575 Fifth Avenue

575 5th Avenue is a 49-unit supportive housing building undergoing rehabilitation through HPD’s LIHTC Preservation (Year 15) Program. Developed by the Fifth Avenue Committee and completed in 2014, the LEED Gold building included several features uncommon in affordable housing at the time, including an extensive green roof; a hybrid block, steel, and metal joist structure featuring a cantilevered corner window at the shared common areas on each floor; and a hydronic heating and cooling system utilizing gas-fired boilers and a gas-fired chiller on the roof to supply hot and cold water to individual ceiling-mounted fan coil units within each apartment and to common area spaces. 

The intervening years have taken a toll on the buildings systems and the building enclosure, necessitating a suite of repairs to ensure that the building will operate more efficiently and sustainably now and in the future.  The project includes full roof and window replacement, elevator modernization, kitchen and bathroom upgrades, and aging-in-place upgrades to enhance safety and comfort for current and future residents.  Full electrification was studied in detail but deemed unfeasible due to likely steep increases in operational costs, given current electricity rates and equipment efficiencies. Instead, the project will replace the aging gas-fired chiller with a new heat pump chiller, and will upgrade the original gas-fired space heating boilers to new higher efficiency units.  Terminal fan coil units will be replaced in all apartments and common areas with higher efficiency versions, including control systems to ensure proper operations. Rooftop photovoltaic panels are anticipated to further improve the building’s operational efficiency. Combined, these measures will ensure a more comfortable, energy efficient, and healthier home for residents and staff alike.