The Albanese Org. honored with Green Building Design award

Pioneer green real estate developer, The Albanese Organization, was honored last week with the Green Building Design award at the Eighth Annual Designing a Sustainable and Secure World Awards at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Battery Park City. "I am honored to receive this award on behalf of The Albanese Organization," said Russell Albanese, president of The Albanese Organization. "Our journey toward green development began almost eight years ago, and we have been blessed with the opportunity to meet and work with visionary leaders and organizations that have helped shape the focus of our company and the way we think about green design." The awards embody the environmental spirit and vision of Mikhail Gorbachev and Global Green USA. Created in 1994, the awards are meant to celebrate the success and courage of extraordinary individuals, companies and organizations that recognize the connection between humankind and nature. The Albanese Organization was honored for being a leader in sustainable development in New York City. The company pioneered green residential development in 2003 with the completion of the first green residential building in North America, The Solaire, which received Gold LEED rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Albanese Organization has since completed a second green residential tower, The Verdesian, and is currently developing its greenest residential project to date, The Visionaire. The projects, all located in Battery Park City, have helped create a market for green residential buildings. Designed by Pelli Clark Pelli Architects, The Visionaire has been designed and engineered to qualify for Platinum LEED rating and is scheduled for completion fall 2008. The Visionaire will provide residents with high-end finishes and amenities while offering innovative sustainable and energy-saving features such as a high-efficiency air filtration system that conditions, filters and supplies fresh air into each unit and a water treatment system that recycles water and provides make-up water for the HVAC system cooling tower. "For the first time, all of our honorees are leaders from the corporate world," said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA. "In a year when an unprecedented number of companies are deciding on going green, American companies should look to this year's award winners and the innovative results they have achieved through a balanced approach to sustainability which have also proven to be profitable."