Designs for Red Hook Green, New York City�s first sustainable, zero-energy, live/work building is scheduled to break ground in February 2010.

Rendering courtesy of Garrison Architects

The design of Red Hook Green is inspired by shipping containers and is made up of modular units that are stacked and shifted to create a variety of terraces and angles.

Red Hook Green is the brain-child of New York technology and media entrepreneur, Jay Amato and is expected to become one of the most distinctive architectural additions to the up-and-coming Red Hook section of Brooklyn. The 4,000-sq-ft Red Hook Green will be able to meet all of its energy needs from low-cost, locally available, non-polluting, renewable sources such as solar or wind power while responding to a complex program that incorporates a studio/workshop, offices for a digital business, garages and an apartment, as well as outdoor green space.

“Red Hook Green will be a powerful answer to the question of what urban centers can do to reduce our dependency on foreign oil via renewable resources and to significantly reduce greenhouse-gas emissions,” said Amato.

Garrison Architects of DUMBO, Brooklyn is overseeing the design of Red Hook Green which is inspired by shipping containers, an integral part of the Red Hook landscape that is largely defined by its active working port and is made up of modular units that are stacked and shifted to create a variety of terraces and angles.

“Jay Amato’s Red Hook project draws from several promising trajectories-abstract modernism, modular construction, and zero energy consumption,” said James Garrison, Principal in Charge of Garrison Architects. “And by combining state of the art approaches to all three in one structure, we have moved the potential for affordable, ecologically sound, urban dwellings several steps forward.”

The sustainability approach of Red Hook Green was developed through an extensive research project that included digital energy modeling, detailed life cycle cost analysis of construction components and their related maintenance and replacement costs. Some of Red Hook Green’s simple and cost effective strategies used to conserve and produce energy, conserve resources, and create a healthful environment include an 8-kw annual photovoltaic generating capacity, grid connected; an 8-kw annual comprehensive household energy budget including heating and air conditioning; a high performance building envelope that eliminates thermal bridging and achieves an average thermal resistance of R50; wall and roof systems vented to eliminate moisture build up and use smart moisture barriers to allow air movement in warm months; an integrated south facing thermal solar wall to generate warm air that is fed to the building ventilation system;  heating and cooling provided by efficiency electric heat pumps and a whole house heat exchange ventilation system insuring air quality and recovering energy from conditioned air.

The project is expected to be completed by the summer 2010.