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HEADLINES ADDED: July 03, 2008
Serviam Gardens: Affordable Green Living for Bronx Seniors
Serviam Gardens will be a 240-unit housing development for low- to middle-income senior citizens when it opens in the last quarter of 2009. Developed by Bronx-based affordable housing developer Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, the $66 million project is set to break ground tomorrow and will rise in a vacant lot behind Mount Saint Ursula’s convent and girls’ high school in Bedford Park in the Bronx. OCV Architects designed the two-tower project, which will incorporate a number of unspecified green design features pursuant to Enterprise Green Communities Criteria; Enterprise provided... Read More
Huntington (LI) LEED Legislation Offers Incentives for Developers to Go Green
Earlier this evening, Huntington, Long Island’s town board approved legislation that offers local developers incentives for pursuing a LEED rating. The program requires developers to provide $1.00 per square foot to the town of Huntington itself. If developers build to any level of formal LEED certification, they get to keep 80 cents on each dollar upon final completion and award of a LEED rating. If the project does not receive LEED certification, all of the funds are forfeited to the town. Monies raised will finance the program itself, as... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: July 02, 2008
Intervale Green: Affordable, Sustainable, & Wired in the Bronx
Intervale Green is a $45 million, 127-unit affordable housing development under construction in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. The project should open up sometime this fall and is accepting applications through August 3 (see link below). Project sponsor Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation teamed with energy consultant Steven Winter Associates to reduce the building’s expected energy costs by 35 percent through numerous sustainable design elements, including the installation of EnergyStar appliances and light fixtures. Other green design features include two different green roofs, low-e windows, and non-toxic... Read More
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey: Green Addition to the Pinelands
The Richard Stockton College expansion project is an excellent case study for how to build green in a small space while acknowledging development’s impact on its natural surroundings. Richard Stockton was originally constructed in 1973 on New Jersey’s Pinelands National Park Reserve before the land was protected. The Pinelands include over one million acres of farms, wetlands, and forest and are located in the center of the southern part of the state; the Reserve was established in 1973 by an act of Congress. Expanding Stockton’s existing site footprint would... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: July 01, 2008
New School to Prepare Students for New York City Green Business Sector
In the fall of 2008, the New School will begin offering a multi-disciplinary program in Environmental Studies. Students may choose to take either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, and each brings its own level of specialization. The new program will be administered by the New School’s Tishman Environment and Design Center, which is currently the main area of environmental studies at the university. It will focus on New York City as its laboratory, with a special emphasis on urban ecosystems and sustainable design.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 28, 2008
Microturbine Installation Complete at New York Marriott Downtown
The New York Marriott Downtown is the latest local property to install microturbines pursuant to New York City’s new legislation (dating from December) providing for their operation (under Title 1 of the Rules of the City of New York, Chapter 50, Distributed Energy Resource Standards). The hotel recently installed two PureComfort systems from UTC Power that will help offset 5800 megawatt hours of electricity each year and prevent 1700 tons of C02 emissions. The installation is part of Marriott’s effort at the corporate level to reduce its energy consumption... Read More
ASU Goes Downtown
The assignment: Design and build a 223,000-square-foot building with a 35,000-square-foot footprint on a parcel of land in downtown Phoenix. Give it a strikingly distinctive high-tech appearance and make sure it is energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Here's your budget. Oh, by the way, you have just 20 months to have it ready for move-in.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 27, 2008
Rotating, Self-Powered, Prefab “Dynamic Tower” May Twist into Manhattan
The Dynamic Tower- a 1380-foot, rotating residential high-rise, will break ground in Dubai within a few months, according to Italian architect David Fisher, who discussed details about the project at a press conference today at the Plaza Hotel in Midtown. According to Dr. Fisher, a second Dynamic Tower will soon follow in Moscow with a third to come here in New York City. GlobeSt.com reports that although Fisher did not provide specific details about the New York iteration of the project, he did note that he is already talking... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 26, 2008
Clean Energy to Power Madagascar Exhibition at Bronx Zoo Lion House
The New York Power Authority announced yesterday that it will install a fuel cell at the FXFOWLE-designed Lion House at the Bronx Zoo. The installation will offset 200 kilowatts of electrical demand at the landmarked, Beaux-Arts Lion House, which is on track for a LEED Gold rating from USGBC. The project broke ground back in 2006 and is part of a larger renovation of the Zoo’s Astor Court; the Lion House itself has remained vacant since the lions were moved outdoors almost twenty years ago. An exhibition featuring wildlife... Read More
MKDA Fits Out Offices on 34th Floor of 7 WTC
Architecture firm MKDA recently completed a 3000-square-foot office fit-out for WhenTech, an option pricing, risk management, and software development company, on the 34th floor of LEED Gold-certified 7 World Trade Center. Larry Silverstein has also retained MKDA directly to create two floors of pre-built, incubator offices for small businesses in the tower. MKDA’s design maximizes daylight in the WhenTech space, featuring all-glass doors and windows between individual offices. The space includes white walls, a white ARDEX designer floor, and Interface carpet tile. Details on whether the project will seek a LEED-CI... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 25, 2008
USGBC to Outsource LEED Certification
GreenSource, a publication of McGraw Hill (publisher of ENR), reports that the US Green Building Council (USGBC) is preparing to outsource certification of buildings for its multitude of LEED rating systems. Outsourcing is intended to bring LEED into alignment with norms established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for certification programs, which norms require the standard-setting organization to be separate from the certification organization. Certification of buildings will be performed by independent, accredited certifiers overseen by the Green Building Certification Institute, a non-profit affiliate of the USGBC. In... Read More
ML: COFRA Group, Perkins+Will Complete –CI Gold Office at 277 Park
Perkins+Will recently completed a 30,000-square-foot fit-out of Switzerland-based investment conglomerate COFRA Group’s offices on the 29th floor of 277 Park Avenue in Midtown. The project is seeking a LEED Gold rating from USGBC under the Commercial Interiors system and includes numerous green design features, ranging from locally-sourced wood paneling and water-efficient fixtures to recycled-content glass partitions designed to increase the penetration of natural light. The space also features LED lighting and recycled denim insulation. According to Perkins+Will principal Joan Blumenfeld, the design was “inspired by the company’s Swiss roots.”... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 21, 2008
Kimball Office Showroom Earns LEED-CI Certified Rating at 215 Park Avenue
Kimball Office has received New York City’s latest LEED for Commercial Interiors (”LEED-CI”) rating, copping the Certified designation from USGBC. Its 12,000-square-foot showroom at 215 Park Avenue South was designed in cooperation with TVS Interiors. The showroom officially opened back in January and features a number of sustainable design features ranging from 75 percent recycled construction debris to low-VOC, local, and recycled-content materials, low-flow plumbing, and energy-efficient appliances. The space is also furnished with GREENGUARD-certified Kimball Office seating and systems furniture. The design of the showroom promotes natural light... Read More
Queens Botanical Garden Visitor’s Center Earns NYC’s First LEED Platinum Rating
The Queens Botanical Garden Visitor & Administration Center officially received its LEED Platinum rating today from USGBC. The Visitor’s Center is the first building in New York City to earn Platinum under LEED for New Construction and features a number of innovative green design features, which we’ve profiled here at gbNYC previously. The 16,000-square-foot Center opened to the public back in September (so note the lag time between application and final certification from USGBC) and was designed by New York City-based BKSK Architects. Visitor Center Preview (gbNYC) Bloomberg Unveils... Read More
The Liability of Building Green: GBI & ED+C to Sponsor Summer-Long Webinar Series
On Tuesday, June 24, the Green Building Initiative and Environmental Design + Construction magazine are sponsoring the first in a series of three webinars examining the various liability issues that construction and real estate industry stakeholders may confront in connection with green projects. I will be presenting on next Tuesday’s panel- titled “Risk and Liability in the Construction Industry”- and providing a general overview of potential causes of action that could be asserted against (or brought by) green project stakeholders. You can check out the full list of presenters... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 18, 2008
Light House Sustainable Building Centre becomes beacon for green-building practices
The green-building movement is coming on fast, pushed by government regulations and financial realities.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 17, 2008
Sciame Tops Out Mayne’s Green Academic Building at Cooper Union
Frank Sciame Construction Co. recently topped out Cooper Union’s new $150 million academic building at 41 Cooper Square (on Third Avenue between East 6th and 7th Streets). The 9-story, 175,000-square-foot tower was designed by 2005 Pritzker Prize winner Thom Mayne and his Morphosis firm (in collaboration with Gruzen Samton) and is seeking at least a LEED Gold rating, with Platinum still a possibility. Cooper Union calls the project New York City’s first green academic building; the space will house the school’s architecture, engineering, humanities and social sciences departments. Mayne’s... Read More
ML: BBG-BBGM to Seek Empire State Building’s First LEED (CI) Rating
Brennan Beer Gorman Architects / Brennan Beer Gorman Monk Interiors (”BBG-BBGM”), designers of LEED Silver hopeful 330 Hudson Street, announced last week that it will move from 515 Madison Avenue into a new LEED Silver headquarters of its own. The firm will execute a green fit out of 32,000 square feet of space on the entire 25th floor of the Empire State Building under USGBC’s LEED for Commercial Interiors system. Green features will be replete throughout the space; BBG-BBGM has inked a 15-year lease for which terms were undisclosed.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 16, 2008
Going Green From The Ground Up
The green build wave is rising, and right now general contractors have the opportunity to ride its crest. It is fast becoming expected that professionals in the building trades are ready, willing and able to work green — and that means understanding the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 11, 2008
Prince’s eco town gets green light
An eco-town partly designed by Prince Charles' architectural foundation has been given final approval by the local planning authority.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 10, 2008
ML: Rose Companies’ Metro Green Breaks Ground in Stamford
A LEED for Neighborhood Development Pilot Project- one of 238 such projects in 39 states and D.C. and six countries- broke ground last Tuesday in Stamford, Connecticut. The mixed-use Metro Green will include 238 units of rental and condominium apartments, including 50 affordable housing units which constitute Phase I of the project. Jonathan Rose Companies has teamed up with W&M Properties for the residential component, which independently will seek LEED Gold under New Construction. Designer Perkins Eastman Architects incorporated green features on the residential component such as the now-standard energy-efficient... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 07, 2008
235 West 23rd Street: Communist Party USA HQ (Video)
Last month, the Communist Party USA unveiled a $1 million green renovation of its headquarters at 235 West 23rd Street in Chelsea. The AP called the space’s decor “more Macy’s than Marx,” though it does have a decidedly red theme as you can see in a video posted on the party’s website (link below). The renovation included the installation of modern work stations that are finished with non-toxic linseed oil, as well as biodegradeable carpeting. The space accomodates 21 CPUSA staffers and features floor-to-ceiling windows, transparent glass walls, light... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 04, 2008
185 East Third Street: Green Gone Wild in Alphabet City
The Wild Project is a green space for the arts located at 195 East Third Street between Avenues A and B. Architect Gita Nandan of Brooklyn-based Thread Collective transformed an existing one-story garage (which was formerly home to The Bottle Factory) into an 89-seat theater that features a 1500-square-foot green roof. The renovation took place back in June of 2007 and Nandan’s design attempts to preserve the character of the garage’s industrial past by retaining its exposed brick walls and wood joists. In addition to the roof, green design... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 03, 2008
ML: Green Construction Booming in Manhattan (Photos)
Last Thursday, I spent an afternoon out of the office and took some construction progress photos of a number of the LEED projects that we’ve presented here at gbNYC. I started out on 42nd Street at SJP Properties’ LEED Gold hopeful 11 Times Square before heading downtown to Battery Park City’s Riverhouse (seeking LEED Platinum) and Goldman Sachs Tower (Gold). We haven’t written about it yet (we will) but I finished up with some shots of Related’s Robert A.M. Stern-designed Harrison condominium development on 76th and Amsterdam which is... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: June 02, 2008
Green Condo Project from Barry Rice Breaks Ground at 180 East 93rd Street
Designed by Barry Rice Architects, Greystone Property Development’s 180 East 93rd Street broke ground last week and joins a growing crop of green condo projects on the Upper East Side (including the Laurel, Lucida, and Observatory Place). The condominiums will feature a number of green design features, including a geothermal heating and cooling system. The nine-unit development will rise on the south side of East 93rd Street between Lexington and Third Avenues, though it’s unclear whether the team will seek any sort of third-party certification for its efforts. Most... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 31, 2008
Elon University joins growing list of "greening" campuses
On May 21, Elon University, located in Elon, North Carolina, broke ground on Lindner Hall, planned to be the "greenest" facility on campus. The 30,000-square-foot building will house administrative offices and various academic departments and include high-tech classrooms, a computer lab, faculty offices and space for student-faculty mentoring. As noted in an Elon University press release, "Environmental sustainability is a key component in both the construction and operation of the building. Seventy-five percent of construction waste will be recycled, much of the building will be made of steel and... Read More
Students Protest Lack of LEED in Design for CT Campus Building
There’s a bit of a LEED-driven controversy that’s currently playing out at the Norwalk Community College in Connecticut. Students are alleging that the design by Upper West Side-based Mitchell-Giurgola Architects for a new $40 million, 3-story laboratory building “isn’t green enough.” Last year, architecture professor John Sneider’s Environmental Systems class critiqued the 55,000-square-foot project, with students suggesting a building smaller in scale and the installation of a geothermal system. They contacted university officials last year and say they’ve been given the runaround; the school has spent $3 million on... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 30, 2008
1745 Broadway: Random House Earns Gotham’s Second LEED-EB Rating
Last week, Random House announced that its North American headquarters building at 1745 Broadway has earned New York City’s second LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) certification. To date, only the New York Mercantile Exchange in Battery Park City had formally received the award from USGBC. Random House was able to earn its rating in just nine months; the LEED-EB program requires a building to submit three months of performance data in order to participate and seek the designation. The project team at 1745 Broadway included AKF and LiRo, who both... Read More
Navy Yard’s Perry Building to Feature Renewable Energy Pilot Program
The Brooklyn Navy Yard’s Perry Building will be home to art restoration firm SurroundArt once it opens up this summer. Interiors for the 89,000-square-foot space, which is aiming for a LEED Silver under USGBC’s Core and Shell program, were designed by Steven Kratchman Architect, while the exterior of the building is being executed by Stantec. (Check out our previous posts on the Perry Building for more details on both the project and SurroundArt.) Last week, though, Stantec announced some details on the project’s renewable energy features, which will include... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 23, 2008
Shetland Islands zero carbon house used as sustainable template
A couple living on the Island of Unst have built a home powered entirely by the wind and sun.... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 20, 2008
Learning from the Germans: What Is Green Architecture?
The Goethe-Institut New York, a branch of Germany’s global cultural institute, is hosting a series of lectures on green design featuring prominent German architects. The next lecture, by Düsseldorf-based Christoph Ingenhoven, is tonight, Monday, May 19th. Ingenhoven Architects’ design for the new zero-energy Main Station in Stuttgart, to be built from 2010 - 2016, was awarded the Europe Holcim Award Silver 2005 and the Global Holcim Award Gold 2006. Goethe-Institut New York is holding a two-year lecture series called “What Is Green Architecture?” which started in February, to transform... Read More
Monday LEEDoff: MTA Selects Related Companies to Develop Hudson Yards
Tishman Speyer’s loss is now the Related Companies’ gain. The MTA announced today that it has selected Related and Goldman Sachs to develop Hudson Yards into a $1 billion mixed-use neighborhood that will revolve around a central nine-acre grand plaza similar in concept to Tishman’s proposed “New York Steps.” According to the New York Observer, Tishman hesitated to commit to the MTA’s terms because it had no anchor tenant for the project- making the deal extremely risky given the murky financial markets. Related’s thirteen-building proposal had initially contemplated a... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 19, 2008
Green Building Trends
Green building has become a force in the construction industry. So much so that it is predicted to be a $21 billion industry in 2008 with continued signs of growth for years to come. But there is a whole new set of skills and knowledge your company will need to posses to successfully thrive as a green builder. Briston Blair of FMI Corp. joins us in this edition of the Construction Equipment Owner’s podcast to discuss the emerging trends in green building and how companies need to adjust to... Read More
HEADLINES ADDED: May 16, 2008
Monday LEEDoff: BCUE Unveils Green Gowanus HQ
On Saturday, the Brooklyn Center for th