From offices to condos, green buildings in Long Island City

Today, we thought we’d look at green buildings in Long Island City. One of the most trusted indicators of environmentally sustainable building is LEED certification. This means that a building’s design and construction meets a certain set of standards, especially the levels of energy efficiency, use of renewable materials, and encouraging green lifestyle choices for inhabitants.

One notable example of efforts to make a building green is the Brewster Building (GMAP), home to JetBlue’s new corporate headquarters along Queens Plaza. This historic building earned a LEED Silver rating in 2008 for its renovation, and JetBlue added several more green features when it moved in, like furniture made from recycled materials and complimentary daily bike storage for workers. They also benefit from close proximity to Dutch Kills Green (local green space) and the much-improved bike path to and from the Queensboro Bridge. This area reflects many of the big green changes going on in the borough.

LIC is also home to a green-certified condo building, the Solarium on 48th Avenue (GMAP). The building is not quite LEED certified but has earned a third-party certification from the National Association of Home Builders; LEED certification can be more difficult to attain for residential projects. Sustainable features of the Solarium include recycled rubber roofing, bamboo wood flooring, and wind-powered common areas.

Another green luxury apartment building – part of the EastCoast complex – is in the works at 46-15 Center Boulevard (GMAP). The LEED-certified high-rise will offer 367 residential units near LIC’s waterfront.

Other LIC condos advertise sustainable features, too. For example, the Murano emphasized that it would use “eco-friendly building materials wherever possible.” We’ll be curious to see just how many other buildings and new developments in LIC seek green certification (LEED or otherwise) as sustainability becomes more present in the mind of developers and consumers alike.