The Peninsula in the Bronx, N.Y., a mixed-use affordable housing campus, just opened its first phase. The development has a comprehensive plan to reduce waste, separate recyclable materials, and make it easy for residents to collect compostable materials.
The development, which will provide 740 residential units when completed, includes a recently completed commercial structure housing a food incubator and related businesses. This structure contains refrigerated storage and shelf capacity for surplus edible food to preserve it for donations to local partner organizations.
Food waste will be collected and put to good use. “Food waste will be separated by the food businesses, and processed into fertilizer within a dry aerobic bio-digester,” says Miflin, who with partner WXY has created a related new initiative called PutWasteToWork. The bio-digester has a capacity of 0.55 tons of food waste a day, and processes it with microbes and heat to create a fertilizer. The bio-digester reduces weight by up to 90% and eliminates pests and odors.
Infrastructure will be built into residential areas to encourage collection of food waste for composting. Every unit will have undercounter bins for recycling and a caddy for food waste," “They will take these to the refuse rooms on each floor, which also host collections of small items like sharps and batteries,” says Claire Weisz, FAIA, founding principal of WXY.
According to the project team, consultants will help train staff, and provide software for tracking all waste types and measuring progress towards zero-waste operations. This is a radically new idea for an affordable community, according to a news release.
Owner and/or developer: Hudson Companies, Gilbane Development Co., and MHANY Management Inc. (part of the Mutual Housing Association of New York).
Design architect: WXY architecture + urban design and Body Lawson Associates Architects and Planners
Architect of record: WXY architecture + urban design and Body Lawson Associates Architects and Planners
MEP engineer: Skyline Engineering
Structural engineer: Gedeon GRC Consulting and Christie Engineering
General contractor/construction manager: Broadway Builders and Gilbane
Related Stories
Sustainability | Feb 7, 2024
9 states pledge to accelerate transition to clean residential buildings
States from coast to coast have signed a joint agreement to accelerate the transition to pollution-free residential buildings by significantly expanding heat pump sales to meet heating, cooling, and water heating demand in coming years.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 5, 2024
Wood Partners transfers all property management operations to Greystar
Greystar and Wood have entered into a long-term agreement whereby Greystar will serve as property manager for all current and future Wood developed and owned assets.
Industry Research | Jan 31, 2024
ASID identifies 11 design trends coming in 2024
The Trends Outlook Report by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is the first of a three-part outlook series on interior design. This design trends report demonstrates the importance of connection and authenticity.
Mixed-Use | Jan 29, 2024
12 U.S. markets where entertainment districts are under consideration or construction
The Pomp, a 223-acre district located 10 miles north of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and The Armory, a 225,000-sf dining and entertainment venue on six acres in St Louis, are among the top entertainment districts in the works across the U.S.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | Jan 17, 2024
Waterproofing deep foundations for new construction
This continuing education course, by Walter P Moore's Amos Chan, P.E., BECxP, CxA+BE, covers design considerations for below-grade waterproofing for new construction, the types of below-grade systems available, and specific concerns associated with waterproofing deep foundations.
Multifamily Housing | Jan 15, 2024
Multifamily rent growth rate unchanged at 0.3%
The National Multifamily Report by Yardi Matrix highlights the highs and lows of the multifamily market in 2023. Despite strong demand, rent growth remained unchanged at 0.3 percent.
Adaptive Reuse | Jan 12, 2024
Office-to-residential conversions put pressure on curbside management and parking
With many office and commercial buildings being converted to residential use, two important issues—curbside management and parking—are sometimes not given their due attention. Cities need to assess how vehicle storage, bike and bus lanes, and drop-off zones in front of buildings may need to change because of office-to-residential conversions.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
Detroit may tax land more than buildings to spur development of vacant sites
The City of Detroit is considering a revamp of how it taxes property to encourage development of more vacant lots. The land-value tax has rarely been tried in the U.S., but versions of it have been adopted in many other countries.
MFPRO+ News | Jan 12, 2024
As demand rises for EV chargers at multifamily housing properties, options and incentives multiply
As electric vehicle sales continue to increase, more renters are looking for apartments that offer charging options.
Sustainability | Jan 10, 2024
New passive house partnership allows lower cost financing for developers
The new partnership between PACE Equity and Phius allows commercial passive house projects to be automatically eligible for CIRRUS Low Carbon financing.