New York City developers have become increasingly competitive to gain accreditations based on environment-friendly standards like Passive House and LEED certification to distinguish their offerings. Recently, having your building become Zero Waste, defined by the U.S. Zero Waste Business Council as, “achieving over 90 percent diversion of waste from landfills, incinerators and the environment,” is rising in popularity. And there’s a good reason for that: Certified buildings won’t be generating the mountains of garbage that are the bane of NYC living. 565 Broome Soho, the condominium tower at the crossroads of Soho, Hudson Square and Tribeca currently under-construction, hopes to be Manhattan’s first Zero Waste-certified residential building.
The project has partnered with NYC-based consulting firm Think Zero to achieve the goal of producing as little waste as possible in an effort to maintain a low environmental footprint. The 30-story tower will be the first partnership with a luxury condo for the firm, which specializes in waste reduction and diversion planning.
The 115-unit tower, designed by the world-renowned office of Renzo Piano, is being developed by Bizzi & Partners Development (Bizzi), Aronov Development and Halpern Real Estate Ventures. Construction is expected to be completed in 2018.
“Our goal is to be at the forefront of sustainable living, as well as to help the city’s overall effort to achieve this,” said Alessandro Pallaoro, an executive at Bizzi.
For 565 Broome to become Zero Waste-certified, Bizzi is planning modest alterations to the construction of the building. Aside from discouraging plastic water bottles and paper towel use in common areas, Bizzi plans to construct “zero-waste rooms” to better facilitate separating recyclables and organics that can be composted or sent to mechanical stomachs, called digesters. They will also provide separate bins for electronics, as well as textiles that will be donated to local charities through a Department of Sanitation program called RefashionNYC. The developer plans to store all the garbage, recyclables and organics in sealed containers within a loading dock, ensuring there are no bags on the streets awaiting city collectors. In addition, Bizzi is searching for a green-friendly property manager to help oversee the initiative.
But the program’s success will ultimately center around creating a strong green culture among the buyers and the condo board. Think Zero hopes to identify future homeowners who are passionate about the environment and can lead the building’s Zero Waste efforts.
565 Broome has currently reached a dozen floors above street level and has passed its primary setback. The unique bifurcated design of rounded corners and full-height glass walls optimizes views of the surrounding city. The building’s curtain walls of low-iron insulated glass represent an attempt to provide a greater degree of UV protection and energy efficiency when compared to other glass facades.
“Setting Zero Waste goals and implementing a Zero Waste program in a large luxury building involves a lot of upfront work and the cooperation of all stakeholders in the building, but the benefits are huge,” said Think Zero founding partner of Sarah Currie-Halpern.
To learn more about 565 Broome Soho, visit www.cityrealty.com.
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