The International Tailoring Company Building (ITCoB) in New York City is an iconic 13-floor, 156,000 sq. ft. building with around 180 apartment units. Originally built in 1925, the building was facing issues with aging infrastructure and tenant comfort.
The board learned about Ecosystem from the NYC Accelerator and began discussions to develop a project to address these issues. Soon after, NYC passed the Climate Mobilization Act, including Local Law 97’s fines on GHG emissions. The design pivoted to focus on electrification of heating to be compliant with Local Law 97.
The building was originally operating on a two-pipe hydronic switchover system, creating drastically uneven comfort conditions every shoulder season. Ecosystem converted this system to enable significant heat recovery between apartments. Gas-fired absorption chillers that provided both heating and cooling were replaced with a hybrid air-source heat pump (ASHP) and condensing boiler system, adding significant resiliency. The existing corroded HVAC risers were also replaced. The cooling tower was replaced with an adiabatic dry cooler, simplifying operations and maintenance by effectively eliminating legionella risks.
Modernizing the building’s infrastructure, the project gives residents full control over heating and cooling in their individual units. The project benefited from significant incentives, including ConEd’s Clean Heat Program and NYSERDA’s Low-Carbon Pathways Program. The ITCoB will achieve Local Law 97 compliance, avoiding potential fines and will raise the energy grade from a D to a high B. For more information on this project, click here.
Heat recovery
Air-source heat pump
Condensing boiler system
Adiabatic dry cooler
Hybrid water-cooled heat pumps
