Actus Lend Lease Construction Clears Way For First LEED Certified Homes On A Marine Corps Base

Atlantic Marine Corps Communities (AMCC), the public/private partnership between the Department of the Navy and Actus Lend Lease, is currently undergoing a major construction and demolition project at its Camp Lejeune Midway Park neighborhood.

New Homes Must Meet Rigorous Criteria to Be LEED Certified

Atlantic Marine Corps Communities (AMCC), the public/private partnership between the Department of the Navy and Actus Lend Lease, is currently undergoing a major construction and demolition project at its Camp Lejeune Midway Park neighborhood. The team commenced work on a total of 537 new sustainable homes, which will all be LEED certified. Once complete, the Midway Park Neighborhood will be the first on a Marine Corps Base and the largest neighborhood in the state of North Carolina to be comprised of all LEED certified homes.

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes is a rating system used to promote design and construction of high performing sustainable homes. The LEED for Homes rating system measures the overall performance of the home in eight different categories including: Innovation and Design, Location & Linkages, Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality and Awareness & Education.

The benefits of building a LEED home include lower utility costs by utilizing dual flush toilets, energy efficient appliances, CFL lighting, insulation and more. The 537 new homes will also use recycled content material and provide better air quality for Residents.

The Midway Park neighborhood will keep existing road patterns to help with infrastructure patterns, thus allowing AMCC to save trees and minimize dust and noise. In addition, the LEED homes will feature dual pane windows that reduce the amount of heat let in from outside and will all feature Energy Star Appliances.

The existing single-story cottage style homes in Midway Park were constructed in the 1940’s, are less than 1,000 square feet and include two-bedroom and one-bath styles. However the new single family and duplex style homes will boast an average of 1,700 square feet of living space with three to four-bedrooms and two-bathrooms. In addition, the homes will offer a two-car garage, patio and screened-in porch.

The demolition process at Camp Lejeune’s Midway Park neighborhood began in late 2008 and new home construction will take place in four phases over the course of the next three to four years. The first group of 132 new homes is scheduled to be occupied by 2010.