ZEN Aspen Hills transcends the ordinary with its enviable location, design sense and affordability, but most of all in its commitment to the environment. ZEN Aspen Hills aims to be one of the first multi-family project in the city to receive LEED For Home certification.

LEED — or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — is an internationally recognized “green” building certification system. It provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using methods that improve energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and sensitivity to their impacts, among others.

Avalon Community Manager Kevin Schreder says this will be a crowning achievement for Avalon, and they are not only aiming to be a LEED certified project, but are going for a higher “silver” standard. LEED ranking is based on “green” points and a silver needs 60-74 points where as a certified rating needs only 45-59 points.

“Everything we’ve learned so far as a company in making an environmentally-conscious community is going into ZEN Aspen Hills,” he tells Condo Living. “Including a 95 per cent energy efficient furnace with one-inch air filter, increased exterior clad Styrofoam insulation that has 40 per cent recycled content, Mansfield water-saver toilets, and low-flow faucets and showerheads just to name a few.”

ZEN Aspen Hills’ “green-ness” isn’t it’s only appeal, the design is similarly attractive, whether for young families or for those with changing life circumstances. What makes these townhomes different is that they have their own fenced-in, maintenance-free 15-by-20-foot backyard, which Schreder says is very appealing to pet owners and families with younger children.

“It’s still maintenance-free living , but with the added convenience of having a spacious, fenced off backyard, which is very handy for families with young children or pets,” he points out. “It offers more living space than the actual size denotes, and of course buyers always have the option to have their basements developed with us.”

There will be 60 townhomes in ZEN Aspen Hills in seven buildings with five floor plans to choose from ranging from 1,100 square-feet to 1,200 square-feet. Its affordability is hard to beat, too, as starting price is under $300,000.

ZEN offers five very smart floor plan choices with two bedroom options, which can be cleverly mixed and matched with one-and-a-half or two-and-a-half bathroom options. A larger three-bedroom option is also available which includes two-and-a-half bathrooms.

They have very open floor plans that maximize the use of space, and are supremely stylishly designed with a high level of finish, just check out the vinyl flooring — it looks fantastic as real hardwood, but its really Easy Care Armstrong “Earthscapes” series of fiberglass-backed vinyl, cushioned with 3/8-inch fiber floor underlay on entire main level.

ZEN Aspen Hills has done extraordinarily well in spite of a soft economy with almost 80 per cent of the project already sold, and it is expected to even go faster once the show homes open to the public on July 31.

Aspen Hills is a stunning estate community in Calgary’s southwest, close to work and play — only minutes from downtown and nearby schools, shops, recreation and entertainment and close to the future west side LRT.

“People are really excited about the project, they know they live in a home that has respect for the environment and at the same time has style to match in a location that is as accessible and full of amenities as this one has,” Schreder says.  CL

FAST FACTS:
Community: Aspen Hills
Project: ZEN Aspen Hills
Developer: Avalon Master Builder
Style: Townhomes
Size: Starts at 1,100 sq. ft.
Price: Starts below $300,000
Address: 55 Aspen Hills Drive S.W.
Hours: Mon to Thurs – 2 to 8 pm. Weekends and Holidays – noon to 5 pm.
Website: http://www.zeninbalance.com