I keep driving by this construction site on East 2nd Street in South Boston consisting of two buildings with a driveway or courtyard in the middle. It's only at the point in construction where the plywood walls are up, but it shows big expansive windows, and clean, modern lines. As in, my style.

One drawback of this site is that it is directly across the street from the Tools 4 Hire yard, a company that rents construction equipment. I'm not bothered by the industrial aspect of Southie, but I'm sure some people looking for the new, hip place to live would be.

Anyway, I'm browsing around MyBostonLoft today, and I see a link to 557-557 East Second St. One nice aspect of the building project is that the two buildings are not mirror images of each other: 557 has four three-story, 2 bedroom units with a patio off the third floor living/dining room area; 559 has four four-story, 2 bedroom units with a study and deck on the fourth floor. Every unit comes with a single car garage, something that is an extreme rarity around here.

Apparently, not only are they attractive, modern "loft-style" condos, but they are environmentally friendly. This is the pilot project of Green Homes Northeast, an organization "whose mission is to transform the residential building marketplace so that healthy, energy and resource-efficient homes become common practice." They are also aiming to earn an Energy Star® Home 5-star Rating. By using green building techniques, these buildings will provide improved energy efficiency (up to 30% lower energy bills); "thermal comfort" (double-paned, low-E windows, and spray foam insulation at all window and door edges); air quality (continuous ventilation and low or no off-gassing paints and sealants); and acoustic privacy (through improved insulation and other construction techniques on shared walls).

I'm not at a point to be able buy one, but at $529-$585K, it seems reasonably priced, considering the space, the amenities, and the environmentally friendly construction. As a buck to the trend of lower condo sales, two of the four units in 559 are already sold, so if you want a study and room deck, get going!