This edition of the Phius Project Spotlight Series highlights the Melrose North building in The Bronx, New York.
Our monthly Project Spotlights highlight the cutting-edge work being done by Phius professionals and provide examples of successful design and construction strategies. We feature projects of various sizes, typologies, and climate zones, offering you a peek behind the curtain of each. The Project Spotlight series appears in e-blasts to our mailing list (be sure to join if you haven’t already) as well as right here in the Klingenblog.
Our April Project Spotlight is: Melrose North in The Bronx, New York!
Embracing a unique site within the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) Morrisania Air Rights Houses development, Melrose North prioritizes sustainability and social resilience. Located beside the Metro-North Railroad’s Melrose station, the 12-story building welcomes travelers to the Bronx with a 120-foot-tall graphic mural, and provides street activity along with ADA access to the Metro-North’s platform. The Phius Certified building is a new landmark for the neighborhood.
Melrose North includes 170 affordable apartments, 103 of which are supportive units for formerly homeless individuals and people who have experienced domestic violence. On-site services are provided by Services for the UnderServed and a 5,000-square-foot community facility space for DreamYard offers youth arts education and career development. In addition, the building provides trash compacting/storage space for the NYCHA development. By providing diverse housing types and community services, Melrose North aims to foster equity in a neighborhood historically plagued by economic and health disparities.
Infilling an undeveloped NYCHA parcel, the structure completes the ensemble of streetwall buildings surrounding Railroad Park. Facing and activating the park, Melrose North steps down into three vertical masses to reflect the scale of the area. Shades of white and gray masonry contrast with the yellow and pink brick prevalent in the neighborhood, adding texture and visual distinction to the façade. Inside, the residential spaces feature a double-height lobby, community rooms, a computer room, and laundry facilities.
Melrose North’s Phius design features a highly insulated and airtight construction with conditioned fresh air. The building is topped by a solar panel array that contributes renewable energy. The social services spaces are included in the building envelope. By promoting environmental and social resilience, Melrose North makes a positive impact in its community.
Generous landscaping surrounds the building, with entrances enriched by planters and landscaped canopies. A 5,600 SF rear yard includes an outdoor gym, community garden, play structures, and native plantings. Additionally, a spacious terrace serves as an outdoor living room with views of the neighborhood and the city beyond. Other roofs are planted with sedum to manage stormwater and reduce the heat island effect.
The project began as a competition run by the New York City Housing Authority in 2017. The site was awarded in 2018, construction started in 2021, and the building opened in 2023.
Melrose North is designed to Phius Standards with a super-insulated air-tight envelope, high-efficiency mechanical systems, energy recovery ventilation, a roof-mounted solar photovoltaic (“PV”) system, Energy Star appliances and high-efficacy LED lighting fixtures to reduce the overall energy consumption while ensuring long-term cost savings and occupant comfort.
Superior thermal insulation around the building envelope minimizes heat loss and gain and controls moisture, while highly insulated windows and doors also provide optimal solar heat gain and noise control. Melrose North features high-performance uPVC windows with triple-pane glass and thermally broken aluminum-framed storefronts. Its airtight façade achieved an infiltration rate of 0.062 CFM/sf at 50 pascals during the taped test and 0.078 CFM/sf at 50 pascals during the untaped test, which is 5-10 times tighter than a standard façade. This level of airtightness prevents drafts and moisture-laden air from entering the building envelope where it could condense on cold surfaces. The combination of air-sealed, super insulated walls leads to an interior environment that is comfortable, energy-efficient, and resilient against extreme temperature swings.
Heating and domestic hot water are provided via high-efficiency condensing boilers. Cooling systems for residential units are also provided via efficient through-wall air conditioners. Heating and cooling for common spaces are provided through a VRF system. The tightness and insulation of the envelope assembly also helped to downsize the heating/cooling units, which not only reduces the upfront HVAC costs, but also decreases the base heating and cooling demands of the building.
Through rigorous research, development, and testing with both Steven Winter Associates and Intus Windows, the project team developed an airtight, permanently installed window-mounted AC system. During the heating season, the AC unit can be closed off and thermally isolated from the interior, eliminating any thermal comfort, air infiltration, and durability issues typically associated with these units.
Ventilation is supplied through centralized ERVs. This balanced ventilation system provides fresh air and controlled moisture to all habitable spaces and removes stale air from kitchens, baths, and trash rooms, resulting in excellent indoor air quality. MERV 13 filtration meshes filter unwanted smells and bacteria, preventing incidences of asthma.
Additional energy-efficient features include EnergyStar appliances, LED lighting with bi-level lighting, daylight, and occupancy sensors throughout all residential common areas and utility spaces.
A 38.4-kW solar photovoltaic array with solar panel modules was installed on a steel pergola array system on the roof with an emergency generator.
All photos courtesy of Curtis + Ginsberg Architects