In space-clogged New York City, developers can often only dream about constructing light-filled, energy-efficient buildings that benefit from natural “solar orientation.”
That’s because the challenge is great: The street grid usually dictates how apartment buildings and office towers are positioned. In many cases, taller buildings cast wide shadows on their shorter neighbors and, depending on their appearance, may also spoil the views.
However, there is at least one building attempting to maximize solar orientation to enhance energy usage. And solar energy could get more attention here in the future: Mayor Bloomberg’s recent proposal to place windmills on the city’s skyscrapers was met with some scorn by engineers, who pointed out that New York City was really “a solar city” and that solar panels are far easier to install here and more cost efficient than wind turbines.
Marketers promoting the L Haus condominium project under construction in Long Island City say the building is being designed to take advantage of its solar orientation to enhance the energy efficiency of the apartments and create sunny interiors.
The condo is located in a section of Long Island City that offered the Stahl Organization a unique development site. It’s on an entire city block, flanked by the Long Island Expressway and the Pulaski Bridge; the surrounding buildings are mostly rowhouses and other low-rise structures that are not tall enough to block the views from inside the condos.
Many of the 122 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at the L Haus (named for its shape) will have southern exposures. The project is not being marketed as a green building — instead marketers are touting its high-end interior features and generous outdoor amenities. A landscaped, 10,000-square-foot yard will include a rolling lawn with a stone path, a water feature, lounges, tables and a grill. In addition, a roof terrace will provide views of the Manhattan skyline.
The condos, which will range in price from $500,000 to over $1.5 million, are expected to be completed early next year.
“Long Island City is one of the last frontiers for something like this,” said Melina Starr, a director at Prudential Douglas Elliman, noting local restrictions on the height of buildings have kept high-rises from proliferating in certain sections of Long Island City. “There are not a lot of parcels like this.”
The orientation to the sun gives L Haus an advantage in terms of energy efficiency. In many parts of the city, architects designing green buildings must rely on gadgets like photovoltaic panels on rooftops and sun-shading devices to promote energy efficiency indoors.
Solar positioning is an option more commonly used in the suburbs or out in the country.
“We don’t have the luxury of shaping buildings to respond to solar conditions,” said Bruce Fowle of FXFowle Architects, which designed the New York Times Building. “You can’t change the position of a building.”
The New York Times Building features an exterior screen of ceramic tubes running around all sides of the building, which is located on Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st streets. The screen lets sunlight enter the glass tower at the full height of the windows, but reduces solar gain entering the newspaper’s headquarters by 30 percent, Fowle said.
A dimming system automatically lowers interior lights when natural light reaches a certain level indoors.