by: AIA New York
The Buildings of Excellence competition, administered by The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), has awarded $18 million to 28 statewide projects under the competition’s first round, which recognizes and supports the design, construction, and operation of highly replicable and adoptable low-carbon emitting multifamily buildings. Round one winners, which include 18 projects located in New York City, were announced during an award ceremony at the Building Energy Exchange on October 29.
Launched in March 2019, the competition supports Governor Cuomo’s Green New Deal and New York State’s path to economy-wide carbon neutrality and brings the transition to carbon-neutral building stock into the spotlight. “New York State is leading the nation through purposeful and strategic action and these replicable award-winning projects are at the core of reducing our carbon footprint and propelling the transition to low-carbon structures in communities across the state,” Governor Cuomo said in his press release.
Sending a clear message that New York State is leading the charge for a cleaner, greener future, the first round of the competition received 53 proposals, a response so strong that NYSERDA added to its initial funding of $10 million with another $8 million to support the winners. Of that, $14 million was awarded to support the development of low- to moderate-income housing. The funding for Buildings of Excellence is part of the State’s 10-year, $5.3 billion, Clean Energy Fund.
“Public-private partnerships, such as those demonstrated through Buildings of Excellence, are helping to drive change across the state and are a key component of New York’s transition to carbon neutral buildings and a green economy,” said Alicia Barton, President and CEO, NYSERDA, in the press release.
Each awarded project has successfully demonstrated how it will achieve low-carbon performance, can be widely adopted, offers financial benefits for owners, and provides a comfortable, healthy and safe living environment for occupants. Additionally, the projects are tasked with capturing actual data associated with the design, construction, performance and cost attributes that can be leveraged to increase the number of low- to zero-carbon buildings in New York State.
Open through April 2020, the competition’s second round awards up to $10 million in funding across two categories: Early Design, with awards of up to $1,000,000, and Late Design, with awards of up to $750,000. Eligible projects must meet low- to zero-carbon energy performance criteria and be aesthetically pleasing, resilient, easily replicable, profitable, and comfortable for occupants. Projects must be located in one of the six electric investor-owned New York State utility company territories. See the proposal here.
The Buildings of Excellence competition is supported by an advisory council comprised of experts in the design, real-estate, and sustainability sectors. Program partners include the American Institute of Architects New York State (AIANYS); American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY); American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); Building Energy Exchange (Beex); Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); and Urban Green Council (UGC).
See the 28 winning projects awarded in round one on NYSERDA’s website here.