Originally a heavily industrial section of Brooklyn, Williamsburg eventually became largely residential. A haven for immigrants, it’s now home to a variety of well-established ethnic communities. During the 1980s and 1990s, the area’s affordable rents and sizeable spaces also began to draw artists fleeing Manhattan’s high-priced real estate, and in the late 1990s, the area housed performance and rehearsal spaces for a thriving avant-garde arts community.

As real estate in Brooklyn became increasingly expensive -- and Williamsburg in particular grew increasingly popular --  rents sky-rocketed, forcing some artists to close their studios and move out of the neighborhood.  

In 2003, area developers responded to three major issues:  affordable, permanent space for the arts threatened to become scarce; the burgeoning condominium market had produced mostly unattractive buildings that reflected minimal investment in architecture; and new construction was wasteful of natural resources and energy.  

Their solution was to undertake a modestly scaled project to sustain the arts in Williamsburg by financing below-market arts space through the sale of market-rate residential condominiums; create a building of quality design and robust architecture that would endure over time; and make the building environmentally sensitive and energy efficient.  

The developers created Greenbelt, a five-story, mixed-used green building containing eight one- and two-bedroom condominiums as well as 4,000 square feet of performance and rehearsal space on the first floor. Ultimately, Greenbelt was designed to achieve sustainability by being sensitive to the intertwining natural, cultural and built environments. It is Brooklyn’s first building to achieve a LEED-NC Gold certification.

Greenbelt is located in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, a densely developed neighborhood of New York City, just across the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan. In 2003, the developers began looking for a site to create a permanent space for the arts in Williamsburg that would also meet their criteria for sustainability. When they purchased the project site, which was 44 feet wide and 100 feet deep, it contained a one-story warehouse, which covered the entire lot. The developers decided to add bulk to that existing building to avoid disturbing or reducing open green spaces. Ultimately Greenbelt reused 50 percent of the pre-existing structure, thus reusing materials that otherwise would have ended up in landfill. The building is constructed to the lot line on all sides.

Moving forward, the developers scaled and proportioned Greenbelt to the surrounding buildings and also fashioned a design that dialogues with the materials of the pre-existing built environment. By using metal panels and aluminum storefronts, for instance, Greenbelt relates to the neighborhood’s industrial and commercial materials and at the same time reinterprets and elevates them to create an aesthetically cohesive, patterned whole.

The steel products used in the construction were selected for their high-recycled content: The blended rate is about 70 percent recycled materials. Concrete products use fly ash and/or furnace slag, which are by-products of steel production. This leads to a 15 percent recycled content of the cement mix and reduces the negative impact of the environmentally problematic portion of concrete production. All the wallboards consist of nearly 100 percent recycled gypsum.

Benjamin Moore Eco Spec paint was used throughout Greenbelt because it is a low-odor, low-VOC, water-based, 100 percent acrylic latex paint and has been certified under the GREENGUARD standard for low-emitting products. All caulks, sealants, adhesives, grouts, and compounds were also low-VOC, according to the standard established by California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Energy efficiency technologies exist throughout the building. Rooftop solar panels produce 5 kilowatts of power and offset the cost of supplying electricity to the building’s common areas; ultra-high-efficiency boilers and air conditioners reduce the amount of energy used; an energy recovery ventilation system uses the temperature of exhausted indoor air to precondition incoming fresh air; high R-value insulation and low-E coated windows and doors create a thermal barrier, which reduces building heat-gain and loss; ENERGY STAR roofing cools the building and lessens the urban heat island effect; ENERGY STAR appliances save energy, water and money; energy-efficient elevators neither require a machine room nor do they use air conditioning to cool equipment, thus saving space, materials and energy; occupancy sensors and dimmers reduce unnecessary electricity use in unoccupied areas; and clean electricity is purchased through Community Energy, an organization that supports investment in sustainable power sources.  

As a mixed-use building, where one-third of the space is commercial arts space and two-thirds is residential, Greenbelt had to be designed with attention to various kinds of occupants: performers, arts administrators, audiences and residents. In addition, the developers understood that Greenbelt would be a small, self-managed condominium and, consequently, systems and appliances needed to be easy to use and inexpensive to maintain. Very importantly, Greenbelt was designed to promote better health in all its occupants, by providing superior indoor air quality, sound isolation and user comfort with, and controllability of, systems. Greenbelt provides green choices to its occupants, such as bicycle parking and in-house pick-up from Wearable Collections, a citywide recycler of used clothing.

The spaces within Greenbelt are adaptable and follow open-plan designs. To promote connection to the natural world outside, the residential units provide large glazing areas of high-visible-transmittance glass and operable windows. Every unit also has a dedicated outdoor space, from 50 to 500 square feet, accessible by two large sliding doors. When the doors are open, there is seamless continuity between indoor and outdoor spaces because the floors on both sides of the doorway meet at the same level.

Greenbelt’s developers worked closely with local artists John Jasperse and Jonah Bokaer to establish the Center for Performance Research (CPR), a new entity that is a dedicated space for performances, rehearsals, exhibitions, storage, equipment rental, and administration. Every stage of the design was undertaken in consultation with these artists to ensure that the space remained flexible and met the needs of artistic programs. There are two studios: a 41 by 45 foot space, which is column-free and suitable for rehearsals and performances; and a smaller 15 by 40 feet space for rehearsals and classes. There is also on-site office space and two ADA-compliant restrooms.

There were challenges to building green. For almost two years, from 2004 to 2006, the developers could not find a bank willing to finance the project. Insurance companies sought a premium for green building, unaware that green building does not present greater risks. The selected contractor routinely ignored green design measures and failed to fulfill required actions for LEED documentation.

These challenges were overcome with great difficulty and additional costs. Finally, the developers found a small regional bank that did not add a risk premium for green building. Still, the developers had to use lower-rated, higher-cost insurance. In addition, the developers had to bid the job twice with many different contractors, none of whom had experience with LEED, and the developers also had to stop work and payment at times to force corrections to the work, which delayed the project for almost a year. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s New Construction Multi-Family Program and Solar Program contributed monies to reduce the cost of the LEED consulting and the commissioning.

In summation, every aspect of Greenbelt’s design was undertaken with the intention of making a positive impact on the environment, the community and the building’s occupants. Greenbelt has been recognized by Keyspan/National Grid with a Green Cinderella Award for energy-efficient design; the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce with the Building Brooklyn Award for best mixed-use design; and the American Institute of Architects Center for Architecture as an exemplary project that incorporates mixed uses and programs. And in 2010, Greenbelt received LEED-NC status, making it not only the first Brooklyn building to achieve that rating but also the first low-rise building in New York State to receive LEED Gold.

Sidebar: Greenbelt

Size: 14,000 Square Feet

Location: 361 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y., in the Williamsburg/Greenpoint section of Brooklyn.

Completed: December 2008

Project team:

Developer: Derek Denckla, Propeller Group, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Architect/Developer:  Gregory Merryweather LLC, New York, N.Y.

Consulting Engineers: Buro Happold, MEP

Energy and LEED Consultant: Community Environmental Center, Long Island City, N.Y.

Manufacturers:

Washing machine/dryer: LG

Refrigerator: Jenn-Air

Dishwasher: Jenn-Air

Lighting: Various: Legion Lighting, Stonco, MP Lighting, Cooper, Progress

Bi-level lighting: Lamar Lighting

Kitchen flooring: Forbo Marmoleum

Kitchen counters: Richlite

Interior paint: Benjamin Moore Eco Spec

Toilets: Caroma

Plumbing fixtures: Kohler, Grohe

Elevator: KONE

Food waste disposers: InSinkErator

Decking: FSC Certified Ipe from F.D. Sterritt

Split-System Air Conditioners: Trane

Condensing Boiler: Aerco

Insulation: Johns Manville and Thermafiber

Windows: Kawneer and Crystal

Roofing: Sika Sarnafil

Doors: Manhattan Door

Exterior metal cladding: Flexospan