HPD’s rehabilitation of 1347 Bristow St. is a complete renovation of an existing affordable housing apartment building in the Bronx, the culmination of a four-year and $3.5 million collaboration. HPD”s Division of Architects, Construction and Engineers (DACE), as the lead architect, developed the scope of work for the building in cooperation with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), who financed the incremental cost of sustainable items including LEED certification, and the Community Environmental Center, the commissioning agent and LEED Accredited Professional.  The ambitious vision for this project was to create an affordable building incorporating the best green technologies and energy efficiency measures into an existing community, thereby preserving the established relationship between a building and its visual and cultural surroundings while maximizing the building’s positive impact. Innovative technologies such as condensing boilers, bi-level lighting, and a green roof were employed in conjunction with superior construction strategies to create for residents a building that is healthier, more affordable, more comfortable, and more environmentally sound.

1347 Bristow is a 21,350 square foot, five-story building consisting of 23 residential units and a small ground-floor commercial space. Of the original building, only the exterior brick walls and structural elements are left. The project is currently on-track to achieve a LEED Silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. During the design stage, CEC aimed to significantly exceed the minimum State Energy Code requirements in a cost-effective manner, raising the bar for urban green building rehabs. The 1347 Bristow project is a resounding success, a model project that will transform our concept of the possibilities of affordable housing. A truly green building is one that enhances the community and integrates high standards of personal and environmental health seamlessly.

Due to the neglect of the previous landlord, the City took ownership of the building and the 1347 Bristow Tenants Association joined HPD’s Tenant Interim Lease program (TIL) in 2000. In November of 2007 the newly renovated building opened its doors once again. During a recent celebration the new residents ate, danced, and prayed together. Among the celebrants was Josie Rivera, the head of the Tenants Association and a smoker for 35 years. In its new incarnation, 1347 Bristow is a smoke-free building, and Ms. Rivera repeated at the party a fact she has repeated many times over the past few months: she has given up cigarettes in the spirit of her new home. This change exemplifies the most broadly-effective and inspiring aspect of 1347 Bristow. The residents can now experience firsthand the health and comfort benefits of environmentally-sound living. They clean their own air filters, use dual-flush toilets, and change their own CFL bulbs. They see that their new fixtures save them thirty percent on their water and sewage bills and that their new heating system saves money and heats more effectively, giving them control over their own thermostats at the same time. The day-to-day reality of their own role in sustainable living is a hands-on education that inspires individuals like Ms. Rivera to change other aspects of their lives for the better. The three generations living in the building know for themselves that the South Bronx is a sustainable neighborhood, and it’s a community in which they have a stake. They’re galvanized as a community and, in turn, inspire the other residents of the neighborhood, who inquire about the new building constantly and with enthusiasm.

Considering the degree to which buildings contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and the degree to which NYC is already built up, greening existing buildings such as 1347 Bristow will be a critical short-term measure in reducing our GHG emissions.