206 Bergen Street. Brooklyn, New York.
This project is a total gut renovation to a 2,900 sq. ft., 1860s era brownstone row house. Due to settlement and extensive structural damage, only the front facade and party walls could be retained; everything else is new construction. The design features a modern, open plan behind a historically accurate restored brownstone facade. The plan is configured as a single family home, but can be converted to a two family in the future. The design incorporates a number of green features, including:
- Cellulose insulation and carefully sealed envelope to minimize heat loss. A blower door test confirms infiltration rates below .25 ach.
- High efficiency Baxi condensation boiler and radiant floor heating.
- No air conditioning; passive cooling only.
- Evacuated tube solar hot water system providing an estimated to 70% of the building’s annual hot water consumption. The Baxi boiler provides instantanious back up water heating.
- A heat recovery ventilator to provide fresh air.
- Rainwater harvesting with an 800 gallon cistern for site irrigation.
- Extensive use of recycled and low life cycle-impact finishes and materials.
Energy modeling indicates that this design should lead to energy consumption 38% less than a design that met the requirements of the New York State Energy Code. This should avoid production of 1.8 tons Lbs of CO2 and save $1,136 per year in energy costs.
