World’s tallest passive house breaks ground on Roosevelt Island

The high-rise will also be the world’s largest

A rendering of the Cornell Tech campus, the building site and David Kramer
A rendering of the Cornell Tech campus, the building site and David Kramer

A tower that will eventually be the tallest passive high-rise in the world has broken ground on Roosevelt Island.

Part of the new 12-acre campus for Cornell Tech, the tower will also be the largest in the world at 270,000 square feet when it is completed in 2017, David Kramer, a principal with Hudson Companies, told the New York Times. Hudson Companies is co-developing the building with Cornell and Related.

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The 270-foot tower will contain 350 residential units and its energy consumption will be 60 percent to 70 percent lower than typical high-rises.

It “is a clear signal that in today’s era of climate change, it’s not enough to simply build tallest. To lead the market, your tall building will need to be a passive house,” Ken Levenson, the president of NY Passive House, said. [NYT]Christopher Cameron