Rolf Grimsted and Emily Fisher of R & E Brooklyn are community sensitive real estate developers located in Boerum Hill. At the Anatomy presentation, they focused on 93 Nevins, their project which began with an abandoned shell in 2005.
93 Nevins, a brick 1920’s structure, was originally a pharmacy. It saw a few incarnations over the years, slowly becoming more and more run down until 1980 when a fire pretty much totaled it. The city had it slated for demolition until Rolf and Emily rescued it.
At first there was some question as to whether or not this was a tear down. However, they soon realized it wouldn’t be very eco friendly of them to not save the beautiful original brick. So, they salvaged the structure and set out to create the greenest building in NYC.
Upon completion, 93 Nevins will be officially certified by the American Lung Association as a Health House. The first of it’s kind in NYC. The building will consist of 2 LEED certified townhouses, each approximately 2500 square feet.
A few interesting points brought up by the couple during their talk:
As community sensitive developers, they wanted to take into consideration the effect the building will have on neighboring properties. They were careful not to block light or be intrusive in any way towards nearby properties. Especially since this is their neighborhood!
A Geothermal heating system was looked into, but they decided against it as a) it was cost prohibitive and b) the amount of electricity needed to generate the pumps didn’t make sense in a green renovation. They instead chose a hybrid system using solar and hot water.
Radiant floor heaters were used in place of radiators or forced air for aesthetic purposes as well as air quality issues. The water temperature for the Warmboards only need be 80-85 degrees.
The homes will be up for sale once the project is completed. There are already interested parties. The price will be “your average brownstone in the area, plus”.
Architect
Contractor
Building Supplier
Natural Home
