Sendero Verde is a new 100% affordable housing project in East Harlem in New York City. The project is Passive House certified, making it the largest Passive House residential building in the world, setting a global benchmark for sustainable urban development.
Sendero Verde comprises 709 residential units as well as extensive community space, retail space, and outdoor gardens. A school also operates in the space, as well as supportive programming operated by Union Settlement, which is one of the oldest settlement houses in New York City. Ground floor retail wraps the site.
The project is arranged around a central meandering landscaped path, which weaves through the project from Park Avenue to the western end of 111th Street and Madison Avenue. The massing is broken down into three separate volumes which frame this path, creating a central courtyard. This courtyard spills out onto different levels, creating opportunities for individual community gardens.
Sendero Verde exemplifies how sustainability and large-scale affordable housing can coexist, aligning with New York City’s climate goals and demonstrating the feasibility of sustainable practices in dense urban environments. By adhering to Passive House standards, the project minimizes energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions through above-code insulation, triple-glazed windows, and airtight façades. To minimize thermal transfers through the envelope, penetrations were thermally broken to the extent possible and wrapped in mineral wool insulation for several feet out from the facade. Cost effective thermal breaks like AAC blocks and structural thermal shims were used.
Ventilation and energy recovery systems further enhance efficiency while lowering utility costs for residents.
A high-efficiency condensing boiler is used for domestic hot water production. The rooftops include 574 photovoltaic panels, part of a 208.8 kW system that lowers dependence on city-supplied infrastructure. The project includes a 18,000 SF Publicly Accessible Courtyard Park and three NYC GreenThumb Community Gardens. Storm water recycling and reuse is used for irrigation in the courtyard and community gardens.
Beyond its important environmental achievements, Sendero Verde aims to provide a variety of opportunities and support services under one roof, working to break the cycle of poverty that disrupts so many people’s lives. This “Community of Opportunity” is woven throughout the project programming, with important support services housed within the building. Alongside the 709 affordable units, social services are provided by Union Settlement and Acacia Networks, while a K-5 school offers priority to residents in the building. A grant for formerly homeless residents includes a Resident Social Services Director, occupational therapists, art and dance classes, housing specialists, and 24-hour security. By blending sustainability with community-driven design, Sendero Verde reshapes what affordable housing can achieve, offering a model for equitable, resilient urban living.
Category:Green ArchitectureYear:2025Location: New York, New York, USAArchitects:Handel Architects LLP.Landscape Architects:AECOMDesign Team:Gary Handel, Blake Middleton, Deborah Moelis, Louis Koehl, Ryan Lobello, Alex Kim, Diana Erazo, Kentaro Tsuboi, Meari Kim, Richard Karsten, and Benjamin NovacinskiConsultants:Advanced Solar Power Inc.Client:Jonathan Rose Companies LLC., L+M Development Partners LLC., and Acacia NetworkPhotographers:Albert Vecerka/Esto
