I’m currently in New York City for the USSEE conference. This afternoon they organized a tour of the Solaire Building, the first LEED Gold residential building. I have wanted to see this building since it won a green roof award of excellence from Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, and it didn’t disappoint.

The intensive green roof is quite impressive with landscaping that seamlessly integrates a garden and the building HVAC infrastructure while providing one incredible view of New Jersey across the water. The roof has an unobstructed view of the river, and you can see the Statue of Liberty to the south.

We also had an opportunity to see the innards of the building. We went to the basement to see the wastewater treatment system that treats water used in the building to be reused for toilets and the cooling tower. Additionally, we checked out a model unit to see the energy star appliances, eco-friendly cleaning supplies, and other green materials (e.g. flooring made from wood scraps, low VOC paint). I was ready to move in.