News
RAISE THE ROOF
August 8, 2011
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| Morris Adjmi Architects founder Morris Adjmi (whom we snapped in his East 20th Street offices last week) tells us every single project his firm is working on has a sustainable component. And it’s not just LEED or Energy Star. New standards are coming, like Europe’s Passive House for residential (think super-tight envelopes, triple-glazed windows, HEPA filters, and heavy duty insulation that cuts energy use up to 90%). MA is using Passive House standards for a new multifamily project on the Upper West Side. |
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| Recently, MA completed two sustainable buildings for NYU School of Law: Wilf Hall (pictured, right off of Washington Square Park), a new six-story building, and 22 Washington Square North, a landmarked townhouse built in the 1830s. Wilf Hall (being considered for LEED Platinum) has a green roof, two planted terraces, and lots of natural lighting. An opening was cut out of the existing roof at 22 Washington Square North (recently certified LEED Silver) for an interior courtyard with a green wall system, which brings natural light and greenery down to each floor. And in final stages: the MA-designed 450 W 14th St, aka the High Line Building. The 15-story office tower (going for LEED Gold) is the only building to share key structural elements with the High Line park. |
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| Here's Wilf's roof: clients actually want to see the color, hence the popularity of the green roofs and walls seen at the NYU buildings, Morris tells us. Other popular client requests: low-flow fixtures,bicycle storage and showers, and recycled elements (wooden beams reclaimed from the Wilf Hall site, for instance, were turned into tables). In the pipeline: a newly approved office (potentially 45k SF) at 837 Washington St, but it’s still too early for design details. Mean time, Morris is taking his love of all things sustainable to his Connecticut farmhouse, where he just got 16 chickens for fresh eggs to go with veggies from his organic garden. (We presume the chicken coop is LEED certified.) |
