Wilf Hall receives two IFMA awards for green design and energy efficiency

Wilf Hall has received two awards from the International Facility Management Association: 2012 Design and Construction of a New Facility (in the under 50,000 square feet category), and a LEED Certified award.

“Wilf Hall is an excellent example of how we can build a successful work environment that is both respectful of the past and designed for the future,” said Yasaman Hoorazar of New York-based IA Interior Architects, who led IFMA’s nominations committee. IFMA is the largest international association for facility management professionals, with 22,655 members in 78 countries.

“I am thrilled that Wilf was recognized for the special building that it is,” said Lillian Zalta, assistant dean for operations and administrative services. “Wilf was one of the most enjoyable projects I have ever worked on because everyone worked as a team to deal with all issues related to construction.”

Located at 139 Macdougal Street, Wilf Hall was designed with energy efficiency and environmental friendliness in mind. The building, which received LEED Platinum Standard certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2012, contains a green roof and two planted terraces, bedded with grasses, ferns, and trees to provide year-round insulation and filter pollutants out of rainwater, thereby reducing runoff into the city’s sewers. In addition to housing a dozen NYU Law centers, programs, and institutes, as well as admissions offices and offices for academic fellows, Wilf also contains the Provincetown Playhouse. The playhouse, still a working theater today, was established in the 1920s and premiered many of Eugene O'Neil's plays.

"It is such a pleasure to work in a building the exemplifies the goals that the Furman Center and several other of the centers that Wilf Hall houses strive for — helping to find evidence based solutions to make our cities work better and to protect our environment," said Vicki Been, director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. "And looking out on the green roof on the second floor terrace outside our offices never fails to energize me."

Wilf Hall, which opened in 2010, was selected for these recent awards after a nominations process, a tour of the space, and interviews with the team. Hoorazar added that the design of Wilf Hall was most impressive for its preservation of the cultural elements of the buildings as well as for its innovative and green features.