Green residential building is on Hudson waterfront

The lush trees and flower-filled waterfront won’t be the only green things in Battery Park City this spring; rising just 62 feet from the Hudson River is the nation’s first environmentally responsible high-rise residential building, the Solaire. Scheduled for completion in May, the structure may well represent the future of “green” living, both in Lower Manhattan and in other American cities.

The 27-story luxury residential tower at 20 River Terrace will feature 293 units averaging about 1,100 square feet in size. Engineered to be earth-friendly, the Solaire will consume 35 percent less energy and conserve 50 percent more water than traditional residential buildings. It will also provide high indoor air quality and an abundance of natural light.

“This building… is making history for New York and the nation,” said Timothy S. Carey, president and CEO of the Battery Park City Authority(BPCA).

The Solaire incorporates the latest "green" technologies

“We are honored to have been selected developer of a property that we believe will set the standard for responsible building across the nation,” said Russell Albanese, president of Albanese Development. “Twenty River Terrace will give to New York a building that not only contributes to the well-being of the environment, but also to the healthfulness of its residents.”

For its work on the Solaire, Albanese Development was selected by the board of Earth Day New York and the Natural Resources Defense Council to receive the 2003 Environmental Business Leadership Award. The two organizations called the Solaire “a shining symbol for the future of downtown;” and will present the award on April 21, when Earth Week kicks off at Grand Central Station.

“We are very pleased to be able to acknowledge the Albanese Development Corporation for [its] leadership in the real estate industry,” said Pamela Lippe, executive director of Earth Day New York. “Even faced with 9/11, they stayed the course and continued development of the Solaire without any cutbacks to its green features -- for that alone they deserve enormous recognition.”

Building will be ready two years after June 2001 groundbreaking

The building, which will open to residents this summer, was promoted by the U.S. Department of Energy at the Sustainable Building 2002 Conference in Oslo, Norway, as a global model for green multifamily design and construction.

One financial incentive to “build green” comes in the form of a state tax credit, enacted in January 2001 to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of environmentally sound buildings. And advocates suggest that green construction will save money for building operators in the long run.

“While the first cost of a green building is higher than the first cost of a conventional building, we intend to demonstrate to the construction world that such a cost will be offset by energy savings within a relatively short period of time,” said BPCA Chairman James F. Gill in his remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony in June 2001. “If the cost of building and operating a green building is relatively the same as building and operating a conventional building, why would anyone build a conventional building?”

Images courtesy of Albanese Development Corporation.