Four MAP Projects Win NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence Competition
Four Magnusson Architecture and Planning Projects Among The winners of New York State’s Buildings of Excellence Competition
The Rise rendering—Brooklyn, NY. Buildings of Excellence Award and Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award Winner.
The awarded buildings exemplify MAP’s commitment to high standards for design, health and sustainability in affordable housing
New York, NY (March 22, 2021)—Four Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) projects are among the 14 winners of the second round of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA’s) Buildings of Excellence competition. Three of the MAP developments also received the added recognition of a Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award from the Architectural League of New York. This competition supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s nation-leading climate goals outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which place New York State on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality and mandates an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
MAP’s four winners – Dekalb Commons, Linden Boulevard Phase III, Cooper Park Commons Building Two, and The Rise are the firm’s latest achievements in a decades-long commitment to exceptional design and performance in affordable housing.
NYSERDA Acting President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “Magnusson Architecture and Planning’s winning Buildings of Excellence projects demonstrate an overwhelming commitment to reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions while providing comfortable and healthy living spaces for occupants as they partner with us to achieve the State’s goal for economy-wide carbon neutrality. We congratulate their team, who were also Round One awardees, for also receiving the Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award for three of their projects, and are excited to see these structures come to life.”
MAP Principal, Fernando Villa, FAIA, LEED AP BD+C said, “We’re so honored by these Buildings of Excellence Awards and thrilled with the added recognition of three Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Awards! MAP has always been committed to the idea that affordable housing design should be quality housing design. It’s how we meet our clients’ missions and do more for people and their communities.”
MAP Associate Principal and Director of Sustainability Sara Bayer, AIA, CPHC, LEED AP said, “This is our chance to make essential change on emissions. The technologies are here, the expertise is here and increasingly, so is the will. NYSERDA's partnership is proof. It elevates quantified sustainability efforts at a critical moment, and together we are really upping the ante on architecture that performs in a way that owners and funders can rely on. It’s an example for the entire residential sector and puts healthy, affordable housing at the forefront of our collective future.”
Dekalb Commons rendering—Brooklyn, NY. Buildings of Excellence Award and Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award Winner.
Dekalb Commons
Located in the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, Dekalb Commons will be Passive House certified and incorporate the most replicable, attractive, and effective strategies for near net zero operational energy, on-site energy generation, embodied carbon reduction measures, decarbonization and full electrification, actionable management tools, healthy living and resiliency. The 85-unit development with twin buildings across Dekalb Avenue will offer a unique opportunity for data collection and comparison. Nonprofit developers St. Nicks Alliance and Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation have also committed to sharing that information, in order to help others produce the next generation of truly sustainable communities.
Linden Boulevard Phase III rendering—Brooklyn, NY. Buildings of Excellence Award Winner.
Linden Boulevard Phase III
Linden Boulevard Phase III is the third and final phase in a three-building affordable housing development in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. The building, by Radson Development with services by The Bridge, will provide tenants safe, comfortable housing with access to community services. The project team is uniquely situated to learn from the design and early construction of Phases I and II, the latter a Buildings of Excellence winner in Round 1. Each building has progressed in expected performance and energy efficiency strategies and Phase III will be the most efficient, sustainable, resilient, and high performing of the three.
With highly efficient, electric heating, cooling, ventilation, and domestic hot water systems Linden Boulevard Phase III will be a fully electric building and operations will not contribute any on-site greenhouse gas emissions. The electrification of buildings coupled with increased energy efficiency and the continued scaling up of renewable energy efforts across the state all combine to decarbonize buildings in New York.
Cooper Park Commons building 2 rendering. Buildings of Excellence Award and Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award Winner.
Cooper Park Commons Building 2
This 18-story, 100 percent affordable housing is part of a multi-building development by Hudson Companies and St. Nicks Alliance on the former Greenpoint Hospital site in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The 311-unit building has been designed with associate architect Architecture Outfit and energy consultant Steven Winter Associates.
In an effort to minimize the carbon emissions of the building, the design team is committed to achieving LEED for Homes v4 Gold and Passive House International certifications. As a result of this focus on sustainable design, Building two will achieve energy cost savings over a typical new-construction affordable housing development, and will also provide enhanced indoor air quality, comfort, health, and resiliency for the tenant community. The project team is committed to pursuing these design features in a cost-efficient manner and maximizing the operating expense savings they yield. The project will utilize a broad array of funding sources available for mixed-use developments, creating a financially replicable model for sustainable, community-driven campus-style affordable housing developments.
The Rise rendering—Brooklyn, NY, aerial view. Buildings of Excellence Award and Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence Award Winner.
The Rise
The Rise is a 72-unit fully electric, mixed-use building with supportive and affordable housing for justice-involved families. The development, by Xenolith Partners, CPC and the Brownsville Partnership, and services through the Women’s Prison Association and the Osborn Association will be Passive House certified and meet Enterprise Green Communities standards. As part of the Governor’s Vital Brooklyn Initiative, it will offer cost-effective solutions that reduce energy consumption, improve health, and build resilience in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Featuring state of the art heat pump water heaters for domestic hot water, VRF heat pumps for heating and cooling, energy recovery ventilators, solar PV system for on-site energy generation, rooftop gardens, and green roofs and walls, The Rise will promote sustainable living and help the industry advance towards a low carbon future.
With this round of Buildings of Excellence honors MAP now has a total of seven such awards, as three of the firm’s projects were recognized in the first round of the program.
ABOUT THE BUILDINGS OF EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Buildings of Excellence Competition, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), was launched in March 2019 and has awarded over $31 million to 42 exemplary new construction projects through two rounds. It is the only competition of its kind, with the awarded projects becoming part of a comprehensive data collection effort that will help determine how to cost-effectively deliver superior performing buildings that will serve as an essential building block of a carbon-neutral future and advance the design and construction of multi-family buildings.
The Buildings of Excellence competition is administered by NYSERDA with the support of an advisory council comprised of a cross-section of experts from the design, real estate and sustainability sectors with partners including American Institute of Architects New York State, ASHRAE and The Real Estate Board of New York.
ABOUT MAP
For over three decades, Magnusson Architecture and Planning (MAP) has worked with non-profit groups, municipalities, and for-profit developers to produce award-winning housing and neighborhood revitalization projects at the forefront of quality design and sustainability. MAP offers comprehensive architectural and planning services, and specializes in affordable, supportive, senior and workforce housing, as well as buildings with a range of affordability including market-rate or integrated supportive units. MAP’s expertise extends to community-based planning and urban design, resident-in-place renovations, mixed-use development and sustainable design for Passive House, LEED, NYSERDA, Energy Star, and Enterprise Green Communities certification.