Victoria Meyers : Invisible Buildings

New Urban Realities

Victoria Meyers architect is working on a new book that tracks hMa's works tracking the firm's contribution to conversations around Green Urbanism, Food Urbanism, and sustainable design practices, including Green Streets. 

Victoria Meyers working with hMa developed strategies to make the new North Neighborhood designed by the firm in Battery Park City into a demonstration project, with all buildings, streets, and parks designed to teh highest levels of green certification. 

North End Avenue, the main organizing street in the North Neighborhood, was designed as a Green Street, and features a new dog park, with Rogers Marvel on board as consultants for the design.  Green Streets are a specific designation, awarded to streets that meet green standards, including porous paving and planting to absorb rain water run-off, in order to divert rain water from storm sewers. 

The project includes Green Roofs on all buildings, including hMa's Ballfield Terrace, an occupiable Green Roof for their DWi-P, Digital Water i-Pavilion. 

Above:  the Hi-Line in New York City, next to a diagram for Food Urbanism

As cities around the world wake up to the new realities and challenges of the 21st century, including the need for water and energy management, New York City has been a leader in the development of sustainable Green Design Standards.  Battery Park City led the way in New York City, with their Green Standards for urban development publication in 2000.  Since that publication, and with the increase in Globalization, cities around the world have looked to Battery Park City, and New York City, as leaders in the changes to meet urban needs driven by forces including Global Warming, pollution, and the need for a more sustainable path for urban design.

The Irish Hunger Memorial, in hMa's BPC North Neighborhood, next to a map of Dublin:  Globolization

The Irish Hunger Memorial is a piece of the Irish countryside in New York City;  the new Dublin City Plan drew on concepts from the Battery Park City Green Guidelines.  Both projects are examples of the effects of Globalization on the dissemination of Green concepts.

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Battery Park City Master Plan - North Neighborhood design by hanrahan Meyers architects - + the Visonaire win Urban Land Institute Awards : Urban Waterfront Design

Victoria Meyers architect (hMa) is proud to announce that hMa's Battery Park City Master Plan project has won a Heritage Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute (ULI).  Since 1997 hMa have been the Master Plan Architects for Battery Park City's North Neighborhood.  In that capacity, the firm has been a Leader in applying Sustainable Design practices. One of the firm's achievements includes writing the Green Guidelines for the Solaire -  the world's first Green Residential high-rise Tower. 

The Irish Hunger Memorial, in BPC's North Neighborhood

In addition to hMa's Green Master Plan winning a coveted Heritage Award, Battery Park City's Visionaire was also honored with a 2010 Award for Excellence from the Urban Land Institute.  The Visionaire is a high-rise residential tower that received the top design Award from the ULI as 'America's Greenest Residential High-Rise Tower' -  one of only 10 buildings in the Americas -  and the only building to be recognized for Green Design in New York.  The Visionaire received the US Green Building Council's highest rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED Platinum). 

ULI Awards for Excellence define the standard for real estate development practice worldwide. In its 32nd year, the awards program is the centerpiece of ULI’s efforts to identify and promote best Green practices in all types of real estate development.

aerial view of North Neighborhood, Battery Park City Master Plan. Post: Victoria Meyers architect

In 1997 hMa was hired as the Master Plan Architect for Battery Park City Authority’s North Neighborhood, the most forward-thinking Green urban master plan in the United States. The North Neighborhood is the location of the first Green high-rise residential tower in the United States (Green Guidelines by hMa) and is the first Sustainably designed high-rise neighborhood in the world (Green Guidelines by hMa).  When the Master Plan is complete in 2012 it will include a total of 5 million square feet of sustainable buildings, an array of new technologies and operating practices and a unique integration with the spectacular natural features of New York's waterfront.

hanrahan Meyers Architects' configuration of the North Neighborhood buildings emphasizes the area's engagement with nature by creating an interweaving grid of outdoor spaces – including 4 major parks - with 11 residential and public buildings including Stuyvesant High School.  Individual buildings are designed to complete the urban blocks by aligning with lot lines up to the 11th and 14th floors, after which towers are placed up to the 25th and 32nd floors in a complex pattern of offsetting alignments to open up view corridors to the Hudson River, and bring light and air into the parks below.

Read more about the ULI Awards competition and view other award winners at http://www.uli.org.  Read more about hMa and their master plan designs by visiting our website:  www.hanrahanMeyers.com, and go to:  'Master Plans and Landscapes'. To see more of hMa's cutting edge Green Designs go to 'Green'.

   diagram : environmental standards for BPC Master Plan.

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