Building the LEED Platinum home of YIKES, Inc.
This is how I felt when I first saw these buildings. It was love at first sight. I think many people would be scared away by the advanced water damage, but I saw amazing natural light, a great layout and lots of potential.
We are very happy to be working with the folks at Greensaw Design and Build, the general contractor for the project. We share their belief that renovating existing buildings vs. building new, should itself be a recognized factor in sustainable building.
Check out this article written by Brendan Isaac Jones, the owner of Greensaw, on the SlowBuild philosophy where he mentions our project:
Perspectives: Building, the New American Addiction by Brendan Isaac Jones, Owner of Greensaw Design & Build
At closing, the Sellers’ agent, Chris Somers, mentioned making a blog post about Jack Riehl, the Great Great Grandson of an owner of a tavern located at the future YIKES office. I had to hunt the blog post down, because I love finding out about the history of the buildings.
Check it out, it’s very interesting:
The Gentleman Ghost of Fishtown
Today is a big day for YIKES. Owners, Tracy and Mia Levesque, purchased 2 vacant, run-down buildings on East Girard Ave in Fishtown that will contain YIKES’ future home.
The planned green renovation will bring the buildings to LEED Platinum status, the highest level of certification of this green building certification system.
Since it’s inception in 1996, YIKES has been dedicated to sustainable and green business practices. The opportunity to build and occupy a LEED Platinum office is a dream come true for us.
We are excited to document the project as we go from blight to building, contributing to the vibrant revitalization of the Girard Ave commercial corridor in Fishtown.