The design may be a bit dark and foreboding, and the street may look post-apocalyptic, but this townhouse in northeast Los Angeles is one of the city's greenest rentals. The LEED-certified two bedroom has 2,700 lofty square feet under the roof, with exposed concrete walls, corrugated metal ceilings, and ductwork. The location is a bit out of the way, on the far side of the highway from the hipster neighborhood of Silver Lake, but the features list is long. There's the unique architecture, a massive roof terrace, high ceilings, and a top-grade kitchen that even includes a dumbwaiter. On the green front, the house features "dual-pane windows, tankless water heaters, and low-VOC paint." Renters can secure this home for a year at $5,500 a month, or settle in for the long haul by purchasing for $1.045M.
? Portland, Ore. is no stranger to the environmental movement, so it's not too surprising to find one of the country's greenest buildings here, the LEED Platinum-certified 937 Condos. The owner of one of those condos, a two-bedroom, two-bath unit on the fifth floor, has decided to rent it out for $3,000 a month. With a balcony, spacious contemporary kitchen, and no fewer than a dozen windows, this place is worth the money on luxury alone, but manages to deliver all that with a minuscule carbon footprint.
? Despite the traditional facade, this Cleveland house was actually built in 2011 by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to meet stringent "passive house" standards. The 2,800-square-foot, three-bedroom single-family home has 2.5 bathrooms, LED lighting, hardwood floors, triple-pane high-performance windows, and an asking rent of $2,800 a month.
? The Hamptons are known more for their excess than green living, but this gambrel-roofed new house in East Hampton is aiming to change that. Available for the winter months for just $3,500 a month—a price that jumps to $25K a month in the summer—this four-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom manse measures 3,200 square feet. Featuring "a geothermal heating/cooling system, solar panels and an air filtration system," the LEED Platinum-certified house also impresses with more typical Hamptons features, like a basement home theater and heated swimming pool.
? Towering over the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel in a previously neglected location in Midtown Manhattan, NYC's recently opened One MiMA Tower anticipates a LEED Silver rating, and while tenants can expect to save a bit on their energy bills, those savings aren't reflected in the rent for this corner three-bedroom unit, which is asking $22K a month. Of course, that high price comes with plenty of shared amenities, including "three landscaped outdoor terraces, a full-size indoor basketball and volleyball court, lap pool, residents-only fitness club by Equinox, indoor screening room, private party rooms, catering kitchen, tech center and game room with billiards."
· 3244 Kazaz Ln [Zillow]
· 937 NW Gilsan St [Zillow]
· 11601 Wade Park Ave [Zillow]
· 1 Palma Terrace [Streeteasy]
· 460 West 42nd Street [Streeteasy]
· All Renters Week 2012 posts [Curbed National]