Ettinger Engineering Associates Becomes Accelerator Partner

We’re very excited to announce that Ettinger Engineering Associates is the latest firm to become an Accelerator Partner. A full service MEP engineering consulting firm, EEA takes an interdisciplinary and systems-based approach to building, allowing them to work seamlessly with design and construction teams from predesign to closeout. While EEA has a deep appreciation of the nuts and bolts that go into constructing the many systems of a building, they are equally data-driven and always looking for novel ways to improve building performance, reduce project timelines, and discover cost savings. (Ask for a quote and you’ll see!)

As consultants, EEA regularly works with project teams to help them comply with local laws, reach sustainability goals, and meet performance metrics. The sustainability division at EEA provides energy auditing, diagnostic testing and modeling, verifications services, and blower door testing. They also help project teams go through the process of certifying under numerous standards, including LEED, ENERGY STAR, and Passive House (through either Phius or the Passive House Institute).

The scope of EEA’s portfolio is truly impressive. Founded 1960, EEA has worked with architects, developers, municipal agencies, institutions, and other engineers in the Tri-State area and beyond to build nearly one thousand buildings of all shapes and sizes, including the iconic Mercedes House on Manhattan’s West Side (above). The years of expertise that EEA has accrued has allowed them to consult with regulatory agencies like the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERA) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) on the drafting and implementation of new regulations. That same expertise allows them to help project teams, developers, and owners navigate New York’s increasingly strict regulatory environment—Managing Principal Ed Ettinger even serves as an instructor for the Building Energy Exchange’s seminars on New York’s ambitious Climate Mobilization Act (Local Law 97).

From a Passive House perspective, some of EEA’s most interesting projects currently include Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza, the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, and 1415 Ogden Avenue. The latter project, a seven-story new-build containing 84 units of affordable housing in the Bronx, is part of the Future Housing Initiative, a new program jointly administered by NYSERDA and HPD to support Passive House construction.

Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza

Construction is expected to soon begin on the Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Plaza in Central Harlem. The mixed-use building will pursue certification through the Passive House Institute (under the Passive House Classic program), serve as a vital economic engine for the neighborhood, and provide more than 100 units of affordable housing. The design of the new building by Think! Architecture + Design PLLC and Ettinger Engineering Associates has also won the accolades of the New York State Energy and Research Authority (NYSERDA), which awarded the project team the Distinguished Blue Ribbon for Design Excellence in the fourth round of the Buildings Excellence Competition in April 2024.

The Variety Boys & Girls Club Redevelopment Project

Located in Astoria, the new, mixed-use headquarters of the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens will also be Passive House certified and include fully electric building systems with heat pump VRF units and/or ground‐source heat pumps for the club and will use air/water source heat pumps for domestic water production throughout. A winner of the third round of the Buildings of Excellence competition, the 14-story building with create 229 affordable and supportive housing units and include features like solar panels, real‐time building monitoring systems, and likely a battery backup for added resilience.