Growing a Green Community
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Growing a Green Community The Battery Park City Story One World Financial Center, New York, NY 10281-1097 www.batteryparkcity.org David A. Paterson, Governor, State of New York James F. Gill, Chairman Charles J. Urstadt, Vice Chairman David B. Cornstein, Member Lynn K. Rollins, Member Andy K. Shenoy, Member Frank J. Branchini, Member Robert J. Mueller, Member James E. Cavanaugh, President and CEO Growing a Green Community The Battery Park City Story Contents Introduction Governor David A. Paterson ..................................................................................... 3 Chairman’s Letter James F. Gill, Chairman, Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority ................. 4 Chapter 1 Project Beginnings ..................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 2 Green Parks ............................................................................................................. 10 Chapter 3 Going Green .............................................................................................................. 12 Chapter 4 Energy ..................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 5 Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality ............................................................................... 20 Chapter 6 Water Conservation ................................................................................................. 24 Chapter 7 Materials and Recycling ............................................................................................ 26 Chapter 8 Commissioning and Education ................................................................................. 32 Chapter 9 Green Roofs ............................................................................................................. 34 Chapter 10 Sustainability’s Economic Success ........................................................................... 36 Chapter 11 A Marketplace Transformed ................................................................................... 38 Chapter 12 The Buildings ......................................................................................................... 42 Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................... 45 Introduction Global warming is one of the most monumental and technology presented upon these pages will inform and instruct. From environmental challenges of our time. It threatens its experience in assisting with the construction of the nation’s first green the sustainability of our planet and our health. Each residential high-rise residential building in the aftermath of the 9/11 decision we make can become part of our local attacks, to the guidance they provided to the New York Mercantile solution to this global challenge. Exchange so that it could become the first building in New York State to As Governor of New York, I am committed to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for promoting renewable energy production, creating Existing Buildings status, the Battery Park City Authority has a wealth of opportunities and training for “green collar” jobs, knowledge to share. It is my hope that others will take what has been and improving energy efficiency. In fact, New York learned and apply it to their own green development. has the most aggressive energy efficiency goal in the nation: reducing From the availability of environmentally sustainable building materials, to electricity use by 15% by 2015. how much building green costs, inside this book you will find answers to Inefficient buildings are the largest contributor to global warming; they’re commonly asked questions. responsible for nearly 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions due to energy use. That is why the efforts of the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City When government provides opportunities for its constituents that is Authority, New York are so critical; they have been on the forefront of government at its best. The importance of sustainable development becomes green technology and innovative urban design, have made strides in shifting clearer every day. We have all come to understand that we must protect the market to provide greener building materials and processes. This book the limited resources of our planet if we want future generations to thrive. signals that we are capable of laying the groundwork of sustainable living, Enjoy the book, but more importantly, use the book. for ourselves and for the future, one green roof at a time. Governor David A. Paterson Battery Park City’s vast experience in the field of sustainable development New York State The importance of sustainable development may not be fully known for many years, but what we have all come to understand now is that we must protect the limited resources of our planet if we want future generations to thrive. PAGE 3 Chairman’s Letter The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority has Battery Park City is actively engaged in sharing what we have learned so been on the cutting edge of urban development developers throughout the world will embrace sustainable construction. It is from its very inception. Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s our sincerest desire to provide them with a road map to green development. vision in 1968 was to create a comprehensive As the Solaire was being built, I asked the Albanese Development community in Lower Manhattan that would be the Corporation to keep a diary of its construction. The diary was a daily log of standard by which all others would be measured. problems the organization encountered during the buildings construction That mission has guided Battery Park City throughout and the steps they took to solve those problems. Upon the building’s its rich history and for the better part of the last decade completion, the diary was turned over to the Authority for publication and has inspired the Authority’s greatest achievement, distribution throughout the nation. Most companies would have kept that the implementation of our world renowned green guidelines. Indeed, with information and used it to their obvious advantage but Albanese 4.5 million square feet in sustainable development, the Authority leads by understood the importance of sharing this information. They deserve a lot example showing the world that development does not have to come at of credit for their exceptional generosity, and I am deeply grateful. the expense of the environment. The diary proved to be a critical tool for other developers as they navigated When Battery Park City is complete, it will be home to 8 green residential the green market. Technology for building green was not abundant in high-rise buildings, including the Solaire, which was the nation’s first. The those early years, and the cost of building green was generally more Goldman Sachs World headquarters, which is scheduled for completion in expensive than conventional construction. However, Battery Park City has 2010, will be the largest LEED certified building in the country and the been monitoring the cost differential over the years and we can now say New York Mercantile Exchange, is the first commercial building in New that it has been substantially reduced. Since green materials are more York State to receive a LEED for Existing Buildings rating. readily available and since green features drastically reduce the cost of building operations, developers are reporting significant financial savings as a result of building green. Battery Park City Authority has been for nearly a decade, and continues to be on the cutting edge of advancing the day when green will be the norm. PAGE 4 Reducing electric demand through the use of photovoltaic technology and Battery Park City Authority has been for nearly a decade, and continues to reducing the amount of potable water a building uses by recycling it to be on the cutting edge of advancing the day when green will be the norm. flush toilets are just two examples of cost saving technology. Additionally, Governor David A. Paterson shares our green vision, and seeks to keep since green buildings offer an overwhelmingly healthier environment, the Empire State at the vanguard of green development. We look forward people are ready to pay a premium to live in them causing the cost to working with him in the years ahead. differential to be ameliorated. As these costs continue to come down, the We hope you enjoy this book and find it helpful. day draws closer when all buildings will be green and conventional buildings will be obsolete. James F. Gill Chairman, Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority Moving forward under the leadership of Governor David A. Paterson, the Authority will continue to expand its green mission. As I write this, plans are being completed for a K-8 school in the southern neighborhood of Battery Park City. This school will be the first green public school to be built in New York City and will give children the opportunity to learn about green building while benefiting from its technology. This new public school is not the only milestone building planned for our southern neighborhood. Recently we entered into an agreement with New York City to expand our southern border to assume management over historic Pier A. This historic pier replete with a clock tower which was built as a memorial to soldiers killed in World War I will return to its former glory as a green embarkation point for the Statue of