National Recognition for Energy Efficient Apartments

Clayton Homes Receives National Recognition for Energy Efficient Apartments

Clayton Homes’ Collaboration with Manhattan Developer to Build Long Island Modular Apartment Community Receives Recognition from Washington’s Manufactured Housing Institute

Apr 30, 2014

“The modular housing process has opened our eyes on where the construction industry is going, and all of the positive benefits that exist with this green building method.”

Clayton Homes was honored today at the National Industry Awards Luncheon during the Manufacturedv Housing Institute’s 2014 National Congress and Expo, a three day industry conference held annually in Las Vegas, NV. The home builder received recognition in the category of Modular Home Design- New Modular Multifamily or Duplex Design (Production) on behalf of Village Lofts, LLC, an energy efficient modular apartment community located in Hempstead, NY. Clayton Homes was also awarded this honor at last spring’s National Congress and Expo on behalf of their work on the St. Michael’s Senior Housing Development, a 41-unit modular apartment community located in Amagansett, NY.

Each energy efficient kitchen of Hempstead’s Village Lofts is equipped with Energy Star appliances.

Clayton Homes announced completion of Hempstead’s Village Lofts in December of 2013, with the first residents moving into the apartment community in January of 2014. Clayton Building Solutions, a division of Clayton Homes, collaborated with Manhattan developer La Cité Development, LLC, to build the 29-unit modular apartment community.

Village Lofts is the first modular multifamily rental development to come to Long Island’s Nassau County. The modular apartment building was built by the Clayton Homes’ Norris Home Building Facility in Bean Station, TN, using innovative modular building practices. Collaborations for the project began in November of 2012. Due to the efficient nature of modular building practices, the Norris Home Building Facility took just six weeks to build the 51 modules.

Construction took place in the controlled environment of the Bean Station facility, where materials were protected from weather. Following transportation to Long Island, the set of the modules for the complete building structure took approximately three weeks to assemble on site. Reduced waste, energy and water usage due to the nature of Clayton Homes’ modular building practices contributed to making the project the most affordable, best value choice.

The Hempstead development showcases many energy efficient features inherent to modular construction. “The modular housing process has opened our eyes on where the construction industry is going, and all of the positive benefits that exist with this green building method. We have built a superior product at a better price, and surpassed our expectations on energy efficiency and finishes,” said Dan Bythewood, President of La Cité Development, LLC, in a recent interview with Multi-Housing News.

Village Lofts, comprised of one and two bedroom units, offers renters both market-rate and workforce housing options. Bythewood cited growing university enrollment and new graduates entering the job market, combined with the lack of good workforce housing in the Long Island area, as key reasons the development corporation decided to pursue the project.

Each unit in the gated apartment community includes wide-plank maple wood floors, oversized high-tech windows and Energy Star appliances that include a washer, dryer and dishwasher. Solid hardwood kitchen cabinetry and bathrooms featuring custom tile work demonstrate the high degree of quality and style associated with Village Lofts.

Douglas Elliman Real Estate is the project’s exclusive leasing and marketing agency. “Village Lofts is pioneering modular development, bringing affordable, high-quality homes with washer-dryers to renters in the village of Hempstead, NY,” said Douglas Elliman’s Maria Boafo to Multi-Housing News. Boafo is one of three leasing and marketing agents working with the project.

“Dan Bythewood and his team have produced a wonderful building serving the needs of the surrounding neighborhood through trust and a willingness to work with the community to accomplish shared goals. Given the outcome of their collaboration with the Hempstead community and Village Lofts’ rapidly growing building occupancy, I expect Dan and his team to continue developing similarly successful projects for other communities in the near future,” said Doug Henriquez, Clayton Building Solutions’ Director of Operations.

About Clayton Homes 

Clayton Homes’ purpose is “Opening doors to a better life, one home at a time.” As the nation’s largest home builder, Clayton Homes is a vertically integrated Berkshire Hathaway company that builds, sells, finances and insures manufactured homes. Headquartered in Maryville, Tennessee, Clayton Homes has over 12,000 team members across the United States. Clayton Building Solutions, a division of Clayton Homes, builds permanent, residential and commercial construction in the categories of single family, multi-family, assisted living, educational and dormitories for students and military housing.

About La Cité Development, LLC 

La Cité Development, LLC is a New York City based real estate development corporation investing in strategic real estate ventures throughout the eastern seaboard, as well as specific markets elsewhere in the United States and abroad. The company’s primary focus is on residential and mixed-use properties spanning from rehab to new construction, with investment primarily being placed within the residential marketplace. With a range of for-profit, non-profit and government agency partners, La Cité Development is involved in both the renovation and ground-up construction of quality, affordable housing throughout the New York Metropolitan area, Baltimore and Rhode Island. Their corporate philosophy embraces investment in neighborhoods and communities that have been largely overlooked or neglected, and promotes development projects that contain affordable housing components in neighborhoods with an identifiable need for revitalization and the creation of modern housing stock and progressive infrastructure.

About The Manufactured Housing Institute 

The Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) is the preeminent national trade association for the manufactured and modular housing industries, representing all segments of the industries before Congress and the Federal government. From its Washington, D.C. area headquarters, MHI actively works to promote fair laws and regulation for the manufactured and modular housing industries, as well as all MHI members.

*Additional interior and exterior photographs of Village Lofts, LLC available upon request. 

Press Release available on claytonhomes.com