A Zero-Energy Building Grows in Brooklyn
by Van Sias, SHELTER POP, January 1, 2001
The Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, with its funky industrial roots, is quickly becoming a hotbed of innovation. Case in point: A new development project along the waterfront here may set the gold standard in green living. When completed, Redhook Green will be New York City’s first "zero-energy" building.
"I lived in Cobble Hill from 2002 until 2005 and loved Brooklyn," says Jay Amato, CEO of PersonalScreen Media, who is the developer behind the project. "I used to ride around Red Hook and fell in love with the quiet streets, the beauty of the waterfront and that gritty New England feeling,"
Amato currently lives in Tribeca, a chic downtown neighborhood in Manhattan, but he’s recently tired of the traffic and congestion. He decided to return to Brooklyn and settle down in Red Hook. Alas, the plans for Redhook Green were born. It breaks ground in February.
The design of the building is inspired by the shipping containers stacked along the adjacent waterfront, according to Amato. The modular units in the structure are specifically arranged to create a range of terraces and overviews. Some of the other impressive green attributes: It’s expected to have wall and roof systems vented to eliminate moisture build-up, a south-facing solar wall that generates warm air, which is fed into the building ventilation system, and heating and cooling provided by high-efficiency electric heat pumps, among other features. [Read rest of article]