CHARLY KURZ
 
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Green Living in Battery Park City

 

Community Housing: The Solaire, New York

©2003 Charly Kurz/Lookat

The lush trees and flower-filled waterfront weren’t the only green things in Battery Park City in spring 2003; rising just 62 feet from the Hudson River is the nation’s first environmentally responsible high-rise residential building, the Solaire.

A good mixture of tenants are occupying this building. For most of them, the green aspect played an important role to move in. This and the fact that the nearby park provides a good playground for children may be the reason for the mostly young community. Nevertheless it is a very lifely mixture that inhabits the building. The oldest tenants at the moment, Hazel and Walter Mickelson, 85 and 78 years old, enjoy meeting the young families.
Patrick the beloved headconcierge makes sure that they offer extended service to their tenants. A big staff ist taking care - they had to be trained to maintain the new green technology – and are very helpful, even with such small things as hanging up pictures. Most tenants make use of the food delivery “Fresh Direct“ where they can order their groceries online or by phone. And the laundry service keeps most apartments free of washing machines and dryers.

The facts
The 27-story luxury residential tower in Manhattan is engineered to be earth-friendly. The Solaire will consume 35 percent less energy and conserve 50 percent more water than traditional residential buildings. It will also provide high indoor air qualitiy and an abundance of natural light. Among the Solaire’s resource – efficient features are sun-absorbing, or photovoltaic, cells that will generate five percent of the building’s electric load, fresh air and filtered water for every apartment, and storm and waste reclamation systems. The Solaire is the first new residential construction in Lower Manhattan since September 11.

Manhattan, New York. The Solaire - the first "Green Building" in the U.S. The mostly young community with children enjoy the Rockefeller Park at the Hudson River, infront of the building. New York, USA 2003
View Images: Green Living in Battery Park City