BACKGROUND
As the most sustainable condominium in New York City, Charlotte of the Upper West Side is a seven floor residence expertly designed to the Passive House Institute standards while integrating a modern elegance. Built by Roe Corporation, the condominium would be considered “super-healthy”, operating with interiors that are beneficial for your health—and beneficial to the environment.
Written about in the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest and Elle Décor for the high-performance and sustainable design, the condominiums include superior insulation, air-tight construction, quadruple-layered museum-quality windows with acoustical lamination, and an energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system to create a super energy-efficient and nearly silent space with unmatched quality.
The multi-million dollar ventilation system continuously infuses the space with fresh, filtered air, while exchanging the home’s entire volume of air between 13 and 28 times per day. The building has 9 separate ERV ventilation systems, providing each residence with its own independent ventilation system so your air is your own and of the highest quality 24 hours a day. Additionally, the residence uses 37 UVC disinfection systems to mitigate a multitude of pathogens while all incoming air is moderated to reduce humidity in the summer and increase humidity in the winter.
“You’ve heard of Eloise at the Plaza. Now meet Charlotte of the Upper West Side. That is the name of a new condo residence in the New York City neighborhood as famed for its historic brownstones as it is for Seinfeld episodes and Zabar’s bagels—not to mention the moniker of an actual young lady, three-year-old Charlotte Roe, who was the inspiration for the project and will be one of the building’s first residents.” -Elle Décor
PASSIVE HOUSE INSTITUTE – INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Founded in 1996, the Passive House Institute (PHI) is an independent research institute taking a leading position with regard to research on and development of construction concepts, building components, planning tools and quality assurance for especially energy efficient buildings. Charlotte of the Upper West Side vigorously utilizes PHI standards for a reduction of energy usage of up to 90 percent for heating/cooling energy and exceptional air quality for its tenants.
STERIL-AIRE UVC SOLUTIONS
Charlotte operates 37 air handling units (AHUs) to manage the air supply of the condominium. After some initial design issues, Scott Sherwood of Eco-Care Corporation, a recognized expert in the design and installation of UVC in NYC, was consulted to optimize the IAQ benefits of the UVC systems. These units are outfitted with 37 Steril-Aire, Enhanced-Series UVC solutions to disinfect the air of pathogens. Each UVC solution is paired with UVC Watch Dogs, which monitors Steril-Aire germicidal UVC Emitter operational status. Operational status is conveyed with visible LED lights on the mounted Display Unit and remote status relayed to the condominiums building management system (BMS). When developer, John Roe, was asked why he selected Steril-Aire UVC to add to the IAQ mix in Charlotte, he stated, “because Steril-Aire is the market leader in high-output UVGI.”
CONCLUSION
Charlotte of the Upper West Side, a centerpiece in the modern condominium market in New York City, employs a sustainable approach to improving indoor air quality, increasing energy savings and enhancing the health of its occupants by utilizing Passive House Institute Standards, a multi-million dollar ventilation system and Steril-Aire UVC. This marvel hopes to set a new standard of living that is intently conscious of the individual health as well as the health of the environment.
