One neighborhood in NYC that has had quite a transformation over the past two decades is Harlem in Upper Manhattan. With new investment in the area there have been interesting new restaurants, bars and stores that have captivated peoples attention. The Perch Harlem is a new apartment building located at 542 West 153rd Street in the historic Hamilton Heights area.
The Perch Harlem has 34 residences across 7 stories and was completed in 2017 having been built to Passive House Standards and was the first in New York City to do so. Passive House Criteria focuses on energy efficiency within individual dwellings such as apartment complexes, condos and individual homes. According to Passive House International the Passive House Standard “stands for quality, comfort, and energy efficiency.” This standard helps occupants to have lower energy bills and overall impact on the planet.
Some of the criteria to meet the Passive House Criteria are:
Demand for space heating must not exceed 15kWh or 10W (peak demand) per square meter of usable living space.
Demand for space cooling must roughly match the heat demand with an additional, climate- dependent allowance for dehumidification.
Primary energy demand must not exceed 120kWh annually for all domestic applications per square meter of usable living space.
Airtightness must have a max of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals press.
Thermal comfort must be met for all living areas year- round with not more than 10% of the hours in any given year over 25 degrees celsius.
The aim of this standard to to make conventional heating and cooling systems obsolete while achieving a comfortable temperature for occupants year round. With Local Law 97 in New York City this building is using the Passive House standard to not only comply with regulations but also allows tenants to be at the cutting edge of building technology. The large windows the building utilizes natural sunlight to aid in energy efficiency and lighting which is incredibly helpful with NYC apartments.
According to Architect Magazine there is a mix of apartments ranging from studios coming at a price point around $2,600 and 3- bedroom units coming in around $4,600 with penthouses at $5,300 which is on par with New York City Rent. Chris Benedict was the architect on the project and one of the most interesting parts of the facade of the building is the arrangement of the glass squares alongside rectangular shapes that stands out from the traditional brownstones and traditional windows of the surrounding buildings.
Some of the buildings amenities include a private gym, rooftop terrace, storage space, and bicycle storage. Another way in which The Perch invested in the sustainability of the building was using “Terralon, a PVC- free product made with a polyester/natural fiber technology containing 31% recycled materials” according to Architect Magazine. The investment in having physical building products have recycled material in them is beneficial to the buildings themselves and further decrease the overall carbon footprint on the planet.