CEC’s energy engineers performed building energy simulations and provided advice on energy efficiency measures.  CEC’s green building team is providing full LEED support services, including comprehensive consulting on materials and product selection, waste management, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and commissioning.

In addition, CEC provided support to the project team and owners in navigating NYS energy efficiency requirements.  CEC is working with Goshow Architect’s dedicated team to develop the required documentation and to provide construction oversight to ensure that the LEED goals for the project are met and that NYS requirements are satisfied.

CEC’s study came up with the following list of technical measures:

• Replace the existing inefficient hot water boiler and domestic water heaters with an integrated array of two or three condensing boilers and small storage tank-heat exchangers to simultaneously supply hydronic space heating and DHW.
• Install an Energy Management System, EMS, to control the boilers according to indoor temperature.
• Replace the existing single pane windows with aluminum framed, double pane, thermal broken, argon filled low-E windows.
• Install weather strip in entrance, exit and bulkhead doors.
• Upgrade the T-12 fluorescent fixtures located in the basement and upper floor hallways of the convent to electronically ballasted super T-8 fluorescent lighting; and upgrade the existing incandescent bulbs of the convent rooms to more efficient CFL bulbs.

CEC’s team of energy engineers performed building energy simulations and recommended various measures to reduce the building’s energy consumption, including a ground source heat pump system, occupancy-based controls for HVAC and lighting, and energy recovery ventilation. CEC’s team of green building experts helped the design team meet the project’s green design goals and guided them through the LEED checklist and certification process.

As of the end of 2009, CEC is working with the design team to develop the LEED documentation for the project and is preparing LEED Letter Templates and other documentation for a number of LEED credits.

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.