Construction in the city that never sleeps has always been built on dreams. New York is a city in which sky-scraping iron behemoths have blossomed out of wilderness and farmland, 19 million people inhabit three hundred square miles, and an extensive subway system of tunnels has been blasted into solid marble and granite bedrock. We are living in a fantasy. Why, then, should we not dream big? Imagine a bustling metropolis that is environmentally responsible. Then build it.
This is the test of urban engineers in the 21st century. Construction must follow suit with the times and focus primarily on environmental impact. By 2050, two thirds of humanity are expected to be living in or around metropolitan centers. Cities are a natural starting point for the naissance of environmental construction because they are also where multiple infrastructures come together: transportation, traffic, food supply chains, retail stores, and the places where people live and work. Major cities also serve as the connection for economic, intellectual and social innovation. As such, a set of standards called the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design has been issued by the United States Green Building Council, demanding energy efficiency, recycling, and the use of environmentally sustainable construction materials. Tax incentives from the state of New York and the national government have been created to incite the development of such construction, and return on eco-investment is generally three years. The zeitgeist is clear—oblivious building is no longer acceptable.
The challenge is being embraced around the world and throughout the city, as architects and designers discover that eco-construction is not only possible but also requires less effort than expected. “By building green, developers can save money, reduce construction costs and creating sustainable buildings. Owners save money by reducing operation and maintenance costs and lowering utility bills,” the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation touts on its W eb site. One such developer is Anthony Pereira, the owner of Wall Street-based altPOWER, which designs solar-energy systems for urban buildings. Among the company’s customers are the Bronx High School of Science, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, and nearly 25 others. Using glass and solar-cell technology, the systems convert sunlight to energy and decrease the building’s grid-supplied energy dependence.
Pereira represents a burgeoning field of engineering and technology, which I believe will develop self-relevant improvements as it expands. It is an experiment and a creative process. New, analytical applications and the experts who will develop them will unlock unprecedented knowledge and benefits through their use. Through trial and error, and based on economic and technological status, the green construction movement will grow and streamline. An evolution through practice will reveal better and more efficient methods. The integral factor is that it is attempted.
To our Morningside Heights community, this means that Columbia must take up the mantle and apply such LEED standards and design philosophies to all new construction. As an institution based on the exploration and expansion of knowledge, we should use the opportunity to implement novel building methods and capitalize on the Earth Institute’s truly tremendous climate and environmental program, proving ourselves not only intellectually but also creatively devoted. The opportunity that most lends itself to such an environmentally-minded approach is one that could also gain the most from it: the notorious Manhattanville expansion. The Office of Environmental Stewardship reports on its Web site that “the new Manhattanville campus was selected for the LEED for Neighborhood Development pilot program based on the smart-planning principles in its master plan, such as mixed uses and neighborhood access, and incorporating smart growth, new urbanism, and green building design.” This is absolutely positive, but seems disappointingly ambiguous in its outlining of such principles. Declared as a beacon of environmental novelty, it seems to have become a rhetorical Shangri-La. The main criticism of the expansion from the area’s residents is that Columbia has turned a deaf ear to their concerns and is blinded by its own design. Let us not fumble. I believe that if the University works more comprehensively with the community to outline its environmental initiatives and goals, Morningside Heights and Manhattanville will gracefully enter into construction with mutual satisfaction. If we keep mute, it will be a senseless struggle.
The author is a Columbia College first-year. She is the Eco-Reps Coordinator of Communications.