The first major building to be added to the college in over 40 years, the Student Center forms the gateway to the core of the 100 acre campus.    Peter Gisolfi Associates designed spaces for interdisciplinary activity to accommodate performing arts, creative arts, student clubs, and fitness. Notable environmental features include generously daylit spaces and use of thermal mass, efficient HVAC, photovoltaic panels and superior indoor air quality.  New York State Energy Research & Development Authority co-funded Vidaris' work on energy efficiency, commissioning and LEED.

This new health care facility addresses the ongoing needs of children with serious ailments and disabilities.  The project includes patient rooms, family facilities, school classrooms, therapeutic facilities and administrative areas.  Vidaris performed LEED consulting, energy analyses and commissioning, in support of the design team (Perkins Eastman Architects and Jaros Baum & Bolles MEP).  The building has certain unusual features, including triple-pane low-e glass, highly-insulated walls, condensing boilers and heat recovery.  Vidaris' work was cofunded by the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority.

Eleven Times Square is an environmentally-responsible modern building, standing at 38 stories and 600 feet in height.

Key sustainable site features include a Stormwater Management Plan to control both the quantity and quality of stormwater and a landscape design that has been optimized to use no potable water for irrigation.  Also, expected internal water usage was reduced by over 30% through the specification of low consumption plumbing fixtures. The interior environmental quality of the spaces was enhanced by including large, floor-to-ceiling window modules resulting in interior views to the Hudson River, Times Square, and midtown Manhattan.  Also, low-emitting wall and floor finishes were utilized throughout, an Indoor Air Quality Plan was implemented throughout construction, and the O&M staff has been tasked to implement a Green Housekeeping and Integrated Pest Management Plan to limit occupant exposure to harmful chemicals.

The energy efficient features include spectrally-selective glazing, exterior shading devices (also for visual comfort), and a low u-factor for the envelope. The lighting design for the Core & Shell is efficient.  The HVAC system included modulation of outside air to tenant spaces according to CO2 content, and using a fan-wall design.  The boilers and the floor-by-floor DX units are efficient. The condenser water pumps have variable speed drives and the cooling tower has VSD and energy-saving controls.  These measures, among other contributors, resulted in a modeled energy cost savings of over 19% versus the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 reference design.

NYSERDA co-funded Viridian’s work in LEED-NC, LEED-CS, and LEED-CI.

Awards:                        

• 2011 -  Environmental Design + Construction Magazine’s Top Honors in the Commercial category,  Excellence in Design Awards.
• 2010 - New York Construction, Project of the Year – Office
• 2009 - Roger H. Corbetta Award for Quality Concrete
• 2008 - Perspective New York Magazine, Best Mixed-Use Development
• 2008 - Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR

Vidaris worked collaboratively with Cooper Carry Architects to apply the guidelines of the USGBC LEED rating system, the New York State DHCR Green Building Criteria, and NYSERDA’s MPP program to this 8-story, 49-unit affordable housing apartment complex.  Some of the sustainable features of the building include water conserving fixtures being used for a minimum of 30 percent savings, and use of low-emitting adhesives, sealants, carpeting, paint and composite wood.  Also developed was a tenant green educational program to inform the building residents on the sustainable building features, green maintenance practices, and techniques to save on energy costs. 

The project included many energy efficient features such as highly efficient roof construction and glazing, significantly decreased lighting power density in common areas and apartments and occupancy sensors in all common and back-of-house areas.  It also included reduced exterior lighting power density, Energy Star appliances, and a 90% efficient boiler serving the residential units.  Overall, the project was able to show over 21% modeled energy cost savings compared to the ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004 baseline.

Through an integrated design process, the building has incorporated sustainable features such as daylighting of open office and core areas, efficient HVAC systems zoned for thermal comfort based on building orientation, Energy Star compliant office equipment and appliances, sustainably harvested wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, low/no VOC building materials and low-emitting furniture systems. 

Vidaris also worked with Studios Architecture to obtain environmentally-considered furniture with both US and foreign sourcing – the latter raising special issues because it complied with different environmental standards than those referenced by LEED.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden has made sustainable development a  primary objective of their new Visitor Center.  The design draws visitors into the landscape, minimizes the building’s impact on the site and creates healthy work environments for BBG employees.  Weiss/Manfredi was contracted to lead this expansion with JBB as the MEP engineer, and with Vidaris providing energy modeling, LEED/green consulting and Enhanced MEP commissioning services. 

Vidaris assisted the project team in pursuing a number of sustainability measures including a 4” green roof system which reduces storm water runoff and the urban heat island effect, capturing and infiltrating 100% of the site storm water, reducing the potable annual water consumption by more than 35% through selection of low-flow fixtures and protecting indoor air quality through specification of low-emitting materials. 

Energy conserving strategies included utilizing envelope and high performance glazing assemblies, bermed-earth construction at building’s north side, high performance Ground Source Heat Pumps, and CO₂ sensors with demand control ventilation.

Awards:

2013 American Architecture Award

2013 International Architecture Award

The Diana Center is a 96,000-square-foot multi-use building that establishes a new center for artistic,  social, and intellectual life at the college. Vidaris has performed energy modeling, LEED/green consulting and commissioning.

Sustainable features include green space provided to compose of 36 percent of the site area and a 2,800 square foot green roof which reduces heat island effect and stormwater runoff.  Water-use reduction totaled 30 percent through the use of efficient plumbing fixtures and paved surfaces with high Solar Reflectance Index values to reduce heat island effect.  During construction, waste recycling exceeded 75 percent and numerous recycled and regional materials were incorporated into the design.  Low-emitting paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants have been used and a Construction Indoor Air Quality plan was instituted during construction.

The project incorporates energy efficiency measures to exceed the requirements of the ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, Appendix G, by approximately 14 percent.

Vidaris' consulting was cofounded by NYSERDA.