Mayor’s office of environmental coordination releases inaugural Leading Green Public Projects report

New York, NY The mayor’s office of environmental coordination released the inaugural Leading Green Public Projects report, recognizing five public projects completed in fiscal year 2024 that have exceeded the city’s minimum green building standards, demonstrating design excellence and innovation.

The projects featured in the report exemplify New York City’s ongoing leadership in green building and its deep commitment to achieving design excellence, innovation, and environmental performance across its capital portfolio through the Capital Green Building Program. For the past 20 years the city’s capital building projects have been leading the way in the ever-evolving field of sustainable design and construction, repeatedly demonstrating that ambitious environmental design standards can be achieved efficiently and cost-effectively with the combination of excellent project management, an integrative and collaborative design approach, and smart, strategic innovation.

The featured projects demonstrate how the city’s capital agencies continuously work together to meet the needs of all New Yorkers for quality affordable housing, healthy schools and workplaces, inclusive cultural and recreational spaces, and resilient public service facilities. These leading projects are just a sample of how the entire Capital portfolio subject to the city’s green building standards contributes significantly toward meeting the city’s PlaNYC goals of decarbonization, climate resilience, improved quality of life, and a strong green economy.

“Our office is extraordinarily proud to present this inaugural Leading Green Public Projects Report celebrating these exemplary projects, all of which demonstrate the city’s deep commitment to design excellence, innovation, and collaboration in providing New Yorkers with quality housing, schools, workplaces, cultural and recreational spaces, and critical service facilities,” said Hilary Semel, director and general counsel of the mayor’s office of environmental coordination. “And each year the City’s newly completed capital green projects renew the call to action for the private development sector to help create a truly sustainable, resilient and regenerative New York City for all.”

“There are so many reasons to be incredibly proud of the stunning new Far Rockaway Library, the centerpiece of Rockaway’s renaissance after Superstorm Sandy. One of them is how resiliency and sustainability were viewed as equally critical as the books and study spaces it houses throughout the construction process,” said Queens Borough president Donovan Richards Jr. “As the Leading Green Public Projects Report lays out, climate change becomes even more of an existential threat to our communities with each day, and we must fundamentally change the way this city builds in response. I look forward to working with all our city partners on further centering resiliency and sustainability in everything we create, as we work to keep New Yorkers in all five boroughs safe.”

“As we prepare our city for the realities of our climate crisis, we must integrate sustainability into every stage of project design and delivery,” said deputy mayor for operations Julia Kerson. “The minimum is simply not enough, and these projects exemplify the commitment to innovation that will underscore our green future.”

“Green building design is a major consideration in our Public Buildings projects and it’s an investment that never fails to pay off, not just for the environment but also with major cost savings every year the building is in use,” said NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) acting commissioner Eduardo del Valle. “Earlier this year we completed the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn, which is only the third building in New York City to ever achieve LEED V4 Platinum status. We are very honored that the Far Rockaway Library is a key feature of the new report and thank MOEC for this recognition.”

“At DCAS, we remain committed to investing in energy efficiency and decarbonization, and we’re honored to see our effort at FIT recognized in this report,” said DCAS commissioner Yume Kitasei. “We will continue to build on this progress, and advance projects that deliver greater resilience, efficiency, and long-term value for New Yorkers.”

“Being recognized in the City’s inaugural Leading Green Public Projects Report is a proud moment for the School Construction Authority and a testament to our commitment to delivering sustainable, resilient, and high-quality learning environments for New York City students. P.S. 47 exemplifies how thoughtful design and strong collaboration can produce a school that not only meets the needs of its community, but also exceeds the city’s green building standards. From its resilient features to its environmentally conscious design, this project reflects our ongoing mission to build schools that advance New York City’s climate and sustainability goals. We are grateful to the mayor’s office of environmental coordination and our partners across City government who make this work possible and look forward to continuing to lead in sustainable school construction.” said Nina Kubota, SCA president and CEO

“The Leading Green Public Projects Report highlights the importance of utilizing green building standards, and elevates the projects that are helping make New York City more affordable, inclusive, and environmentally resilient,” said NYCEDC interim president and CEO Jeanny Pak. “NYCEDC is proud to have delivered the L10 Arts and Culture Center, a 50,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art destination for arts, creativity, and culture in Downtown Brooklyn. Designed to meet rigorous sustainability benchmarks and achieve a LEED Gold rating, L10 is a first-of-its-kind cultural space—bringing together community, performance, and creative expression under one roof—and we’re honored that it will serve as a case study in this report.”

“This report showcases how New York City continues to raise the bar on sustainable design,” said Urban Green Council incoming CEO Chris Halfnight. “We’re proud to have helped shape the City’s green building laws, and we applaud the incredible team working to make the City’s capital portfolio a boon for New Yorkers and a model for cities everywhere.”

“As New Yorkers, we are so fortunate to live in a city that invests in sustainable, resilient, and elegant buildings. With this report’s sampling of projects, the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Coordination demonstrates that sustainability is achievable and replicable, and that NYC is leading the way by investing in our shared Essential Architecture of schools, libraries, institutions, and affordable housing. Dattner Architects is honored to be included in this body of work.” said John Woelfling, FAIA LEED AP CPHT, partner, Dattner Architects

“While the design of L10 integrated innovative strategies to reduce energy, minimize construction waste, and promote occupant wellness – its most impactful sustainable approach is how it brings together four of NYC’s greatest cultural institutions, to create an eco-system of shared resources, synergistic programming and equitable access that will become a model for building social, cultural, financial and environmental resiliency in the future.” said Andrea Steele, AIA, Andrea Steele Architecture.

“It is an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to champion these NYC public projects where Design Excellence and Sustainable goals are held to such high standards. Clearly, the body of work in this report represents NYC agencies and the mayor’s office of environmental coordination’s commitment to sustainable, quality design, now and well into the future.” said Ray Everett, AIA, partner, Purcell | Everett Architects.