The Visionaire, designed to become the most sustainable residential high-rise in the country, has earned a 2009 Building Type Honor citation from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY). The awards recognize excellence and innovation in specialized design fields. The Battery Park City condominium is designed to achieve Platinum LEED certification, the highest level of recognition by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Visionaire, the third green Battery Park City development from The Albanese Organization and Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, offers the most innovative sustainable elements in a residential high-rise. The award will be conferred on April 22, Earth Day, and the ceremony, held at Cipriani at 55 Wall St., will highlight green design initiatives.
"It is an honor to have The Visionaire recognized," said Rafael Pelli, AIA, partner in Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.
The 35-story tower features a distinctive curved glass façade showcasing generous river views from all corners and two beautiful rooftop gardens. The distinguishing shapes of The Visionaire are site-specific responses to views, daylight and natural ventilation. The shape and height of the building create a strong physical presence along the southwestern edge of Lower Manhattan. The tower form is slimmer in profile and helps reduce shadows upon the surrounding urban environment. The most visually expressive contribution to the energy efficiency is the high-performance envelope - principally a terracotta rain-screen curtain wall, with reflective low-e insulated glass, and over 4,500 s/f of integrated photovoltaic solar paneling.
In addition to the building-integrated solar panels, The Visionaire includes a high-efficiency air filtration system and a water treatment system recycles water used throughout the building and provides make-up water for an HVAC system cooling tower. The Visionaire also gathers rainwater and stores 5,000 gallons of recycled water for irrigation of a rooftop garden, which provides an important layer of insulation for the building and helps to conserve energy.
The Visionaire is the third green residential project Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and The Albanese Organization have completed together. In 2003, The Solaire became the first green residential high-rise building in North America. That was followed by The Verdesian, which became the first residential high-rise in the United States to be awarded Platinum LEED certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. SLCE Architects served as architects of record for all three projects.
"Working with the innovative team at Pelli Clarke Pelli has been instrumental to accomplishing our goal to develop an exceptional living experience at The Visionaire," said Russell Albanese, president of The Albanese Organization. "The building combines innovative design with unprecedented green standards for filtered fresh air and water, energy efficiency and natural resource conservation." Â
All winning design and building type projects will be exhibited through images and project descriptions at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, New York. The exhibition opens on Thursday, April 23 and runs for two months.
"Through their impact on people's lives, all of the projects receiving awards incorporate innovation and accommodation to symbolize the importance of design," said AIANY president Sherida Paulsen, FAIA. "It is important that we draw attention to these significant projects that have such impact on our neighborhoods and cities."
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