Hard Hat Tour: Passive and Affordable Housing at La Central Buildings C and E

The AIANY Building Science Committee is excited to present a tour of La Central Buildings C and E led by MHG Architects and FXCollaborative, located at 625 Brook Avenue in the South Bronx Melrose neighborhood. The two buildings will complete the La Central development of 100 percent affordable housing and mixed-use high-rise construction, with more than 1,000 apartments and 80,000 square feet of community facility space. The focus of the tour is Building C with 185 affordable units, designed to Passive House standards and a NYSERDA Buildings of Excellence Demonstration Project Winner. Building E is 254 affordable units and will be visited (time allowing) for the impressive Manhattan views from the 26th floor terrace. These two side-by-side buildings offer a unique opportunity to visit two construction sites.

Tour guides Jeff Miles of MHG and Ted Lampa of FXCollaborative will discuss strategies for affordable housing design, give an overview of passive house principles, discuss variations in envelope detailing, and identify design features aimed at improving the quality of life for future residents.

This is a hard hat tour; attendees must bring their own personal protective equipment (hardhat, safety boots, goggles, and construction vest). This program will have extremely limited registration so please do not hesitate to register as soon as possible.

Tour Guides:
Ted Lampa, AIA, LEED AP, Senior Associate, FXCollaborative
Jeff Miles, Architect, MHG Architects

Project Team:
Architect: FXCollaborative 
Architect of Record: MHG Architects 
Client: The Hudson Companies and BRP 
General Contractor:  Broadway Builders (Building C) and Skycore (Building E)
MEP Engineer: Dagher Engineering
Structural Engineer: De Nardis Engineering
Exterior Façade Consultant: CANY
Sustainability Consultant: Bright Power
Passive House Consultant: Steven Winter Associates

About the Speakers:
Ted Lampa is a Senior Associate at FXCollaborative and has led the design and project management of numerous residential and mixed-use projects, including large affordable housing developments and multi-family rentals in New York City. Lamp serves as an office-wide technical resource specializing in accessibility, FHA (Fair Housing Act), and related standards such as ANSI 117.1 and ADA. He is a member of the AIA and is LEED AP accredited.

Jeff Miles is a licensed NYC architect who has worked for a variety of large NYC firms including Vinoly, Polshek (now Ennead) and Gruzen Samton. Miles has been at MHG for the past 12 years, working exclusively on mid-rise affordable housing. Over his 40-year career, he has been involved in over $1.5B of construction (un-escalated), and 2,800 units of housing. He graduated from Yale in 1986 with a Master Degree in Architecture.