Sage on Jackson

Sage on Jackson is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Platinum Certified Building. It was the first LEED Platinum Certified multi-family apartment building in both Wisconsin and Illinois! Sage on Prospect was built two years later.

1509 N. Jackson St. is located in the heart of Milwaukee, just north of the Central Business District and adjacent to the Park East Corridor. As an in-fill project, this building increases area density and provides a positive addition to the streetscape.

Innovations at Sage on Jackson begin with the core building structure. The exterior walls were constructed utilizing panelized, 2x8 wood framing studs with mineral wool insulation. The advantage of using mineral wool is its superior thermal and acoustical insulation quality. This is in contrast to buildings that are 2x4 or 2x6 construction and built on the jobsite, which produces great amounts of waste products.

Careful consideration was given to every design detail. The building's exterior front façade appears as if it were two buildings, so the overall structure does not dominate the existing homes in the neighborhood. Colors and architectural details were added to reflect the vitality of the neighborhood yet meld with the existing streetscape. All interior elements focus on maximizing efficiency and reducing wasted space for improved use of each apartment's square footage.

Residents benefit because premium space is allocated to the residencies rather than to common areas. All materials and systems were designed, sourced and selected specifically for the project to achieve the maximum reduction in resident energy consumption.

Unlike other traditional wood frame buildings that create significant construction waste, these Milwaukee rentals downtown were constructed primarily in a factory where excess material is recycled.

Onsite, Dominion Properties worked closely with its contractors to design and implement waste reduction strategies and recycling protocols. We have documented that over 88 percent of all construction waste from development has been recycled.

With assistance from MMSD, the building showcases a green roof that captures approximately 3,900 gallons of rainwater each time it rains. This system can collect approximately 5,400 gallons of additional storm water, which gets stored in a retention system located under the sidewalk. Together, these important systems divert approximately 9,300 gallons of storm water from entering the combined Milwaukee sewer system each rainfall for years to come.

Focus on Energy provided assistance, allowing Sage on Jackson to add a 19.95-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the upper roof. This method of generating electrical power converts solar radiation into direct current electricity that offsets and decreases the building's total energy consumption.

The building was designed to maximize HVAC efficiency and include redundancies to ensure consistency, comfort and cost savings for residents. Features include 18 300-foot-deep geothermal wells that pull heat from the ground and provide an efficient heating and cooling source for the building; quiet and efficient heat pumps in each residential unit; a 95-percent-efficient boiler in the building to serve as a back-up heat source and provide on-demand heat to parking areas; and extensive thermal insulation. All of this was accomplished with minimal electrical energy consumption and extremely low carbon emissions.

Natural daylighting and passive solar opportunities are maximized in the building design to benefit residents. All exterior and interior lighting in common areas and individual units are LED or fluorescent so they provide long lasting, efficient light.

Energy Star and other energy-efficient products have been carefully selected for each apartment. These products save energy without sacrificing features or functionality. All stoves have AquaLift technology, which requires no harsh chemicals or massive amounts of energy (like a self-cleaning oven) to clean. All appliances, with the exception of the microwave ovens, were made in the Midwest.

All wood products have been recycled and/or are derived from sustainably grown and harvested native woods. The exterior decking is bamboo, which lasts 2 to 3 times longer than recycled plastic or pine decking. No exotic or foreign woods are permitted.

The building's garages are equipped with multiple car charging stations for residents who own electric cars. These charging stations are powered with electricity generated by the solar array.

The building's gearless elevator does not require a machine room and consumes approximately one-third less energy than other elevator types.

US-made ceramic tile and Wisconsin-grown maple hardwood has been used throughout the building. Recycled rubber flooring covers the floor in the exercise room.

As a fellow Wisconsin-based company, CalStar was selected as the supplier for the building's exterior brick. CalStar products provide a "better brick" because it replaces mined clay with recycled by-products. It takes 75 percent less energy to produce these than the traditional bricks. The brick is made largely of select clean fly ash, a waste product of coal fired power plants, that actually helps strengthen the brick while diverting tons of waste products for ending up in landfills.

Potable water is being supplied to all kitchens using copper plumbing which, in combination with a traditional carbon filter, provides drinking and cooking water without the concerns of chemical leaching issues which have been suspected and are being evaluated in PVC and PEX piping.

Every material, from paint and caulk to hard wood floor finishes to carpet, has been carefully selected to ensure that the building has the lowest VOCs and other harmful off gassing chemicals possible,. The entire building is also smoke free. Sage on Jackson is not only sustainable, it is healthy to live in.

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