CTASLA AND CTGBC NEW YORK CITY SUSTAINABILITY TOUR

"East side, west side all around the town" was the theme for twenty five members of the CT Chapter ASLA and the Connecticut Green Building Council (CTGBC) who ventured into lower Manhattan to see the latest examples of sustainable development: 1) the Solaire, the award winning and only example of a LEED, Gold certified residential apartment building in the country located in Battery Park City on the Hudson River, and 2) Stuyvesant Cove Park, a stretch of new park located on the east side between the FDR and the East River.

This was the second event to be hosted by both the CTASLA and CTGBC. Last year, they both sponsored "Let Nature Do the Work", a conference on low impact development and innovative techniques in stormwater management. Almost equal numbers from both organizations attended the NYC tour.

Solaire apartment has solar panels (blue) as part of the building facade		The CTGBC/CTALA tour views the front of the Solaire

Battery Park City (BPC) is a 90-acre planned community with approximately 34 acres of open space, parks of various types and a total population of 80,000 inhabitants. It is a mix of housing, restaurants, supermarkets, movie theaters, and other commercial establishments. The land upon which it stands was reclaimed from the Hudson River using 1.2 billion cubic yards of dirt and rocks excavated during the construction of the World Trade Center. The Solaire is the first of eight towers to be constructed in BPC and stands as a model of future multifamily residential development in NYC. It attained a LEED Gold rating and includes a green roof and a green roof garden (there are roofs on two levels in the design) which help to insulate the building. The Solaire also features a black water recycling system that treats 100% of the building's waste water for reuse as irrigation, toilet flushing, and in the cooling tower. Some other sustainable elements include building integrated photovoltaics; materials with recycled content; a high-efficiency heating, venting, and air conditioning system; and floor to ceiling windows with a low-E coating which offer natural sunlight throughout the day. The low-E coated windows help to keep apartments cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. The Solaire is designed to be 35% more energy-efficient than current code requirements.

View across the Hudson River (Jersey City) from the roof of the Solaire		Aerial view of the roof garden at the Solaire

BPC is committed to green practices in the landscape as well. The parks, maintained by the BPC Conservancy, are cared for without the use of pesticides or synthetic or inorganic fertilizers. The parks are heavily used and the corresponding maintenance is designed into the project from the outset. Proper soil mixes are the life of turf areas and planting beds. The preferred mix for planting beds is a mixture of five to seven parts coarse sand and one part loamy sand plus 10 to 15 percent by volume organic matter. Lawn areas have less organic matter at 5 to 6 percent by volume. The base soil texture formula for both lawn and planting beds maintains a lean 3 to 5 percent combined clay and silt content before the organic matter is added. Compost teas are used to treat specific challenges throughout the park.

Aerial view of Teardrop Park being constructed directly behind the Solaire		Touring an apartment unit at the Solaire

BPC is a wonderful example of mixed use development. It's a great place to observe how people use urban open spaces, the types of plantings that can thrive in such environments, and home to great sites such as the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. One can easily spend a day touring the parks and gardens of BPC. For more information on the landscapes maintenance practices in BPC, see "Battery Park City's Invisible Landscape" by James Urban, FASLA, February issue of Landscape Architecture magazine and a follow-up article in the March issue. Also see www.batteryparkcity.org/guidelines.htm.

Tour of Stuyvesant Cove Park on east side of Manhattan		Bike Lane at Stuyvesant Cove park

The second part of the tour was at the new Stuyvesant Cove Park on the east side (at E. 23rd St. and Ave C). The park is constructed on a linear stretch of reclaimed waterfront on the East River and bounded by the FDR Drive. The park is a neighborhood retreat and maintained by the Stuyvesant Cove Park Association. The park is a series of serpentine paths and planting beds with views across the East River to Brooklyn. The designer's goal was to introduce the organic lines of a flowing river unbounded by man-made elements such as a bulkhead (which still bounds the park along the river.) The park also contains a small temporary environmental center with solar collectors. For more information on this park, see the article "East Side Story" in the August 2003 issue of Landscape Architecture magazine. See also www.stuyvesantcove.org.

Both organizations hope to sponsor more tours of sustainable development, especially in Connecticut. If you have ideas for a tour, please contact Frank Gagliardo.

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