ABSTRACT:

This mixed-income case study of the Tapestry Building in New York City illustrates how high-performance building envelope design and energy efficiency contribute to improved quality of life in the built environment.

MODERATOR:

William Jose Higgins, Director of Green and Sustainable BuildingsTeam, EME Group

SPEAKERS:

Paul Freitag, Managing Director, Development, Jonathan Rose Companies
David Newman, Sustainability Specialist, EME Group
Herbert Mandel, Managing Partner, MHG Architects
Daniel Abatemarco, Acoustics Specialist, AKRF

DESCRIPTION:

The Tapestry Building is a new 12-story, 185-unit mixed-income green residential development near the foot of the Triborough Bridge. The 50/30/20 residential development is made up of market rate, middle income and low-income apartments. The project, designed to Enterprise Green Communities criteria, is on target to earn a LEED-NC v2.2 Gold Rating and is participating in the NYSERDA Multifamily Performance Program.

Reducing energy usage alone does not fuel the pursuit of a high-performance building envelope. An additional impetus is sound control of the busy inner city noises as desired by the project developers and New York City Zoning Regulations, which require a Sound Control Coefficient (STC) rating of the building façade. Energy efficiency and sound control are both increased by moving from an air-cooled, hydronic PTAC system to water source heat pumps, a mix of double- and triple-glazed high-performance windows, and higher-insulated and tighter exterior walls.

The water source heat pumps reduce the number of exterior wall penetrations in comparison to a typical PTAC system that would penetrate the wall at each air-cooled unit; this assists in saving energy through a more continuous exterior wall and a more efficient HVAC system, and also reduces sound transference.

Double- and triple-glazed high-performance windows reduce the heat and sound transference while allowing for natural light, mitigating the conflict between the desire for abundant natural light and the need for sound control and energy efficiency

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ABSTRACT:

Session details coming soon.

MODERATOR:

Session details coming soon.

SPEAKERS:

Tomas O’Leary, Founder, Irish Passive House Academy
Ken Levenson, Partner, Levenson McDavid Architects
Brian Phillips, Principal, IS Architects
David White, Principal, Right Environments

DESCRIPTION:

Session details coming soon.
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SESSION 9 // Date / Time / Room TBD

ABSTRACT:

Session details coming soon.

MODERATOR:

Session details coming soon.

SPEAKERS:

Lendi Hart, Executive Director, Sustainable Housing Foundation
Tom Laronde, Founder, The Four Winds Group, John Godden

DESCRIPTION:

Session details coming soon.
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ABSTRACT:

A panel examines the use of existing technologies to maximize the existing features and sustainability of a large abandoned downtown urban core building – 222 Jarvis Street in Toronto.

MODERATOR:

Hatice Yazar, Managing Principal, WZMH

SPEAKERS:

Stephen Carpenter, President, Enermodal Engineering
Cameron Hind, Executive Vice President
Hidi Rae, Consulting Engineers

DESCRIPTION:

Toronto’s 222 Jarvis Street is a 535,000 sq. ft. existing commercial office building completed in 1971. The building was renovated to achieve LEED Gold certification by incorporating intelligent building design principles, reduced energy demand, resource conservation and the creation and support of an innovative and healthy workplace environment. The overall goal of the project was to achieve LEED Platinum for New Construction and Major Renovations and to fulfill the client’s social, economic and environmental objectives for excellence within a finite budget. The project achieved finalist status in the Zero Footprint Re-Skinning Award in the Large Commercial Category as presented in conjunction with The World Urban Forum.

The 222 Jarvis Sustainable Building Renewal project encapsulates a scope of work that was developed over a six-month period of detailed design. Exceptional synergy among a diverse team made this project unique; team members included: WZMH Architects, Enermodal Engineering Limited, Hidi Rae Consulting Engineers, Mulvey and Banani International Inc, A.W. Hooker Associates, Cost Consulting, Halcrow Yolles cladding consultants, and others.  Integrated design principles led the team to reposition the building with cladding upgrades, add a new light well to illuminate the center of the building, completely upgrade the electrical systems and rebuild the mechanical systems to provide a combined 61% energy reduction. Enermodal created an energy model to ensure that each proposed sustainable measure was analyzed for value added benefit, systems integration and contribution to attain multiple LEED points.

This presentation will demonstrate the use of existing technologies systematically modeled and evaluated in combination in order to maximize existing features and for sustainability, culminating in new life for a large abandoned downtown urban core building. WZMH, Enermodal and Hidi Rae will describe the decision making process used to arrive at the final scope of work. Other current projects show the merits of alternate means and methods and why specific measures were selected in this case study.

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ABSTRACT:

A presentation of the collaborative design methods that enabled the development of advanced building façade systems at Yale University, Ithaca College and Battery Park City.

SPEAKERS:

Naree Phinyawatana, Environmental Designer, Atelier Ten
Nico Kienzl, Director, Atelier Ten
Kevin Smith, Robert A.M. Stern Architects
Mark Simon, Partner, Centerbrook Architects & Planners
Craig Copeland, Senior Associate, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects

DESCRIPTION:

As designers strive to create spaces that provide a sense of outdoors while maintaining indoor comfort, building facades are also literally stretched to encompass community spaces both within and around buildings. In recent years the science and the art of façade design have enabled the creation of previously unattainable building and even community, skins. Rigorous analysis and cutting-edge design can now achieve that crucial balance between daylight and thermal comfort.

This session will present the design methods that have made possible the development of these advanced building façade systems as exemplified by Kroon Hall at Yale University, the Ithaca College School of Business, and The Visionaire in New York City. Presenters will each discuss a design approach of “optioneering,” working collaboratively with architects and other team members to design solutions that respond to environmental and technical concerns.

Session attendees will learn about key environmental and design drivers, see new analysis tools, and be presented with a range of innovative façade design strategies for the Northeast climate. Technical design challenges at scales ranging from individual building elements to neighborhood-scale shelters will also be discussed. The case studies presented are all completed projects that have earned LEED Platinum certification.

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ABSTRACT:

A diverse panel presents the Gowanus Green case study, a proposed neighborhood of sustainable mixed-income housing, parks, community facilities, and retail, to illustrate the reclamation of a brownfield site along Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal and the transformation of disused open space into a ‘sustainable’ public amenity.

MODERATOR:

Guido Hartray, Associate, Rogers Marvel Architects

SPEAKERS:

Stephen Whitehouse, Partner, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
Sue McCoy, President, Philip Habib & Associates
Andrew Jackson, Project Manager, Hudson Companies
Carter Strickland, Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability, NYC Department of Environmental Protection

DESCRIPTION:

Gowanus Green—a proposed neighborhood of sustainable mixed-income housing, parks, community facilities, and retail – will reclaim a brownfield site along Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal. Among New York City waterways, the canal is one of the most severely afflicted by combined sewer overflows (CSOs), yet the brownfield sites along the canal make conventional retention strategies difficult due to the risk of further contamination. The Gowanus Green Master Plan takes this challenge as a starting point to structure the neighborhood’s urban design around biofiltration. This strategy would reestablish the neighborhood’s ecological and recreational connections to the canal as a shared amenity.

PLANYC has identified inland waterways such as the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek as particular challenges in the city’s work to control CSOs. The waterways tend to concentrate a disproportionate share of sewer outfalls with a history of industrial use and contamination, which makes them incompatible with conventional stormwater mitigation strategies. These two characteristics have overlapped in recent years with a growing drive to recover the waterfront for recreational purpose, which makes finding a solution to improve water quality imperative.

Creating public connections to the water and improving its quality are essential. From this dual challenge emerged the Swale Trail, a richly planted rill that forms the backbone of the project, connecting the wider Gowanus neighborhood to the canal and overlaying the structure of the project’s public space with its hydrology. Along the way, it collects water from streets, green roofs, rain gardens and play areas before arriving at Canal Park in a wet meadow Meditation Garden—the last stop before joining the Gowanus Canal.

The design integrates the need for active and passive recreational space of a dense urban neighborhood with the areas required to handle stormwater. Each aspect of the water management plan responds to complex site constraints and public jurisdictional issues. Site engineering will be coordinated with a complex plan for brownfield remediation to be evaluated through the EPA Superfund review process. Site design constraints include underground parking structures and contaminated substrates that limit the desirability of infiltration strategies. The site, presently in public control, will be parceled into private sites, public streets, and public parks. The intended flow of stormwater from private to public lands will require overflow controls and new agency agreements.

The outdoor spaces of Gowanus Green will comply with newly revised design standards of New York City’s Waterfront Zoning. Accessible from three entrances, Canal Park will be a 1.6-acre city-owned space, featuring an undulating lawn, a waterfront esplanade, an outdoor amphitheatre and a series of native woodland and meadow gardens. These landscapes are framed by residential buildings with a ground floor gallery, restaurant and community center opening onto expansive terraces with flowering trees and ample seating. The dynamic relationship of the ground floor uses and the parkland contribute to an engaging, active public space.

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ABSTRACT:

A panel of labor training leaders and a university instructor presents practical operational upgrades that enable operations staff to increase building performance,

MODERATOR:

Session details coming soon.

SPEAKERS:

James Barry, Thomas Shortman Training Fund, Local 32BJ
Zach Stern, Instructor, Local 94 Operating Engineers
Anthony Zotto, Thomas Shortman Training Fund, Local 32BJ
Michael Bobker, Director, CUNY High Performance Building Lab; John Sarich, Resident Manager, Rose Associates

DESCRIPTION:

Many leaders in the energy efficiency industry have championed operations and maintenance (O&M) as the most effective means to increase efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in existing buildings. In fact, according to The Department of Energy, well-executed O&M programs can save 5%-20% on annual energy bills without significant capital investments.

This panel, including labor management training fund representatives and  a university instructor will present practical operational upgrades that increase building performance. While this panel does not specifically address steps to LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance certification, it provides insight into how staff can implement changes to improve building performance.

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ABSTRACT:

Case studies explore the realities of integrating geothermal systems in new and existing buildings throughout New York City. Projects to be discussed include: Knox Hall at Columbia University, the Esquire Building condominiums in Brooklyn, General Theological Seminary, Times Square’s TKTS, and the Queens and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

MODERATOR:

Margaret Castillo, Principal, Helpern Architects, President-Elect, AIA New York Chapter

SPEAKERS:

John Rhyner, Professional Geologist, Senior Project Manager, P.W. Grosser Consulting
Alex Posner, Project Director, Office of Sustainable Design, NYC Department of Design and Construction
Tate Rider, Senior Project Manager, Renewable Energy, NYC Economic Development Corporation
John Rice, Partner, AKF Consulting Engineers
Judy Stasack, Head, Geothermal Review Group, NYSERDA

DESCRIPTION:

Is geothermal is the readily-available alternative energy source that everyone’s been waiting for, or just a big hole you make in the ground that swallows your money? This session seeks to reconcile these two views, identify opportunities as well as problems, and enable the audience to determine whether or which of the geothermal options is right for a project.

Despite its recent popularity, only one-third to one-half of proposed geothermal systems are built. The panel will present varied case studies that explain why and what had to be overcome. Case studies include  Knox Hall at Columbia University, the Esquire Building condominiums in Brooklyn, General Theological Seminary, Times Square’s TKTS, and the Queens and Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

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ABSTRACT:

A presentation of the award-winning renovation of the Unilever Headquarters in London, a historically significant 1930s building transformed into a spatially exciting, BREEAM “excellent” building.

SPEAKERS:

John Bushell, Partner, KPF
Michelle Pattison, Agile Working, Programme Director, Unilever
Ashok Raijji, Partner, Arup

DESCRIPTION:

The Unilever Headquarters in London has won over 30 international awards, and is used by Unilever worldwide as a model for the future.

Unilever London Headquarters occupies a prominent site in the City of London, overlooking Blackfriars Bridge and the River Thames. Completed in 1931 and listed as historically significant in 1977, the project included the redevelopment of the 1930s structure and a portion of a 1970s extension to the north.

Unilever wanted to remain in the building and within the City of London but had operational requirements for a more modern, flexible workplace than that provided by the building, which also had significant functional deficiencies. This presentation explores the design process, which eventually achieved a balance between retaining the important parts of the building’s historic fabric while providing a transformed environmentally responsible workplace and spatial experience for the many visitors to the building.

The entire process is revealed, from early collaboration with the client, setting targets and goals,occupant feedback and post-occupancy performance data. The panel will also discuss energy efficiency with relation to operational costs and carbon emissions including civic and client targets. The panel will also explore strategies for reducing carbon emissions through energy use and material choices.

Design strategies are an important factor in the success of the building. The floor plates were reconfigured within a spatially interesting atrium, creating a stronger sense of interconnection. Staff and meeting facilities are located at the top of the building, which includes a roof garden. On the ground floor, a café, exhibition space, restaurant and conference area restore the public nature of the building.

The fit-out achieves the spirit of openness seen in the 1930s building archive.

The presentation offers key insight into the design and execution of a redevelopment project. The transformed Unilever House offers Unilever a new lease of life within its historic home, safeguards the active future of a listed building and brings the building up to British Council for Offices (BCO) specification throughout, while emphasizing the owner and architect’s commitment to sustainability and biodiversity.

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