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JUST A MIRAGE?

A sustainable oasis in Harlem

By Lisa LaMotta

Walking along East 116th Street towards 5th Avenue, I was taken aback by a building –half-built and covered with plastic sheets that waved in the strong winds—that loomed over the block like a ghost. Cranes and scaffolding are as common these days as the yellow blur of taxis, but the facade of the building—the Kalahari, a development project by Full Spectrum NY—stands out because it’s decorated in intricate brickwork with patterns that zig and zag in shades of beige, brown and gray that recall images of African art more than urban architecture. I wasn’t the only one who had stopped to take a look at the building (which took the place of a beloved neighborhood baseball field): two kids from the neighborhood were looking up as well, exclaiming how cool the place would look when it’s done (in December, if all goes well).

“When we build, it’s not just three-dimensional, but conceptual,” explains Carlton Brown, COO of Full Spectrum. “We wanted to build on the concept of sustainability; like people surviving in the dry savannah of the Kalahari for thousands of years. The notion of managing your resources in the Kalahari was the link that we wanted.”

The Kalahari is selling itself as an “affordable” green building in NYC, and from a business standpoint this seems to be working. According to Brown, more than 70 percent of the 249 residential spaces in the Harlem building have already been claimed. But “affordable” is, of course, a subjective word, especially in a city where the median price of an apartment is over $1 million. However, Full Spectrum can boast that it’s more affordable—with its luxury apartments starting at only $400,000—than other “green” buildings elsewhere in the city.

The development is being outfitted with green roofs that reduce runoff water to the street and regulate the heating of
the building as well as an air purifying system that filters the air twice before anyone breathes it. More than 25 percent of the building’s energy will be from renewable sources like wind power, but it won’t utilize the geothermal heating/cooling system that its neighbor, 1400 on 5th (and another Full Spectrum project), depends on due to the high cost of installation.

What is remarkable is that the sustainable housing development also includes nearly 125 moderate-income residences. Brown says that it’s a gamble the company is willing to take, hoping that the prices the company gets for the luxury apartments will cover the cost of the moderate-income units. For the most part, the only difference between the high-priced units and the lower cost ones will be that of location and décor: The more moderately priced residences won’t have the luxury of bamboo flooring or rooftop terraces, but all of the condos will have the same access to smart washer/dryer systems and compact fluorescent lighting.

Brown says that this Full Spectrum project is just one step in a process toward developing a zero-carbon footprint, multi-family complex. “We want to start a chain reaction of human impact,” says Brown.

It’s romantic to listen to Brown spout off ideals of this African-influenced complex being a throwback to the golden days of the Harlem Renaissance and acting as a lightning rod for culture that will unite this mixed-background community. Anyone walking down 116th Street can clearly see that this green architecture idea is clearly out of place with other 20th-century tenements and crumbling structures. Perhaps Kalahari will serve as a catalyst for invigorating a neighborhood in transition.   
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