Willdan Group, Inc. announced that New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) selected Willdan through a technical engineering competition to provide innovative thermal load solutions for greenhouse gas emissions reduction at Tilden and Pink Houses. This $90 million design-build contract upgrades the heating and hot water infrastructure at multifamily housing facilities and introduces innovative electrification measures, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with NYCHA’s sustainability agenda.
These upgrades also aim to improve resident comfort indoors, domestic hot water availability, and heating reliability. As part of the winning design, Willdan proposed advanced heat pumps for both Tilden and Pink Houses and an innovative heating technology for Tilden Houses that provides new electrical heating panels that will allow the residents to control the temperature in each room. This heating technology is popular in Northern Europe and has been proven to be safe and comfortable in high-end hotels and offices throughout the world. More information about this technology and its benefits will be provided to Tilden residents prior to deployment. Other enhancements include central plant upgrades and air-to-water heat pumps for domestic hot water production.
“Addressing climate change and creating a greener, more sustainable world is one of the most pressing issues of our time,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “The partnership that we have established with the Willdan Group will allow us to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions at these developments while delivering meaningful eco-friendly upgrades at the same time.”
“Our innovative design was competitively selected to best execute a key strategy in NYCHA’s Climate Mitigation Roadmap,” said Tom Brisbin, Willdan’s CEO and Chairman. “This project helps achieve a core pillar of NYCHA’s vision to ‘build back better’ to meet a majority of building energy needs through low- or no-carbon sources. This win demonstrates that Willdan can provide innovative electrification solutions that can achieve some of the world’s most aggressive climate goals.”
This contract targets at least 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, compliant with New York City’s Local Law 97. Willdan’s design can serve as a model for other high-rise buildings across the country. The design phase is scheduled to continue through 2021, with construction scheduled to begin in November of 2021 (Pink Houses) and January of 2022 (Tilden Houses).
