Las Vegas is known for extravagance, but one home that listed for $15 million in 2023 has managed to balance over-the-top amenities with clean, sustainable living.
This 8,211-square-foot residence situated in the exclusive Ascaya community in Henderson, Nevada, boasts an open layout with cutting-edge conveniences and a stellar LEED Platinum certification, according to Mansion Global.
To achieve this top rating, Luxus Design Build needed to accumulate 80 or more points for the building from the LEED certification checklist, addressing criteria in categories that include carbon footprint, energy, water, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality.
"We look at the concept of wellness as both the environment the home creates as well as the functionality and features of the home," said Michael Gardner, architect and principal at Luxus, per the Las Vegas Business Press.
"After COVID, people realized they want their homes to be more encompassing — live, work, exercise, and play at home. That is an underlying theme to the home as well," Gardner added.
The modern domicile sports solar panels, natural stone and wood, plus an open layout to take advantage of the arid environment. Gardner says in the Mansion Global article: "We believe there is no distinction between the indoors and outdoors, and this is showcased throughout."
"The home is unique due [to] the level of privacy achieved in both the interior and exterior spaces, while they are all open to the natural surroundings, both within Ascaya and the views beyond," he added.
As one 2021 U.K. study found, efficient home designs can sometimes produce more energy than they consume and can be 97% less expensive to run than most homes.
The Ascaya home, as the Mansion Global article notes, was voted The New American Home 2023. It's joined by other homes in the community with that distinction.
They're built to show off the best in technology and energy efficiency. The neighborhood also offers a variety of amenities to homeowners that can help improve physical and mental well-being, including hiking, biking, and community trails.
There are 197,000 LEED projects across the globe, spanning 186 countries and territories, all working toward a clean future and a better environment for living, according to the U.S. Green Building Council, the developer of the program.
USGBC notes that buildings contribute nearly 40% of all energy-related carbon pollution that traps heat inside our atmosphere, but when adhering to these green standards, that impact can be reduced dramatically.
A similar, community-based approach to sustainable living is thriving in Oregon. One home with a Platinum LEED rating uses recycled products, solar panels, and geothermally heated water that it shares with surrounding homes.
As one resident shared, "a healthy, sustainable community is one where neighbors stay in place because they like where they are."
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