Carmen Villegas & Casita Park Apartments
New York County
Evaluating Key Sustainability and Performance Goals
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Carmen Villegas (CVA) & Casita Park Apartments
101 E. 110th Street, New York, NY 10029
28 Stories
211 Affordable units
180,352 Total sq ft.
- Magnusson Architecture and Planning, PC
- New Construction & Adaptive Reuse
- Completion Year: 2028
- Total Project Cost: $180,000,000
- Total Project Cost per sq. ft: $998.05
- Demo Award: $1,000,000
- EDS Award: $250,000
- Phius CORE Certification
Key Scope Items Studied:
- Passive House design integration in new construction and adaptive reuse
- High-performance building envelope, prefabricated panels, and recladding design options in adaptive reuse
- Energy Recovery Ventilation analysis
- Ground Source Heat Pump analysis
- Building Integrated Photovoltaic panel feasibility in new construction
- Embodied and operation carbon evaluation
- International Living Future Institute Certification feasibility
- Disadvantaged Community Location
- NYS DEC Potential Environmental Justice Area Location
Project Description
The Carmen Villegas Apartments & Casita Park Apartments project, designed by Magnusson Architecture & Planning, PC, is a transformative development located on Park Avenue between 110th and 111th Streets (Tito Puente Way) within a designated disadvantaged community in New York City. Ascendant Neighborhood Development, Urban Builders Collaborative, and Xylem Projects are collaborating on this project consisting of a 28-story new construction building (Carmen Villegas Apartments) and a 6-story retrofit (Casita). Together, the two buildings will offer 305 affordable, senior residential units, with 211 in the new building and 94 in the retrofit. The project is aiming for Passive House certification (Phius) for the new building, and studying the feasibility of Net Zero operational carbon and embodied carbon via the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon certification. Carbon neutrality will be achieved by an all-electric design using geothermal HVAC and domestic hot water systems, a photovoltaic (PV) roof and facade arrays. Community-focused spaces including the "Salsa Way" breezeway and a roof garden help to enhance occupant health and wellbeing, while prioritizing natural light and resilience against heat vulnerability and storms, to provide reliable comfort and safety.
Design Team Lead
Magnusson Architecture & Planning, PC (opens in new window)
Project Team
Developer: joint venture with Ascendant Neighborhood Development, Urban Builders Collaborative, and Xylem Projects
Early Design Support Project Scope
The Early Design Support studies for the Carmen Villegas Apartments & Casita Park Apartments project focus on evaluating key sustainability and performance goals. These include retrofitting the existing Casita Park building to electrify HVAC and DHW systems, and incorporate Passive House envelope standards. The feasibility of achieving Passive House certification for both buildings will be assessed, including an ERV return on investment calculation. Strategies to achieve Zero Carbon in operational and embodied carbon will be studied, including a review of the landscape of such certifications or standards, focusing on ILFI Zero Carbon Certification. Tools and calculators to support this research will become templates for future project feasibility studies. The viability of prefab exterior walls, comprehensive embodied carbon analysis through research, modeling and pricing, and adherence to ILFI standards will guide sustainable material choices. Active resilience measures like PV and BIPV systems, battery storage, and flooding points of rescue will be considered, alongside the feasibility of geothermal systems for full electrification and energy efficiency.
The Buildings of Excellence Early Design Support Program
Buildings of Excellence Early Design Support (EDS) Partners are qualified design firms that are elevating new design approaches for a zero emission future in New York’s multifamily buildings that prioritize occupant health, safety, and comfort. Partners are eligible to receive up to $1.50/square foot in direct funding per project, up to a cap of $150,000 per project, to complete carbon neutral research, modeling, early-stage applications for third party standards, economic analyses, integrated project delivery meetings, and more robust marketing and promotion plans to disseminate information out to the market.
Become an Early Design Support Partner