BPC tenants seeing green.

This month tenants began moving into the world's first environmentally responsible residential high-rise, The Solaire building, forging Battery Park City's green future.

The Solaire building, now home to more than 30 New York City families, is also the first new residential construction downtown since 9/11. In January 2000, the Battery Park City Authority passed an ordinance requiting all buildings in Battery Park City meet "green" building requirements. This ordinance came about through a vision shared by Gov. George Pataki and Tim Carey, president of the BPCA.

"What we were trying to do was create a better standard of building by creating guidelines," Carey said. "People seem to be lining up to come in."

Indeed with 60% of the building leased before the doors opened has significant meaning, he said.

"I think it makes a statement for the whole world," Carey said. "Better buildings can be built and should be built. I think the building codes should reflect the technology of today."

The 27-floor, 293-unit, 380,000-SF structure cost $120 million to build. Making it environmentally sustainable added about $40 a SF, said Christopher Albanese, executive vice president of the Albanese Organization Inc, the project's developer.

"We did a lot of research," Albanese said. "There was a big learning curve. It is built with all tested technology. We were the first to put altogether in one building, a green residential tower. It benefits the environment and benefits the consumer."

Located at 20 River Terrace, The Solaire has been environmentally engineered to consume 35% less energy, reduce peak demand for electricity by 65%, require 5 0% less potable water, provide its residents with healthier indoor air quality and offer substantially more natural light than typical residential buildings.

"The ability to live in a building that promotes good health at every level of design, construction and maintenance is already proving to be a powerful attraction for New Yorkers," said Albanese. "The coupling of an environmentally astute structure with a full complement of residential amenities is an ideal package."

Although the technology h as been used in other structures such as low-rise buildings and commercial office buildings, the industry didn't warm up to the idea of building environmentally sustainable buildings until recently. The reason, say some experts--cost.

"Green is our future," said Lenore Janis, president of Professional Women in Construction. "The community is now demanding it and the cost factor is no longer a deterrent. It is becoming more apparent that sustainable buildings can be brought in at budget."

Consumer demand and technological research has also been a factor in the green building market,' said Christine Ervin, president and CEO of U .S. Green Building Council.

"Our increased understanding of the environmental, economic and health benefits available to owners and occupants of green buildings is helping drive the use of sustainable design practices, strategies and technologies in projects of all types," Ervin said. "Green technologies continue evolving rapidly, leading to both improved cost effectiveness of green development strategies and increased acceptance of green building concepts in mainstream projects."

More than 900 buildings nationwide, including The Solaire Building, have registered for certification for from the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, which is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance sustainable buildings.

Sixty buildings have already been certified by the USGBC.

The five components to be a certified green are: energy efficiency, indoor air quality, use of recycled materials, water conservation and operations and maintenance. However, certification is not required to get state or federal tax credits.

Currently a number of state and local jurisdictions are offering incentives to encourage green building practices in the private sector. Some examples include tax credits, fast-tracked permitting and density bonuses for green developments, Ervin said.

In 2001, New York was the first state to offer tax credits for green buildings. The Albanese Organization has applied for the credits for its The Solaire Building project.

Environmental features of The Solaire building are: photovoltaic cells integrated within the exterior walls capable of generating five percent of the building's base electric load; filtered fresh air supply and programmable thermostats in each residence; an air conditioning system fueled by natural g as and free of ozone depleting refrigerants; on-site black water system to supply the HVAC cooling tower and eliminate the use of potable water for the building's flush system; storm water catchment system to irrigate the rooftop garden; a complete building management and monitoring system to control and monitor air quality and energy performance; the use of building materials free of formaldehyde and containing low or no VOC's and high recycled content, or manufactured with renewable or rapidly renewable resources.

Along with healthy living features residents will also enjoy more natural sunlight with floor to ceiling windows in most apartments, which also allows for spectacular views of the Hudson River and surrounding parks. Additional features include a health club, custom wood cabinets, slate flooring and washer and dryers or hookups in each unit.

The building's dedication to energy efficiency, air quality, water conservation and the preservation of natural resources has brought it world acclaim as a model for urban sustainable development. The project recently earned the Albanese Organization an Environmental Business Leadership Award from Earth Day New York and the Natural Resources Defense.

The rents are comparable with most luxury apartments starting at $2,400 for a studio and $6,000 for a 3- bedroom, 3-bath apartment.

Green buildings will be the focus of a Professional Woman in Construction developer's forum, Sept. 18, entitled "The Future is Here, Building a Greener New York."