Livingston Apartments II Wins NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Award
Livingston Apartments Phase II in Albany, NY was recently selected as a winner in round four of New York State’s Buildings of Excellence Competition for the design of a net-zero multifamily building. This competition supports Governor Kathy Hochul’s nation-leading climate goals outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which place New York state on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality and mandates an 85 % reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
“With the support of NYSERDA’s Building of Excellence funding, Livingston Apartments Phase II will be designed and built to the highest-quality sustainability standards and provide healthy and resilient housing for future generations to come,” said Project Manager Natalie Seagriff, AIA.
WinnCompanies Livingston Apartments II, an addition to a historic school previously repurposed into an apartment community, will add much-needed affordable and supportive housing to serve formerly homeless veterans. Soldier On, a non-profit organization committed to ending veteran homelessness, will provide mental health counseling and support services.
Dedicated to creating a sustainable community, the project team’s Net Zero design aims for Phius 2021 certification along with Energy Star, DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes, and EPA Indoor AirPlus programs. Using advanced techniques like continuous insulation, triple pane windows, and ground-source heat pumps, the building will be ultra-low carbon and energy-efficient. The all-electric building will also feature a central CO2 based air to water domestic hot water heat pump system.
The Buildings of Excellence Competition, launched in March 2019, is a $58 million initiative that has awarded 65 exemplary multifamily new construction demonstration projects to date. The design team has been awarded $1 million in Early Design Support funding enhance capabilities to design toward carbon neutral standards. 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 multifamily buildings. The Competition is administered by NYSERDA with the support of an advisory council comprising 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. For a complete list of the winning projects statewide, please visit NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence website at: www.nyserda.ny.gov/boe.
Livingston Apartments II was selected under Round Four for its carbon neutral performance, profitability, ability to be adopted broadly, and for creating a healthy and safe living environment.
“New York continues to lead the way in delivering clean, safe and affordable housing developments,” Governor Hochul said. “The projects awarded today add to a statewide portfolio that is providing a critical blueprint for building owners to follow in shrinking their carbon footprint.”
Read the Governor’s announcement here: https://bit.ly/3JbRkme
