LEED Silver

We've written about a number of Related's green development efforts here in Manhattan previously, including the Upper East Side's Brompton and the Superior Ink condos in the West Village. One Related project we haven't discussed in much detail, though, is the Robert A.M. Stern-designed Harrison condominiums. Located at 305 Amsterdam Avenue at West 76th Street on the Upper West Side, the project is substantially complete, and now has two more retail tenants to offer in addition to a second-floor Equinox health club. According to a press release, a children's retail store called Giggle and a Crumbs Bake Shop (which seems odd given that another Crumbs is located across the street just a few blocks south on Amsterdam, but perhaps it's a relocation?) have signed leases and will move into the Harrison's available ground floor retail space.

Syracuse and Buffalo, by reputation, are the de facto buckles on New York's rust belt. But while those two Western New York cities have shrunken mightily over the past few decades and almost never get any sun, there remain more green bright spots in both than their rusty-brown reputations would suggest.

Village Care of New York is a community-based non-profit organization that provides rehabilitation and long-term nursing care for patients with complicated medical needs, as well as individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The organization recently retained Levien & Company as its construction manager in connection with its new 6-story, 65,000-square-foot facility at 214-218 West Houston Street that will accommodate 105 patients. The facility will also offer a physical therapy room, dining and common areas on each floor, and a feng shui-inspired roof deck and meditation and yoga room overlooking a central bamboo courtyard. Patient rooms will provide individualized temperature control, natural daylight, and better visual access into each room for staff in order to improve response time. The project is aiming for a LEED Silver certification from USGBC and was designed by Perkins Eastman; an August 2010 opening is expected. The project team also includes structural engineers Goldstein Associates, AKF, and general contractor Marco Martelli.

Late last week, the boards of the New York State Housing Finance Agency and the New York State Affordable Housing Corporation approved $181.6 million in financing to build and preserve 2060 units of affordable housing throughout New York State. Included in those figures is the Hegeman Residence, a five-story, 161-unit project in the Brownsville section of East Brooklyn that will be developed by Common Ground at 39 Hegeman Avenue. Designed by Cook + Fox Architects, the Hegeman Residence will pursue a LEED Silver rating from USGBC and exclusively offer studios, 61 of which will be set aside for low-income individuals from the surrounding neighborhood (which, incidentally, is one of the poorest in New York City and where a disproportionate number of residents become homeless). The remaining 100 studios will be designated for homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS or mental illness. Sustainable design features at the Hegeman Residence will include a green roof, lighting and motion sensors, and building management, efficient HVAC, and graywater systems.