Certification Guidance for NYC’s First Sustainable Affordable Housing Project

Challenge

Designing a highly efficient and sustainable building with tight budgetary constraints for an Affordable Housing project in Manhattan.

Approach

• The Lee is a new state-of-the-art, 99,000 SF facility on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. It houses 263 residents, including adults with special needs and vulnerable young adults coming out of foster care.
• Altanova provided rigorous analysis and design team support during the multi-year design process, identifying innovative features such as air-to-air exhaust recovery, gearless elevators, smart occupant controls and high-efficiency lighting.

Results

• The Lee is the first LEED Silver affordable housing project in Manhattan and was a winner of the 2006 NYC Green Building Design Competition.