Omni New York’s Park Avenue Green is currently the largest affordable housing building in North America certified by Passive House Institute US.
When Omni New York, a company focused on the acquisition and rehabilitation of affordable rental properties, had the opportunity to build a new development, it decided to raise the bar on sustainability. Its first new construction project was Morris I Apartments on a site next to the firm’s Maria Lopez Plaza acquisition/rehab project in the Bronx. The 160-unit development was certified LEED Gold, a high standard for the firm and the industry, according to Abdulla Darrat, who was vice president of development of Omni and is now senior vice president at affiliate Renewal Construction Services.
The firm was even more aggressive when doing the second phase, Park Avenue Green, creating the largest affordable housing building in North America certified by Passive House Institute US.
“We wanted to push the envelope on sustainability,” Darrat says. “We are serious and capable of doing new construction and are producing a product at a high level.”
It was a team effort to build the 154-unit development. Omni partnered with Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, general contractor Monadnock Construction, and energy consultant Bright Power.
Read the full article on Affordable Housing Finance’s website.
