The impending demolition of a former retail building in New York City will set the stage for the planned construction of a 240,000-ft, 20-story office building whose design and systems will be flexible enough to support and accommodate this metroās growing tech and innovation sectors, which are expected to create 100,000 new jobs over the next decade.
The building, known as 14th@Irving, could break ground in early 2019, and be completed in two years. The building is expected to become a center for training and collaboration for the innovation economy. Its largest tenant will be Civic Hall, a community based organization with 1,000 individual and 150 business members. Civic Hall will lease three of the buildingās stories for its own use, and program three other floors that will include a digital skills training center.
Five floors in the building are being earmarked for startup tenants that are looking for smaller spaces and shorter-term leases. These companies, the thinking goes, could eventually become large enough to want to take leases in the buildingās seven floors of Class A office space.Ā Ā
āThis center will be a great place to start and grow new tech businesses within a community of like-minded innovators,ā says Keith Amann, Senior Associate with WSP Built Ecology. WSP is this projectās MEP and FP engineer, lighting designer, and is overseeing commissioning, sustainability, and building technology. He notes that the building will be set up to encourage tenant-to-tenant sharing and collaboration.
The buildingās ground floor will include a food hall and leased space that features an Urbanspace market, and be limited to vendors with fewer than five locations in Manhattan and no space within a half-mile of the building.
The building's ground floor will include retailers that don't already have a big presence in Manhattan. Image: Davis Brody Bond
Ā
RAL Development Services, which specializes in luxury multifamily and resort communities, is developing the building with New York Cityās Economic Development Corporation. The buildingās architect is Davis Brody Bond Architects + Planners, and its GC is Suffolk Construction.
Flexibility and sustainability have been driving factors in 14th@Irvingās design, says Narada Golden, a Vice President with WSP Built Ecology. āWe want to make sure that the building stays relevant for a long time, as technology evolves and tenants change.ā
The building is targeting LEED Gold certification at a minimum, and Amann expects this building to be 30% more efficient than what New York Cityās energy codes mandate.
An energy analysis came up with a plan that will result in lower energy costs for the building by using an air-cooled variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system. An efficient HVAC system wonāt require a cooling tower and condenser water system for heat rejection, which will free up space on the roof as well as shaft space on each floor.
3D technology provided daylighting analysis that showed where heat gain on the facade might be more prevalent. Image: WSP USA
Ā
WSP also used 3D modeling to illustrate its daylight analysis of the building and develop an energy efficient design approach.Ā There will be a solar-panel array on the roofdeck, rainwater harvesting for plant irrigation, and low-flow plumbing fixtures installed throughout.
The building is also shooting for Wired Platinum certification, which gauges digital connectivity. The buildingās lobby will include a large interactive display to inform occupants about the buildingās performance in terms of energy and water consumption. The propertyās management will also communicate with tenants via mobile apps.
WSPās BOLD&RĀ Initiative in Colorado, which tests smart technologies, has been working with RAL on this project to determine whether to install smart sensorsĀ that would provide building management with information related to how tenants are using the building, monitoring occupantsā patterns, indoor air quality, and so forth, and adjust to operate its systems more efficiently.
āThey will be able to see where people are moving through the spaces to improve mobility, and see what is being over- or underutilized,ā Amann says. āIt will become a dynamic building through ongoing data collection.ā Golden adds that, instead of viewing sustainability, smart technology, and wellness as separate strategies, this building is taking a holistic approach where āweāre finding that āsmartā actually facilitates sustainability.ā
Ā
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
The New Yorker's David Owen: Why Manhattan is America's greenest community
David Owen is a staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of 14 books, most recently Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, in which he argues that Manhattan is the greenest community in America. He graduated from Harvard and lives in Washington, Conn., where he chairs the town planning commission.
| Aug 11, 2010
Indie Energy's geothermal technology earns U.S. Department of Energy funding
Indie Energy Systems Company, LLC announced today that it has been awarded funding by the U.S. Department of Energy for the continued development of the Company's smart geothermal technologies for commercial and public buildings. The $2.45 million grant will contribute to an innovative geothermal conversion of the Local 150 International Union of Operating Engineers office campus in Countryside, Illinois.
| Aug 11, 2010
Sustainable Buildings as Teaching Tools: 4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
4 Strategies for Integrating Buildings into Experiential Learning
| Aug 11, 2010
Las Vegas announces Green Building Rebate Program
The city of Las Vegas announced it will begin a Green Building Rebate Program to stimulate new green building construction and provide energy efficiency retrofits to existing buildings. The green building program provides rebates for new construction and existing commercial and residential retrofits for buildings who construct buildings or projects to green building program standards.
| Aug 11, 2010
Morphosis builds 'floating' house for Brad Pitt's Make It Right New Orleans foundation
Morphosis Architects, under the direction of renowned architect and UCLAĀ professor Thom Mayne, has completed the first floating house permitted in the U.S. for Brad Pittās Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans.The FLOAT House is a new model for flood-safe, affordable, and sustainable housing that is designed to float securely with rising water levels.
| Aug 11, 2010
SPRI expands membership to include green roof and photovoltaic component suppliers
SPRI, the association representing sheet membrane and component suppliers to the commercial roofing industry, recently approved a bylaw revision expanding its membership to include companies that represent emerging technologies, such asĀ photovoltaic and vegetative roof components.
| Aug 11, 2010
Halsey Taylor introduces 14-gauge, vandal-resistant water coolers
Adding to its extensive collection of high-quality, durable drinking fountains and water coolers, Halsey Taylor introduces the new 14 Gauge Vandal-resistant Water Cooler.Ā Available in both single and bi-level models (HVR8HD, HVR8HD-BL), this new water cooler line is ideal for any high-traffic application, especially those prone to tampering or misuse, such as schools, recreation centers and correctional facilities.