Columbia University announced that it has achieved Fitwel certification for 600 W. 125th Street, its new 34-story building to house graduate students and faculty members on the southwest corner of 125th Street and Broadway in New York City.
The building earned three stars—Fitwel’s highest standard—in Fitwel Version 2.1 Multifamily rating for its design, construction, and sustainability principles as well as its commitment to resident health and well-being. The building is approximately 177,000 square feet and includes 142 apartments and 5,000 square feet of retail space on the ground level, which will be occupied by returning lessee, McDonald’s.
Fitwel, created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration, with the Center for Active Design, certifies buildings for advancing human health and well-being through their design and operational strategies.
David M. Greenberg, EVP for Columbia University Facilities and Operations, said, “This Fitwel certification, Columbia’s first, furthers our overall commitment to sustainability and wellness in construction and operations.”
Sustainability
Following the design, construction, and sustainability principles established for the Manhattanville campus across the street, 600 W. 125th Street—designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with CetraRuddy Architecture—features active ground floor retail use, a transparent storefront façade that promotes safety and connectivity at the urban layer, and a slender building volume that provides for light and air with its generous setbacks.
Other key sustainability highlights include a high-performance façade, optimized equipment efficiency, climate-considerate appliance technology (the faculty clothes dryers are air source heat pumps), and an all-electric retail kitchen to achieve long-term carbon emissions reductions. The project included an enhanced Clean Construction program, vegetated roofs, stormwater detention, and wellness considerations. In addition to the three-star Fitwel rating, 600 W. 125th Street is also tracking certification of LEED v4 Gold.
Three-Star Features
Some criteria that helped 600 W. 125th Street achieve its three-star Fitwel rating include having a dedicated exercise room, access to a full-service grocery store, crop share or other fresh produce delivery programs, and views of nature from common spaces. Location also contributed to the certification, with points awarded for the building being located in an area with a Walk Score of 90 or above and having access to a transit stop within a half mile or 800 meters of a main building entrance.
Governance and transparency are also important factors in helping Columbia University receive the three-star rating, including holding a regular occupant satisfaction survey and a Stakeholder Collaboration Process for residents, to name a few. Other contributing features include occupants having access to thermal control devices, and the building implementing acoustic control measures to minimize both interior and exterior sourced noises.
Outdoor enrichment is also a focus, with criteria like access to a farmers’ market, an outdoor restorative garden, outdoor playgrounds, an outdoor fitness area, an outdoor common space, a bike share station, and bicycle parking.
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