VectorWorks User Kiss + Cathcart Wins Three Awards in The Green Building Competition for New York City
Columbia, Maryland (July 24, 2006)—–– Nemetschek North America congratulates VectorWorks user Kiss + Cathcart for winning three out of eleven awards in The Green Building Competition for New York City. The Brooklyn firm won awards for its Stillwell Avenue terminal train shed and Common Ground Community Pitt Street residence, as well as an honorable mention for its Stuyvesant Cove Environmental Learning Center. The joint United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) competition recognized winners for overall excellence in the use of good design principles and the integration of green building technologies.
“The Stillwell project had very stringent maintenance requirements, which we were able to demonstrate how to meet using VectorWorks Architect,” says Principal Greg Kiss. “We created 3D diagrams to help the client visualize the roof and exploded isometrics in 3D using VectorWorks to demonstrate how the solar panels could be removed for maintenance. We relied heavily on 3D modeling to resolve many intricate geometrical conditions involving the intersection of solar glass, rain gutters, maintenance tracks, and so on. We also exported data from VectorWorks to other programs for electrical and day lighting simulations.”
Coney Island’s Stillwell Avenue terminal is the largest installation of its kind in the U.S., and the first of its kind in New York City. The 76,000 square foot glass and steel terminal is constructed using an innovative, panelized system of semi-transparent photovoltaic modules. The modules enclose the space and generative approximately 250,000 kilowatt hours per year of renewable energy. The train shed is a catalyst for the revitalization of Coney Island.
The Common Ground Community Pitt Street residence is a 12-story, new construction housing project that will set new benchmarks for sustainable social housing in America. Materials will be chosen based on their environmental impact, and materials will be salvaged from the existing building. Energy savings will be achieved through features such as a high quality thermal envelope and day lighting to a geothermal heating and cooling system and occupancy controls. Water saving fixtures will be used throughout, and a green roof will be installed.
Stuyvesant Cove Environmental Learning Center is a net zero energy designed building that will house an environmental education facility along the East River. It will produce all its own energy from its building-integrated photovoltaic roof.
Kiss + Cathcart is recognized as a world leader in combining solar-electric, or photovoltaic (PV), technology and architectural design. To view pictures of the award-winning projects, visit www.kisscathcart.com
Nemetschek North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of European software giant Nemetschek AG. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek N.A. has been developing CAD software for the AEC, entertainment, landscape design, and manufacturing fields since 1985. VectorWorks, its flagship product, is one of the world's best-selling cross-platform CAD applications. An all-in-one solution that's easier to learn and use and more cost-effective than most other CAD programs, VectorWorks is ideal for firms that don't have unlimited IT budgets. For more information, visit www.nemetschek.net.