Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last month that New York City's first-ever green public school will be built on the last vacant building site in Battery Park City. The new elementary/middle school will add 950 seats to serve pre-kindergarten through the eighth grades, and will also include 100 seats for special education students.

Construction of the Battery Park School will adhere to Local Law 86 and the New York City Green Schools Rating System. Plans are to reduce energy costs by at least 25% by using day lighting in all instructional rooms, energy-efficient lighting controlled by occupancy sensors, increased insulation in the exterior walls, high efficiency condensing boilers, Energy Star-equivalent equipment, carbon-dioxide sensors in large common spaces and photovoltaic technology.

The building will utilize mold-resistant and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) materials to enhance indoor air quality, along with 12% recycled content in construction materials. In addition, 80% of the construction waste will be recycled, and high-efficiency plumbing fixtures will be employed to use 40% less potable water.

Construction on the 125,000-sf school, to be located at 55 Battery Pl., is scheduled to begin next June and be completed in time for the 2010-11 school year. The Battery Park City Authority, which owns the building site, is donating the land and will also contribute $3 million to the City's School Construction Authority for additional green features. The New York City Department of Education has identified the neighborhood as having a high need for additional school space.

"Lower Manhattan has become a premier residential destination, and that trend has also placed a toll on its public schools," said Gov. Eliot Spitzer at a Nov. 13 news conference. "The donation of this land for a new elementary/middle school will ease overcrowding in Lower Manhattan classrooms and improve overall education conditions by providing students with a healthy sustainable environment where they learn and thrive."

Instant Insights /

NYC Plans to Build First Green School

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