The Visionaire

The Visionaire is a USGBC LEED Platinum building located at Site 3 in Battery Park City.

Подпись: Fig. 8. The Visionaire. (Add picture)

The BIPV system was designed with consideration of all the projects to date and incorporates all the knowledge gained to date and the past success of its team members on previous projects (The Solaire and The Verdesian). The pre-glazed BIPV panels on the east and west walls of the building’s curved facade were installed by Ornamental Ironworkers and wired up by Electricians after. Even though this installation occurred after the national arbitration hearing that resulted form the Riverhouse at Rockefeller Park project, the nature of the installation and its clear construction method allowed for Ornamental Ironworkers to complete the installation without argument from the Electricians union.

No union concerns arose at all during the construction. With field evaluations now possible from multiple laboratories (after the scare that UL would not do any further non-listed PV product field evaluations) the biggest fears of the team and the local industry were alleviated. This project’s completion comes with a positive view that most of the concerns of BIPV installations in New York City have been addressed and that the future of the industry is poised for growth, as a number of barriers have been overcome. Although future trade quarrels are inevitable, especially considering that PV is still rarely seen by the bulk of the construction industry, precedents have been set and clear design goals considering the history and experience of the PV industry to date should result in successful projects.

4. Conclusion

In conclusion, all these projects are the beginning of a new phase in NYC development that is building momentum. The experience gathered by the multitude of developers, contractors, designers, engineers, government agencies, building department officials and the inhabitants of these structures is key in advancing the growth of the local PV industry. The success of the projects is clearly a positive achievement. However, subsidies and mandates still drive the projects. To sustain and accelerate this trend, new and continued incentives will need to be combined with price reductions for PV systems and especially BIPV systems. Perhaps less obvious though is the issue of trade concerns which has a big impact on costs and thus effects the efficiency of incentives but also the timeliness of a project and the overall confidence and enthusiasm of adopters of the technology. The

issue can lead to friction among the participants in a building’s life cycle and can often dampen enthusiasm, especially in difficult and/or time-critical projects that are sensitive to work disruptions arising from conflict. “Normally trades don’t solve a dispute before it hits the site; they wait until the problem hits to figure out a solution,” says Mike Mooney a local Sheet Metal contractor, the primary installer of the PV panels at the tower of the Riverhouse. “There should be an agreement between the trades before the job goes into construction so we can work in harmony. I’m fine with a composite crew, which is what makes the most sense to me. Working out an agreement ahead of time is better for everybody: the Owner, the General Contractor and the Trades. It would save everybody time and money,” he says. “This is not just an issue with solar. More of these issues are coming up with green building in general. We all need to work together [4].” Simplifying installations is critical for BIPV market growth and the PV industry needs to focus on solutions for clear trade responsibility demarcation in the design and development phases of projects to avoid delays, injury and high costs. The ultimate solution to this concern lies with the designer. Clear designs where the desired trade is chosen through consideration of costs and abilities to perform the task are created early in the documentation process of a building project. Input on the design from the General Contractor and Construction Managers, who are responsible for trade relations, is necessary. Many times clear trade responsibilities can be determined in a jurisdiction simply by historic precedent. This conclusion clearly demonstrates that training of architects, designers and engineers is far more critical to the successful installation of a BIPV project than the training of the installation workforce. Any trade can understand and execute the work of installation given complete well thought out construction documents and drawings. The question that all designers of BIPV systems should ask themselves however, is this: who is most qualified to do each part of this job and what will be the cost down the line if clear roles are not established early?

References:

[1] Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): Market Outlook 2008 and Beyond, Alok Bhargava, Greentech Media, Inc. 2007.

[2] Existing Avenues to Encourage Building Integrated Photovoltaic Installations In New York City, Anthony

O. Pereira, Avi Bar and Tom Thompson, Book of Proceedings — Rio5 World Climate and Energy Event 2005.

[3] NYC Load and PV output Peak demand day July 6, 1999 Perez et al., ASRC.

[4] M. Mooney. Interview with A. Allbee, July 2008.