State Street construction goes green

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - If you've passed by 360 State Street [the 32 story high rise under construction in New Haven] you've seen it's a massive building by Elm City standards taking up at least half a block.

The leasing office for 360 State Street -- the 500 unit mixed and upscale apartment building in downtown New Haven -- opened today, kicking off with a tour for local, state and federal leaders.

Of course, one of the biggest selling points here is the view.

The other not so obvious feature? Crews are building this place to be green.

Among the concrete and steel will be a 400 kilowatt fuel cell to produce clean energy and elevators that offset the power they use going up.

The parking garage [just being built] will have charging stations for electric cars. But even more eco-friendly? Leaving your car parked even when you go grocery shopping.

Another one of the most convenient green features is that you can use the internet to monitor your apartment's energy use and even change the thermostat when you're not at home.

And the windows, the developers say, are not just windows. They're insulated to let solar heat in -- in the winter -- and keep it in.

"Prospective residents are very excited to know how many little details are going into building; the energy for this particular community; and you're also reducing your utility costs by doing that," said Jennifer Harrison of 360 State Street.

Bottom line: they say the carbon footprint of an apartment here will be half that of other New Haven apartments the same size.