— The Visionaire

The Visionaire is a top of the line, 35 story condominium in New York City.  It is located at 70 Little West Street, Battery Park NY.  It was built as part of the Battery Park City Authority Project which strived to build a network of sustainable buildings in Battery Park.  Three major buildings were constructed: The Solaire, The Verdesian, and the Visionaire, the last of the three projects.  The building is certified LEED Platinum which means that the building achieved 80 out of the 100 points possible in LEED’s five category system and is estimated to be about 42% more efficient than a non-green building its size.  A studio apartment runs about $690,000 while the penthouse costs $6.2 million.

The Project was divided into five categories:

1. Energy efficiency

2. Enhanced indoor-environment quality

3. Conserving materials and resources

4. Education, operations, and maintenance

5. Water conservation and site management

The Visionaire also uses a plethora of green features such as its green rooftop which hosts a variety of native plants and vegetation. The garden offers extra insulation for the building which helps keep heat in and reduce the buildings heating usage.  It also collects rainwater and stores any excessive amounts in a central roof drain which holds about 10,000 gallons.  When it overflows, the water is used to clean the sidewalks and irrigation.

The building also takes advantage of curtainwall which combines low-emissitivity glass and a terrocotta rainscreen.  This acts as a thermal break between in the exterior and interior of the building and creates more efficient cooling and heating.  Fresh, filtered air is delivered into every room of the building by way of an energy efficient  four-pipe fan-coil system that passes by pipes carrying heated or cooled water (counter-current exchange).  Water is conserved in many ways.  Along with the rooftop garden mentioned above, the most notable way is the recycling of toilet water in the building due to the installation of a blackwater treatment system.

Reference:

http://greensource.construction.com/green_building_projects/2009/0911_Visionaire.asp

http://www.thevisionaire.com/content/documents/Sept2010/1000%20Supers%2009.22.10.pdf

• Navigation

  • What is Green Building?
  • Goals + Guidelines
    • — Site Design and Planning
    • — Material and Product Selection
    • — Construction and Demolition Waste Management
    • — Energy and Atmosphere
    • –Water Management
    • — Indoor Environment
  • History
    • — Overview
    • — Timeline
  • Pricing
    • — Apartments
    • — Condos
  • LEED
  • Case Studies
    • — Forest House Apartments
    • — The Visionaire
  • Government Involvement
    • — Beneficial Policies
    • — Building codes
    • — Detriments: Zoning Laws

• Search

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• Reference

  • 1. NYC Department of Sanitation
  • 2. Green Home NYC
  • 3. NYC Rent Guidelines Board
  • 4. Issues in Green Building and the Federal Response
  • 5. White Paper on Sustainability
  • 6. Environmental Protection Agency

• About this Project

  

  This project aims to inform and educate about green building in New York City. We introduce the formal definition of a green building and the goals and guidelines set forth by The Bureau of of Waste Prevention, Reuse, and Recycling of the NYC Department of Sanitation. LEED is also discussed as it is the foremost authority on rating green building effectiveness.

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  In order to attain a greater understanding of the topic at hand, we conducted case studies of two drastically different green buildings within New York City: The Visionaire and The Forest House Apartments. Each shows a contrasting side of green building pricing, but are prime examples of innovative green design.
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  The project also encompasses the government's role in green building. Its policies, building codes, zoning laws and tax breaks have helped shape green building, for better and for worse. We assert that in order for green building to continue to rise, the government must take an active role in encouraging its implementation.