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February 10, 2013
Dagher Engineering Office
As part of its commitment to environmental responsibility, Dagher Engineering designed its office space to achieve LEED Gold certification. The design includes the build-out of 10,000 square-feet of office space, and incorporates numerous sustainable and earth-friendly elements. Dagher Engineering was the first engineering firm in New York City to obtain LEED certification for its offices.Acting both as the designer for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing/fire-protection systems and the LEED consultant for the project, the firm focused on integrating energy efficient systems, incorporating natural lighting, using sustainable finishes and materials, and promoting excellent indoor air quality. Innovative design solutions included:
Radiant cooling panels. Adapted to a building with operable windows, the ceiling panels represent the first use of this technology in the U.S.
Variable air volume discharge rates. A single zone system takes advantage of varying fan speeds without the added expense of installation—resulting in space-wide comfort and a substantial reduction in energy consumption.
Demand-controlled ventilation rates. Maximizes occupant comfort and operating costs by introducing variable rates of ventilated air based on occupant density.
UV lights. Incorporated into the design of the air handling units irradiating wet surfaces to eliminate the probability of spore entrainment.
Water conservation techniques. Dual-flush toilets and waterless urinal.
Green On Dean
Green On Dean is an exciting new green development. Located in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill/Park Slope area, the building has been developed with an attention to detail in its design, engineering, and energy conservation.Lancaster Lexington
At Lancaster Lexington, you’ll find 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments designed with triple glazed windows and unitized venting systems so you enjoy substantial savings on your electricity and heating bills. Featuring great layouts with beautifully polished oak floors, energy-saving stainless steel GE appliances and caesarstone counter tops with glass tile backsplash, almost all of these warm and inviting units come with private terraces. The building includes a common roof deck accessed via elevator and stairs with 30 SF individual garden plots assigned to each apartment.Haus 96
96 St. Marks, the first multi-family Passive House in the United States, used to be your typical four-story Brooklyn brownstone. Developer Brendan Aguayo of Aguayo and Huebner purchased the Prospect Heights property and teamed with architect Ken Levenson to renovate and redevelop the 80-year-old building into a forward-thinking model of green construction. Aguayo and Levenson anticipated higher construction costs and a longer time frame for the project, but many of the costs for 96 St. Marks have been offset by Passive House materials and smaller mechanical systems. A typical building retrofit takes about eight months; 96 St. Marks will be completed within a year.Greenstone
A beautiful brownstone fully renovated into an environmentally conscious Greenstone. Contains three separate condos.Kalahari
The Kalahari is a 249-unit mixed-income development on 116th Street in Harlem designed and built to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Certification standards, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance ‘green’ buildings.
The Kalahari is located in Central Harlem within walking distance of two major subway lines. It includes green features such as a fresh-filtered air delivery system that purifies air quality at a constant rate, Energy Star appliances that will help to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent below the New York State Energy Code, twenty-five percent of the building’s energy from renewable sources such as solar and wind, green roofs, and landscaped public courtyards featuring native plants.
Half of the apartments (120 homes) in the Kalahari will be affordable to households earning middle- and moderate-incomes, ranging between $63,810 to $131,165 for a family of four and $44,640 to $91,760 for a single person.
A Harlem-based urban youth enrichment program, called StreetSquash, will occupy ground-floor space along 115th street, and ground-floor retail and a movie theater will occupy the commercial space along 116th Street.
The Kalahari’s architectural team (GF55 Partners, LLP and Frederic Schwarz Architects) incorporated bold colors, textures and patterns inspired by African art work throughout the building’s façade along 115th and 116th streets.
The Kalahari was developed by Full Spectrum of NY and L&M Development Partners through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) Cornerstone program which builds multifamily, mixed-income housing on City-owned land. The financing included: a grant of about $2.7 million from the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation, $8.2 million in mezzanine financing from the Goldman Sachs Urban Investment Group, and $95 million in construction financing JPMorgan Chase, with a bank group syndicate including Washington Mutual, Deutsche Bank, Capital One Bank, Carver Bank, and Commerce Bank.
Source: nyc.gov. see also www.kalahari-nyc.blogspot.com
El Jardin de Selene
Nos Quedamos/We Stay, is a non profit that was created by residents of Melrose Commons, a community in the South Bronx, NY, in response to the city’s plan of redeveloping the area. Emphasizing that there was more to save than to destroy, NQ, with the support of Melrose Associates and Magnusson Architecture and Planning PC, worked with community members to create a cohesive, compelling alternative to the city’s vision. Realizing the need to provide not only affordable housing, but sustainable housing in Melrose Commons, Nos Quedamos, Melrose Associates, and Magnusson Architecture and Planning have created a long standing partnership to provide that and were joined in this venture by MJM Construction Services (GC and development partner), and Forsyth Street Advisors (development consultants).El Jardin de Selene is a mixed-use, mixed-income building, providing both residents and businesses a healthy environment. Designed to achieve a LEED-Silver rating, Energy Star certified and Enterprise Green Communities compliant, El Jardin is one of the first buildings of its kind in the Bronx.
With the GC, design architect and all consultants on board from the beginning, the entire process was able to be as healthy and sustainable as possible. Design features such as thru-plank ventilation, the elimination of window sleeves, energy efficient windows, lighting and appliances, recycled content in construction materials, low VOC paints and sealants, bamboo flooring and kitchen cabinetry were complimented by best practices during and after construction by MJM with the objective to increase the overall health of tenants in an area known for disproportionately high asthma rates. This will also be enhanced through the use of green roofs and high-albedo roofing in order to decrease the overall urban heat island affect in the area. Native planting is used at all street, site and green roof planting to bring back natural life to the neighborhood as well.
At 12 stories, El Jardin de Selene is one of the tallest buildings in the Melrose Commons Urban Renewal Area, and MAP used this to bring back the rich art deco heritage of the South Bronx, while maintaining and furthering the existing fabric of the neighborhood. A modernized art deco aesthetic is highlighted at various parts of the building, from the cast stone elements at the towers, to the mosaic tile elements at the residential entry to the pattern of the bathroom tiling in the residential units.