RUPCO, Inc.
RUPCO, Inc., was honored for its work on the Energy Square, a multifamily low-rise in Kingston, New York. The nonprofit focuses on creating housing for communities in upstate New York. In collaboration with the Center for Creative Education, RUPCO embarked on the development of Energy Square, a five-story, 75,471-square-foot building. This project created 57 net zero energy homes, with a combination of affordable housing and market-priced units, and it includes 11,000 square feet of commercial space.Colgate-Palmolive Company
Colgate-Palmolive Company was honored for its facility in Burlington, New Jersey, becoming the first site in the world to achieve LEED Zero certification in all four categories: carbon, energy, water, and waste. Since 2007, Colgate-Palmolive Company has been an active USGBC member and is committed to its LEED green building rating system, as well as its TRUE Zero Waste program. Currently, the company has achieved LEED certification for 19 of its sites around the world. LEED Zero certification is one manifestation of Colgate’s 2020 Sustainability Strategy, which mandates cutting in half the amount of manufacturing waste sent to landfills per ton of product, compared to 2010. As of the end of 2019, the company had already surpassed this goal, reducing waste-to-landfill by an estimated 53 percent.Citigroup
Citigroup was honored for its global headquarters in New York City — a 2.2-million-square-foot asset with LEED Platinum certification and the largest corporate certified office in 2020 on the East Coast. When Citigroup decided to renovate the headquarters in Tribeca, it had to combine two separate but adjacent buildings, a 39-story office tower, and a nine-story printing plant, into one structure. The renovated Citigroup headquarters features co-generation, smart lighting, improved air quality, and enhanced water conservation. Citigroup joined New York City’s Carbon Challenge, an initiative that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in New York City by 30 percent in 10 years.Stevens Institute of Technology Gateway Academic Center
Stevens Institute of Technology was honored for its LEED Gold Gateway Academic Center in Hoboken, New Jersey, for exceptional sustainability in design. The Gateway Academic Center is an 89,500-square-foot space comprising two buildings, South Hall and Gianforte Family Hall, connected by a glass sky bridge and encompassing 10 new smart classrooms, 13 labs, and 45 faculty offices. During renovation and construction, 79 percent of the debris was recycled. The building also uses 40 percent less water compared to the EPA’s baseline water fixture performance requirements. Earlier this year, Stevens Institute achieved a STARS Gold rating in recognition of its sustainability achievements from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.LG North America
LG North America was honored for its 360,000-square-foot LEED Platinum headquarters in New Jersey’s Palisades Park. The corporate campus includes two elongated buildings housing up to 1,000 employees in open-plan and executive offices. After three years of conservation groups’ opposition to the building’s planned 143-foot high building, LG North America negotiated a deal and major design change. The result is a building that is greater in length than in height, to preserve the vistas and integrity of Palisades Park. The building is served by a 1,500 megawatt-hour photovoltaic solar array and is surrounded by 1,500 trees. Five wetlands on the site have been restored and mitigated. Additionally, the developers created a substantial restoration habitat to make the building bird-friendly.New York-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center
New York-Presbyterian David H. Koch Center was honored for its oncology center, becoming the first project to earn certification under the LEED Healthcare rating system in New York City, and the first project in New York State to receive LEED Gold under the Healthcare rating system. While many hospitals provide radiation oncology services below ground, the David H. Koch Center provides radiation and oncology services on the light-filled fourth floor. A green roof covers 30 percent of the roof’s surface and can retain up to six inches of stormwater. The exterior facade, consisting of triple-paned, insulated glazing with an encapsulated wood screen, significantly reduces solar glare, heat gain, and the need for solar or privacy shading. The building is also resilient to extreme weather events or disruption of city power, with heating equipment, air handling units, emergency generators, and other key operational equipment located on higher floors, above potential flood levels.
