The East Side Coastal Resiliency Project will span 2.5 miles of Lower Manhattan

Led by the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) Project is an urban flood protection solution that spans 2.5 miles of Lower Manhattan, including the East Side. The project is the first element of coastal storm and sea level rise defense system for the East Side and Lower Manhattan.

Arcadis, a design and consultancy firm for natural and built habitats, will work in collaboration with the City of New York and local communities to design flood protection solutions that merge into the urban fabric for 200,000 residents and 21,000 businesses. The solutions will strengthen the coastal defenses and improve existing parks while offering future flood protection and environmental benefits.

Design features of the project will incorporate a combination of architectural floodwalls, bridging berms, embankments, moveable floodgates, and interior drainage improvements. Each of these new features will be integrated with East River Park amenities to include recreational facilities and pedestrian and bicycle pathways.

Additionally, Arcadis will develop supporting documentation necessary for changes to FEMA flood hazard maps. Bjarke Ingels Group is leading the Urban design for the project with Starr Whithouse providing landscape architecture services. CH2M Hill will handle marine engineering duties.

nZero, developer of a real-time carbon accounting and management platform, is offering free carbon emissions assessments for buildings in New York City. The offer is intended to help building owners prepare for the city’s upcoming Local Law 97 reporting requirements and compliance. This law will soon assess monetary fines for buildings with emissions that are in non-compliance.

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Creative ways cities are seeking to beat urban heat gain

As temperatures in many areas hit record highs this summer, cities around the world are turning to creative solutions to cope with the heat. Here are several creative ways cities are seeking to beat urban heat gain.

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Top building products for July 2023

BD+C Editors break down 15 of the top building products this month, from cleanroom doors to window storm protection systems.

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USGBC warns against building energy code preemptions, rollbacks

In a recent editorial, the USGBC cited a growing number of U.S. state legislators who are “aiming to roll back building energy code standards and/or preempt local governments from advancing energy-efficient building codes.”

Resiliency | Jul 27, 2023

'Underground climate change' can damage building foundations, civil infrastructure

A phenomenon known as “underground climate change” can lead to damage of building foundations and civil infrastructure, according to a researcher at Northwestern University. When the ground gets hotter, it can expand and contract, causing foundations to move and sometimes crack.