EPA and New York City Show Off Greener Big Apple; Announce Winners of Second Green Building Competition

The Big Apple got a little greener recently as architects showed off their projects to help protect the environment while working to make a Bronx Zoo Lion House brighter, Coney Island’s Stillwell Avenue terminal solar powered and the New Sunrise Yard maintenance facility energy efficient. These innovative architectural projects were among the winners of The Green Building Competition for New York City, a joint United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) competition that attracted professionals and students from across disciplines to submit their projects and concepts for the city. EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg and DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd today announced the selection of winners at an awards ceremony at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, New York. Partnership for New York City, President and CEO Kathryn Wylde gave the keynote address.

“New York City is taking the lead in innovative designs for sustainable development. The ‘city that never sleeps’ never stops building either, so it’s only appropriate that it integrate green building practices at every step of the development process,” said EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “For New York, with its never ending appeal, yet limited space and resources, sustainable development is nonnegotiable. New York City is taking shape as a showcase for the world’s environmental friendly buildings and spaces and we will continue to support projects that creatively merge environmental excellence with practical function.”

DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd said, “The designs being recognized today promote sustainable development that will enable us to maintain the water, air and land resources that are crucial to our long-term health and survivability. DEP is committed to incorporating these concepts into its capital construction projects and infrastructure improvements. This competition will help to encourage the same concepts to take root in development throughout the country.”

The competition objectives were: innovation (encouraging the development of new ideas in green building design), adaptation (highlighting projects that have successfully incorporated green building principles into new and existing New York City building stock), and assimilation (emphasizing projects that incorporate green buildings into the existing fabric of the community).

The design, construction, operation and maintenance of buildings account for enormous amounts of energy, water, and generate large quantities of air and water pollution. As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent, a new field called green building is gaining momentum. Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation and operation. By adopting green building strategies, building owners can maximize both economic and environmental performance.

Green Building Competition for New York City
For overall excellence in the use of good design principles and the integration of innovative green building technologies:

Grand Winner:
New Sunrise Yard (submitted by: Gruzen Samton LLP Architects, Planners, Interior Designers)
This project, situated on 46,300 square feet, will be the base of operations for the facilities maintenance group of the NYC Department of Transportation and is part of the NYC Department of Design and Construction’s sustainable design pilot program. Using an integrated, consensus driven process, the project achieves a 65% energy savings over the technical baseline through measures such as use of high performance glass, clerestory roof system, a high efficiency lighting system, radiant floor heating, demand based ventilation, and use of high efficiency boilers. Demolition waste will be reused and water efficiency will be achieved through native landscaping and maximizing pervious services. Runoff is contained on the site and construction vehicles will use ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel.

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