Bright ’n Green is a new six-story residential building developed by Robert Scarano and designed by a team from Scarano Architects led by Yuriy Menzak, located on a pedestrian-only lane in the Brighton Beach neighborhood in Brooklyn. The building is one of the very few projects to receive all three certifications (LEED, Net Zero, and Passive House) in New York City. The entire building’s power is fully produced in-house, using solar panels and wind turbines; the building is “net positive”, meaning that it produces a surplus of energy, which can be returned back to the grid. The building earned EPA and OER certifications and has received the prestigious Green Site Award from the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation, National Green Building Standard™ Green Certified at the Emerald level, and 4 out of 4 of the Green Building Initiative’s Green Globes Certification. In addition, Bright ‘n Green is a candidate for both European and American Passive House certifications.”
The structural system consists of composite lightweight concrete on metal deck floors supported by steel beams and columns. Due to the proximity to the shore, the building was designed to comply with FEMA flood regulations and to withstand high wind pressures. A separate exterior steel structure was designed to support the solar panel and wind turbine system with minimal penetrations through the exterior shell of the building. Cristian Vimer was in charge of the structural design, in collaboration with Alex Marin of Marin Consulting Engineering. An interview with both engineers is featured here.
The commercial / retail components are located on the cellar, first and second floors, supporting a hotel building flanked by the ten story residential tower above
