A 24-story, 300,000-sf building that is being dubbed the largest residential Passive House project in North America will rise on the former site of a public school in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx, New York.
The mixed-use, mixed-income development calls for 241 housing units for low- and moderate-income families. The first three floors of the building will include a 44,480-sf charter school, a medical facility, cultural and community space that includes a 1,350-sf social service facility, and an 11,000-sf supermarket.
The project will also rehab and reopen the nearby Garrison Playground.
The development team that the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development has selected for this project is a joint venture comprised of the real estate developer Trinity Financial, the Bronx-based nonprofit development agency MBD Community Housing Corporation, and Dattner Architects, a New York-based architectural firm that has designed more than 3,500 units for the city over the past five years.
The project is programmed to achieve Passive House certification, and is expected to use 70% less energy than a conventional housing project, and surpass Enterprise Green Communities guidelines. This will be achieved through high-efficiency building systems with an airtight envelope, energy recovery ventilation, and other features that reduce heat loss. Solar shading and water saving features, individual energy controls and energy efficient appliances will also help reduce this building’s energy consumption.
“Passive House is about energy consumption, and is the next bar we should all be targeting,” says John Woelfling, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, a Principal with Dattner Architects, which has a long history with sustainably designed projects.
Tenants will have access to a 23rd-floor landscaped roof terrace and green roof. Woelfling adds that the development team is also considering “resilient power” solutions such as solar arrays or cogeneration. (He notes, too, that Dattner has been designing into its buildings daylighting in stairwells so, in the event of a power outage, residents using the stairs still have some visibility.)
The building, which is scheduled for completion by 2020, would require a zoning change, which would then activate a new Mandatory Inclusionary Housing law that makes 25% of the building’s units permanently affordable, according to Curbed NYC.
[Editor's note: John Woelfling's comments were added to this article after its initial posting.]
The building, located in the Mott Haven section of The Bronx, N.Y., is designed to be 70% more energy efficient that other housing projects in the city. Image: Dattner Architects
Related Stories
| May 3, 2012
Best commercial modular buildings and marketing programs recognized
Judges scored entries on architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete.
| May 3, 2012
Zero Energy Research Lab opens at North Texas
The living lab—the only one of its kind in Texas—is designed to test various technologies and systems in order to achieve a net-zero consumption of energy.
| May 3, 2012
NSF publishes ANSI standard evaluating the sustainability of single ply roofing membranes
New NSF Standard provides manufacturers, specifiers and building industry with verifiable, objective criteria to identify sustainable roofing products.
| May 3, 2012
Gilbane to provide CM services for North Reading’s integrated middle/high school
The project scope includes a wastewater treatment plant, demolition of the existing high school and extensive athletic fieldwork.
| May 2, 2012
Building Team completes two additions at UCLA
New student housing buildings are part of UCLA’s Northwest Campus Student Housing In-Fill Project.
| May 2, 2012
Public housing can incorporate sustainable design
Sustainable design achievable without having to add significant cost; owner and residents reap benefits
| May 1, 2012
Construction is underway on MLK ambulatory care center in L.A.
Featuring a variety of sustainable features, the new facility is designed to achieve LEED Gold Certification.
| Apr 30, 2012
Summit Design + Build completes build-out for Office Concepts
The project is seeking LEED ID Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
| Apr 27, 2012
GreenExpo365.com to offer webinars on EPA’s WaterSense Program
Architects and builders interested in developing water-efficient buildings invited to attend free sessions featuring experts discussing water-efficient building practices.
