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Best of 2006 Awards
Verdesian
AWARD OF MERIT: Residential
Residents moved into Battery Park City’s latest environmentally sustainable tower in February, marking yet another green achievement in the Manhattan district where the nation’s first gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design tower opened in 2003.
The $74 million, 26-story Verdesian used the same developers, designers, and contractors as its pioneering predecessor nearby, the Solaire. The newer structure broke ground in July 2004.
The newer structure, adjacent to Teardrop Park at the northern end of the Battery Park City district, has an array of sustainable features that also earned it LEED gold status. The 299,000-sq.-ft., cast-in-place concrete structure has building systems engineered to be 40 percent more energy efficient than conventional structures.
It also utilizes 17 percent less water. The 254-unit rental building also optimizes indoor air quality with a filtration system delivering air that is 85 percent free of particulates. Sustainable materials and finishes are used throughout the tower.
“It’s certainly commendable for all of the sustainable aspects,” one Best of 2006 juror said.
The building’s energy-efficient systems include a natural gas-fired microturbine producing not only 70 KW of electricity but also waste heat that in turn is used to warm up all of the building’s hot water.
Rooftop photovoltaic cells produce an additional 5 percent of the building’s electricity, while a high-efficiency, double-effect absorption chiller provides year-round heating and cooling.
In addition, a high-performance exterior wall system uses vapor and air barriers to optimize insulation, while a 4,870-sq.-ft. green roof further insulates the building. In total, the energy-efficient measures lower peak electricity demand by 48 percent and save tenants 59 percent on their electric bills.
“They seem to have had a big impact on energy consumption,” said another juror.
The new building also taps into a blackwater treatment plant at the Solaire that recycles bath and kitchen water in order to supply treated water for the HVAC cooling plant. The plant has a 10,000-gallon rainwater runoff storage tank to provide landscaping irrigation.
The project team capped off the construction effort with the installation of a trio of disk-shaped mirrors atop the building. Programmed to track the sun’s movement, the mirrors, known as heliostats, reflect sunlight into an extension of Teardrop Park that is shaded by the structure.
The tower’s layout includes studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units. The building amenities include a gymnasium, children’s playroom, 24-hour concierge service, and parking garage. The building was fully rented out by this summer at prices ranging from $2,350 to $6,580 per month.
Key Players
Developer: Albanese Organization; Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Construction Manager-General Contractor: Turner Construction
Architect: Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects; Schuman Lichtenstein Claman Efron Architects
M-E-P Engineer: Flack + Kurtz
Structural Engineer: DeSimone Consulting Engineers
Geotechnical Engineer: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services
Concrete Contractor: Century Maxim
Plumbing Contractor: Liberty Mechanical Contractors
Electrical Contractor: S. J. Electric
HVAC Contractor: Orion Mechanical |
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