The winners for the fourth round of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)’s Buildings of Excellence competition were announced this past Tuesday, April 2. Nine projects were selected, and the project teams will receive $8 million in total. The competition has awarded $58 million to sixty-five projects since launching in 2019, which has led to the creation of 8,111 housing units, 6,169 of which serve low- to moderate-income households. Impressively, 71% of competition winners have committed to building to Passive House standards and all nine winners from the fourth round plan to certify Passive House.

The competition is administered by NYSERDA and is designed to both recognize and provide material support to multifamily projects throughout the state that are clean, resilient, and replicable. In addition to the competition for demonstration projects, $2 million has been issued for Early Design Support to help ensure the most cost-effective low carbon solutions are integrated into projects from the start of design. The Buildings of Excellence program is just part of Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious goal of creating two million climate-friendly homes by 2030 while also supporting New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 85% by 2050 (from 1990 levels).

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris described the winning projects as “beacons of sustainability” at the event. “Addressing harmful carbon emissions in our building sector is a cornerstone of Governor Hochul’s nation-leading climate agenda,” she continued. “These winning projects demonstrate tremendous progress in low-carbon building design that sets a new standard for environmentally friendly construction and operation. By working with our industry partners to develop turnkey solutions and designs, it will move us one step closer to achieving the state's clean energy goals and we congratulate all of today's winners for their exemplary projects.”

“These projects demonstrate how New York is leading the way to a zero-emissions future,” AIA NY Executive Director Jesse Lazar said. Lazar played the part of emcee Tuesday’s ceremony, which was held at the Center for Architecture in Manhattan, the headquarters of the New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Additional speakers included Steven Winter Associates Director of Passive House Lois Arena, Architectural League of New York Executive Director Jacob Moore, and Illya Azaroff. Azaroff is the founding principal of +LAB architect PLLC and an associate professor at the New York City College of Technology (CUNY).

Blue Ribbon Award winners included:

Demonstration Project Winners included:

NYSERDA expects to launch the fifth round of the Buildings of Excellence competition in the coming months. “This program has helped us advance Passive House throughout the State and even beyond the State,” Arena said during the ceremony. “Programs like this really help to revolutionize the marketplace.”