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New York

Park Slope renovation attempts a “net zero” building

Developer Voltaic Solaire is attempting an unusual $1 million renovation that will convert an inefficient Park Slope prewar into a “net zero” building, one that is neutral to the city’s electric grid, the New York Times reported. The building, located at 367 Fifth Avenue, will be covered in solar skin and panels, use LED lighting and be completely insulated. Voltaic Solaire is so confident that it can make the 7,000-square-foot building self-sustaining it is bundling utilities with rents.

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This isn’t the first super-green renovation to hit Brooklyn. As The Real Deal reported previously, developer Brendan Aguayo is building a so-called “passive house” in Prospect Heights, but the Park Slope project will be the first to try and create all the energy it consumes. The key, according to the developer is not simply slapping up solar panels, it takes attention to every detail of the rehabilitation. “You don’t have a lot of contractors with experience in super-low-energy housing,” said Russell Unger, Urban Green Council’s executive director. “People understand insulation, but they don’t understand air sealing.”

Upon completion the building will contain six rental units, costing $1,600 a month for a studio and $2,600 for a two-bedroom. [NYT]