What’s Green at Lantow
The Lantow Lofts project features both solar and geothermal technology. It is designed to serve as a demonstration site for construction professionals as well as the public, with real-time readouts showing the working technology on monitors displayed in Katie’s Cup coffeebar.
Ten solar panels are installed on the roof to preheat water routed to storage tanks in the basement and ultimately to tankless water heaters in condos to provide a final (minimal) temperature boost.
Fourteen wells, each 300 feet deep, form the basis of the geothermal system that will heat and cool the first-floor commercial space in the Lantow building. The wells are located behind the building under the enclosed garage/garden deck. Lantow’s is only the second – and the largest – commercial geothermal installation in Winnebago County.
Other “green” features include sustainable flooring (such as bamboo and recyclable carpet squares), high-efficiency furnaces and appliances, low-e windows, low-flow toilets, natural light via skylights, inside-wall transoms, and adaptive reuse of reclaimed lumber. Some condo buyers have also selected environmentally friendly linoleum or cork flooring and countertops made from sustainable materials.
