Battery Park City’s Visionaire receives Platinum LEED certification: The
Visionaire, the Albanese Organization’s latest green residential
development in Battery Park City, has received Platinum LEED
certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the only
LEED Platinum condominium on the East Coast. The 35-story, 247-unit
building was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and construction
was completed last fall. It features a rooftop garden that harvests
rainwater for irrigation of the garden, a central heating and cooling
system powered by natural gas, and solar panels which harvest a portion
of the building’s electric output. TRD [more]

New York City has fewer LEED-certified buildings than other cities, according to a study published today by New York City-based think tank Center for an Urban Future. New York City has 41 completed buildings with LEED ratings, fewer than Chicago, with 70 LEED buildings, Portland, with 63, Seattle, with 55, and Washington DC, with 47. The city has 455 projects that have applied for LEED certification, so the total number of certified buildings in the city may increase in the next several years, but some may never be completed due to the financial downturn, the report said. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been an advocate of environmentally-friendly development. New York City is still ahead of several other big cities, including Boston, which has 33 LEED certified buildings, and Los Angeles, which has 32. Of the New York City boroughs, Manhattan has the largest number of LEED certified buildings, with 31. TRD [more]

 Village Green rendering

New building to be first LEED Gold in East Village: A new residential building rising at 311 East 11th Street plans to be
the first edifice in the East Village to earn a LEED Gold rating.
Developers Michael and Izak Namer’s new condo, called Village Green, will have one- and
two-bedroom apartments and penthouses ranging from 730 to 2,000 square
feet. Prices range from $730,000 to $1.5 million. Occupancy is expected
in 2010. The Namers are supporting wind power to generate energy and
are installing water-conserving fixtures throughout the building, which
will also have a green roof to provide natural insulation. TRD
[more]