Rosenblum Development Corporation is very proud to share that we have been selected as a winner of the Buildings of Excellence Competition, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), for the development of a net-zero emitting multifamily building. This competition supports Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s nation-leading climate goals outlined in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which place New York state on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality and mandates an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Rosenblum’s winning project, a new five-story market-rate multifamily building will maximize onsite solar PV and Passive House design to achieve net-zero energy use, superior comfort, and resiliency for future climate hurdles. Building 150 will be constructed at the company’s Great Oaks Office Park on underutilized landscape and parking areas, transforming the property itself into a mixed-use neighborhood, or “Eco Park,” with multiple, complementary services. Tenants at the three existing office buildings will be able to utilize new amenities offered at Building 150 like a fitness center, indoor bicycle storage, and elevated courtyard. In turn, residents of Building 150 will have onsite access to traditional office space as well as Hone Coworks, a flexible workplace Rosenblum opened in September 2020. All Great Oaks Eco Park tenants will enjoy access to the park’s groomed trail, picnic areas, immediate mass transit, and walkability to shopping, dining and other conveniences. By combining high-performance, net-zero energy construction with the conversion of a single-use property into a live-work campus, Building 150 and the Great Oak Eco Park can serve as a model for integrated lower carbon, infill development.

The Building 150 project team combines expertise delivering certified Passive House and related high-performance design with large-firm production capabilities and market-rate multifamily experience. Re:Vision Architecture, the design lead and Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), is a B-Corp certified, deep green architecture and sustainability consulting practice based in Philadelphia, PA. BartonPartners, a multi-disciplinary design firm headquartered in Norristown, PA, with a special focus on residential and commercial/mixed use projects, is the architect of record. The Levy Partnership, located in New York City, will provide verification as the NYSERDA Primary Energy Consultant (PEC). Aries Power, an Albany-area distributed generation development company that has worked with Rosenblum Development on all of its solar installations to date, is the Solar PV Project Manager.

“Sustainability is a core value of Rosenblum Development and Building 150 at the Great Oaks Eco Park represents a significant step towards our goal of achieving net-zero-carbon for every project we undertake within 10 years,” said Jeff Mirel, Principal at Rosenblum Development Corp. “Through the support of the Buildings of Excellence competition and close collaboration with NYSERDA and New York State, we look forward to openly sharing useful information about this project that generates demand and serves as a template for similar climate forward developments.”

The Buildings of Excellence Competition was launched in March 2019 and has awarded over $31 million to over three dozen exemplary new construction projects. It is the only competition of its kind, with the awarded projects becoming part of a comprehensive data collection effort that will help determine how to cost-effectively deliver superior performing buildings that will serve as an essential building block of a carbon-neutral future and advance the design and construction of multi-family buildings. Building 150 at the Great Oaks Eco Parkwas selected under Round 2 for its low carbon performance, profitability, ability to be adopted broadly, and for creating a healthy and safe living environment.

The Buildings of Excellence competition is managed by NYSERDA with the support of an advisory council comprised of a cross-section of experts from the design, real estate and sustainability sectors with partners including American Institute of Architects New York State, ASHRAE and The Real Estate Board of New York.

NYSERDA Acting President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “The Building 150 project is a tremendous example of how buildings can achieve net-zero status while offering tenants a host of on-site amenities by combining state-of-the-art envelope design and onsite, clean, renewable energy. We applaud Rosenblum Development Corporation on being named a Buildings of Excellence award winner and thank them for their commitment to providing a clean energy economy for the benefit of communities across the state.”

This project will also provide comprehensive data on design, construction and cost that can be analyzed and shared to increase the number of low- to zero-carbon buildings in New York State.

We’re in great company here in the Capital Region – congratulations to fellow Buildings of Excellence winners, South End Development LLC and Bruns Realty Group, LLC!

For a complete list of the 42 winning projects statewide, please visit NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence website at Nyserda.ny.gov/boe

Read more about Building 150 and other winning Capital Region projects here:

• “Local apartment designs for net-zero energy consumption win awards”, Albany Times Union, 3/12/21
• “Three Capital Region projects to receive awards as ‘Buildings of Excellence’”, WTEN News 10 – 3/12/21
• “The $1 million grant that’s critical for Rosenblum’s next apartment complex”, Albany Business Review – 3/16/21
• “Planned apartment complex gets a $1M state award for sustainability”, CBS6 Albany – 3/20/21