Tag: green-building-tour
November 26, 2020
GreenHomeNYC’s Pandemic Pivot Proves the Power of Commitment and Community
By Melanie Mason
We have spent the better part of our year in throes of the COVID-19 pandemic—social distancing, Zooming, washing our hands like crazy, and carrying out GreenHomeNYC’s mission from the kitchen table. This has almost begun to feel like a normal part of our routines. But at the beginning of the lockdowns back in March, the challenges to life as usual suddenly felt very far from “normal.” Just like everyone else, GreenHomeNYC had to quickly adapt to this new way of being. A testimony to our incredibly driven volunteers, together we dove headfirst into tackling how GreenHomeNYC would go from a live and lively in-person community to operating fully remotely.
Said GreenHomeNYC’s board president Lucie Dupas, “The board is so thankful for all the amazing work that our volunteers are able to get done safely from their homes—this year has been incredibly challenging in all aspects of life, and we are amazed on a daily basis by how passionate and resilient our whole community is!”
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September 4, 2019
Recap: Tour of the East River Compost Yard
By Jonathan Oriondo
On August 15th, GreenHomeNYC hosted a tour of the East River Compost Yard in Manhattan, where participants learned what it takes to compost on a community-wide scale. Lia Lucero, the outreach coordinator for NYC Compost Project, personally guided us throughout the site.
At first glance it was not obvious that this facility’s main goal was community education. Right on the river, in the middle of a park, this place was huge! There were piles of compost at various stages of the digestion process. Most of the facility was outdoors with a small administrative building towards the road, and it was all surrounded by a formidable fence. It was very impressive—even the smell. (more…)
December 4, 2017
GreenHomeNYC Year in Review: Taking on the Environmental Challenge
by Pamela Berns
Photo credit: Pamela Berns
November 28, 2017
November Green Building Tour Recap: Building Towards Resilience
by Brigitta Berze
It’s been five years since Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, leaving a trail of destruction in the New York area. During the “Building Towards Resilience” Green Building Tours event, Henry Gifford of Chris Benedict R.A., led a tour through 327 and 334 East 8th Street – two Lower East Side buildings that were affected by the hurricane – providing a firsthand look at renovations that were made in the aftermath of the natural disaster.
The tour began in the noisy basement of 334 East 8th Street, with a description of the damage after Hurricane Sandy, including the conditions that the workers had to endure. The elevator in this building is not counteracted by weights to lift the elevator car, but instead uses oil mixed with other chemicals in a hydraulic elevator machine. As the water rose to about six feet above the basement floor, the oil and chemicals mixed with the flood waters, creating a hazardous condition for workers. The slippery mix of oil, water and sewage caused the superintendant to get a foot infection that landed him in the hospital for three days.
(more…)June 5, 2017
June Tour: 475 High Performance Building Supply House and Demo
GreenHomeNYC INVITES YOU TO
DISCOVER HIGH PERFORMANCE BUILDING MATERIALS IN BROOKLYN
Join us to learn how leading architects and developers achieve rigorous Passive House standards here in the City. We will tour the 475 High Performance Building Supply warehouse in Brooklyn to learn about the latest products that can lead to 90% reductions in heating and cooling energy usage. Founded and run by architects, 475 provides building knowledge and components to help professionals meet the international Passive House building standards. Guests will be treated to an interactive presentation on green building materials and diagnostic testing that improve air sealing, ventilation, fenestration, thermal insulation, and overall performance. This is a hands-on experience with cutting edge green building materials. It’s the next best thing to being in the Paris Agreement!
After the tour guests are encouraged to join GreenHomeNYC for networking drinks at nearby Threes Brewing
January 27, 2016
February Green Building Tour: Capsys pre-fab, modular construction factory
Join GreenHomeNYC for a insider tour of Capsys‘ modular construction factory here in NYC on Thursday, February 11th at 12:45pm!
Capsys is a premier modular manufacturer specializing in non-combustible buildings. Capsys modular units are an efficient and cost effective way to construct almost any kind of residence including student housing, hotels, townhouses, apartment buildings, affordable housing, supportive housing, and assisted living facilities. Capsys has a strong focus on sustainability with features to reduce the heat island effect and water use, to optimize energy consumption, and much more.
November 2, 2015
Javits Center: The Largest Green Roof in NYC
by Shari Baitcher In New York, a city with one of the highest population densities in the U.S., every
square foot is valuable. In recent years more thought has been given to the space on top of buildings. With 840,000 square feet of exhibition space occupying 6 city blocks, the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center has recently introduced the second largest green roof in the United States.
Rick Brown, Chief Engineer for the Javits Center, exuded passion for the recently implemented sustainability project as he took GreenHomeNYC volunteers and community members behind the scenes of the convention center. We stopped at the IT office where he explained how they capture the heat generated by the computers and servers to help offset the building’s heating demand. Sensors have been installed all over the building to monitor efficiency, revealing a 26% reduction in energy consumption since the renovations have been completed. Additionally, water consumption has been reduced by 2.9 million gallons. Efficiency measures such as these contribute towards the Javits Center’s goal of earning LEED Silver certification.
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October 16, 2015
October Green Building Tour: Jacob Javits Center Green Roof
Join GreenHomeNYC for a special tour of the green roof of New York City’s Jacob Javits Center on Friday, October 23rd at 2pm
The Jacob Javits Convention Center is home to the second largest green roof on a single, free-standing building in the U.S. and the largest in NYC! The green roof was completed in October 2014 and is 297,000 sqft. It prevents approximately 6.8 million gallons of stormwater run-off annually. The roof features 14 different varieties of Sedum plants grown on a regional production farm in upstate New York. Read more about the roof from the designers.
August 10, 2015
August Tour Recap: R-951, A certified Net Zero in Brooklyn
By Brigitta Berze
There was much excitement buzzing in Prospect Park, Brooklyn on the eve of August 5th, 2015 as Brooklyn’s Deputy Borough President, Diana Reyna, presented citations to the teams involved in the completion of the first certified net zero capable passive house in NYC. Paul Castrucci , the architect for this building, along with developer Further, Inc., and Aeon Solar were honored for their achievement.
R-951 Residence is made up of three duplex 1,500 square feet condominiums that which have unique outdoor spaces and beautiful interior design, as well as, sustainable function. The building does not require fossil fuel, and natural gas to heat, cool, or light the space. The living units have their own supply of 4kW Solar Photovoltaic systems on the rooftop that acts as shading for the roof accessible areas. This feature makes it possible for the on-site panels to generate enough energy to power each unit ‘over the course of a year’, as promoted per design.
The high performance building envelope is the most important feature of this and any passive house. The walls are insulated to R-40, the windows and doors are ‘tilt and turn’ R-9 triple glazed. The envelope is sealed to 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals pressure, which also creates a soundproof effect for a quiet indoor environment. Passive design includes large south-facing windows to maximize winter solar heat gain, and the metal accordion style screens provide shade during the summer season.
Sample of wall construction. Insulated concrete form (ICF) with additional exterior rigid board insulation for R-40 value.
July 27, 2015
GreenHomeNYC’s August Tour: Net Zero in Brooklyn
GreenHomeNYC INVITES YOU TO
VISIT A Certified Net Zero Capable Passive House, the R-951 Residence
Want to know more about the first building in NYC to achieve both Passive House Institute certification and NYSERDA Net Zero capable rating? Join us, Wednesday, August 5th for a tour with Paul Castrucci Architect, Further, Inc. and Aeon Solar. Explore this newly constructed three family ultra-efficient row house that brings together modern aesthetics, sustainable design and a 12 KW solar array predicted to generate enough renewable energy to meet or exceed each apartment’s annual energy demand. As seen at http://R-951.com, state of the art building envelope, high efficiency systems and Energy Star appliances were used throughout R-951, which has benefited from NYC’s Green Zoning Initiative and a NYSERDA New York Energy Star Certified Home Tier 3 grant. Residents will benefit from a healthy, quiet comfortable all-electric home, private outdoor space, rainwater collection system, tax breaks, and much more! This tour is supported by sustainable building proponents at GreenHomeNYC, the NY Passive House Meetup, Solar One and NYSERDA EDGE. More information, contacts, images and press release are at http://R-951.com.Date: Wednesday, August 5th
Time: 6:30pm
Location: 951 Pacific Street, Brooklyn (map)
Cost: Suggested Donation of $8 (Donations cover our annual insurance costs to allow us to being you high-quality programming such as this)
Space is limited. RSVP Today!
Questions? Email [email protected].