Classy condos

The words “luxury” and “green” aren’t often uttered in the same breath when describing a construction project, though George Doran deftly alternates the two as he strolls through the Lina Marta, his new condo development near downtown Spokane.

One minute the veteran commercial developer is extolling the masterful millwork of a Honduran mahogany fireplace or the porcelain tile floors in the common areas, the next he is touting the high energy efficiency of the building’s hot water heaters and the abundance of compact fluorescent lighting.

“We have so many opportunities to save energy,” he says. “So making your building conservation-oriented is a good thing.”

Doran’s love of both Craftsman and Tuscan design is evident throughout the building, which offers a tony view of the Spokane River and (from one of the four units), a straight shot of the falls. At the same time, Doran takes obvious pride in the Lina Marta’s location – smack dab in the middle of Peaceful Valley, an area known for its liberal and arguably eco-conscious inhabitants.

But despite many lavish features, Doran claims the building is one of the most environmentally friendly in Spokane, boasting insulated concrete form construction, R-50 insulation in the walls and R-49 in the ceilings. All floors and walls are insulated and each unit is served by a high-efficiency furnace and hot water tank.

Lighting fixtures in the common areas are low-watt or equipped with photo-sensors to avoid wasting energy, and many of the overheads in each unit illuminate with CFL.

The large ground-floor garage, which features two parking spaces per unit, features a carbon dioxide monitor that triggers a set of massive fans designed to expel exhaust from cars left running inside. But Doran says the garage’s hydronic-heated concrete floor helps keep the building warm despite any loss of hot air the fans are likely to cause.

“Hydronic heating works well within the thermal mass of the building,” he says, noting that the structure’s quantity of concrete naturally retains warmth for long periods.

Doran mentions concrete and steel often when talking of the Lina Marta, as if describing an underground bunker.

“It’ll take a direct hit from an RPG,” he quips.

But the Lina Marta’s many luxury features – teak exterior doors, stained glass, a private courtyard, cavernous storage units on the ground floor, and a “secret” closet behind one of the many built-ins in each unit, – contrast sharply with the building’s seemingly industrial skeleton.

In fact, much of Doran’s commercial construction background is reflected in the building’s design – everything from Cat 5 wiring that allows homeowners remote Web access to their units, to the onsite security cameras and the commercial elevator.

Still, Doran does have a softer, more residential side that emerges when the conversation turns green. He talks of life in the city’s urban core as an eco-friendly act in its own right.

“I like the idea of condo living, where we all want to take our little bags and walk into town to do our marketing,” he says wistfully. “Living downtown is a great lifestyle.”