greenness of the project in a major way, with 86 percent of job site waste material being recycled after first being separated by hand at a local recycling center.

The George Woodward Company plans to develop a second LEED certified community in Chestnut Hill within the year.