When FXCollaborative had the opportunity to design both the interior fit-out of our new office in Downtown Brooklyn and the base building—the 34-story One Willoughby Square—the firm knew that this was a chance to take a truly comprehensive approach to sustainability and wellness. The resulting office is not only an example of premier workspace design but is also the first LEED Platinum v4 ID+C in New York City and the highest scoring LEED v4 ID+C CI in the country.
FXCollaborative’s strong knowledge of sustainability allowed us to push our interior fit out to LEED Platinum. Unique and innovative features include: • Solar shading devices, which are rare on NYC office buildings. These devices support occupant comfort and control glare while allowing for views and daylight. • Pandemic-responsive design with the ability to enhance ventilation rates using high level of air filtration with MERV-14 air filters, UV light treatment of coils in air handling units, and all low-VOC emission materials to ensure healthy indoor air quality. • Enhanced enclosure components beyond code requirements help the building save energy and maintain internal comfort. Thermally isolated balconies, rainscreen attachments, and solar shading devices, minimize cold bridges. The balcony doors are noteworthy with Passive House level thermal and air tightness performance. • Extensive materials research for the FXCollaborative office space led to the reuse of many existing items including furniture, shelving, and task lighting.
New items were selected to include high recycled content materials and a high number of products with Environmental Product Declarations and Health Product Declarations to make our office as healthy as possible. Collaboration was critical to this project. We held goal setting sessions in which we described possibilities for sustainability and ensured all potential measures were considered. Our mission was to embed the sustainable design strategies into base design as much as possible. Our design is not only beautiful and occupant friendly – but also healthy and sustainable.
The firm leadership’s target for our office was LEED Gold−assuming Platinum was out of reach from a cost point of view. Through collaboration, our sustainability and design teams found practical inexpensive ways to achieve Platinum without significant additional cost. FXCollaborative sustainability experts carefully selected materials for their impact, comparing factors like global warming potential, material ingredients, source location, life span, durability, recyclability, and more. Learning more about the products and materials we use helps make us more responsible designers.
This skill also helps to inform quick decisions when products aren’t available and need to be switched out. As part of the LEED process, we undertook Air Quality Testing, a more stringent approach than normal that is very difficult to pass. Due to our diligence in specifying healthy materials and policing construction, our office passed the test on the first attempt.
Category:ArchitectureYear:2024Location: Brooklyn, New York, USAArchitects:FXCollaborative Architects LLP.Lead Architect:Dan PiselliDesign Team:Dan Kaplan, Brian Fanning, and Gustavo RodriguezGeneral Contractor: Gilbane Building CompanyClient:JEMB RealtyPhotographers:Chris Cooper and David Sundberg Esto