Green Condos

The 35-story Millennium Tower in Battery Park City (”BPC”), developed by Millennium Partners and completed last year, was one of the first residential high-rises to earn a LEED Gold rating in New York City (The Solaire & The Helena). The unassuming brick-and-aluminum-clad condominium building, designed by Handel Architects with Steven Winter Associates serving as green consultants, incorporates an honest commitment to cleaner water and air and lower energy costs. gbNYC recently discussed the building in the aftermath of its installation of the first microturbines in the city pursuant to the new rule which was enacted by Mayor Bloomberg last December.

gbNYC was thrilled to have the opportunity to recently chat with Rick Cook of Cook + Fox Architects about one of his firm’s green projects- The Lucida- which is currently seeking LEED certification on the corner of East 85th Street and Lexington Avenue on the Upper East Side. The project touts itself as the first residential condominium project in the neighborhood to seek a LEED rating, which is an important first given that The Brompton and The Laurel have since joined the local green chase. Mr. Cook spoke to us about specific green features at The Lucida- from its hybrid wall window system to blast-furnace concrete transfer slab- and also offered thoughts on his firm’s office space and the LEED system generally.

Next Monday, March 10, Brooklyn Independent Television will air an episode of Brooklyn Review featuring the Reclaimed Home blog’s interview with architect Mark Helder, whose 439 Metropolitan Avenue project in Williamsburg is aiming for Gotham’s first mixed-use LEED Platinum rating. The segment will be part of the news magazine program’s A Walk Around the Blog series, which profiles different Brooklyn bloggers. We presented Mr. Helder’s project a few weeks ago here at gbNYC in relatively little detail, noting that it will house his architecture studio, two duplex condominium residences, a ground-floor art gallery, and feature passive solar design, radiant flooring, photovoltaics, and indoor air quality reaching HEPA standards.

The $22 million HL23 residential condo project at West 23rd Street and 10th Avenue, which rises above and cantilevers out over the High Line, will purchase 100 percent green power, according to a report that appeared yesterday on GlobeSt.com. Designed by Los Angeles-based Neil M. Denari Architects, the team also includes Thomas Juul-Hansen Architects, which designed the project’s interiors. YRG Sustainability Consultants of New York will assist the design team in pursuit of a LEED Gold rating from USGBC. GlobeSt.com also reports on a number of green design features at the 39,000-square-foot HL23, including reflective roofing, a target energy consumption reduction of 15 to 25 percent below code, construction waste management, and recycled-content building materials.

Helder Design announced today that it will seek Gotham’s first LEED Platinum rating for a mixed-used project at 439 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The development broke ground back in August and should wrap up sometime this summer. It will house Helder’s architecture studio, as well as two duplex condominium residences and a ground-floor art gallery. Designed by Netherlands native Mark Helder, who moved his firm to New York back in 2002, the south-facing green building will feature passive solar design, radiant flooring, photovoltaics, and efficient ventilation and insulation systems.