Multifamily Residential in New Jersey

Marx|Okubo provided constructability review services on behalf of the client for the development of a new, 426-unit multifamily project in West New York, New Jersey. The client owned the land and engaged a fee-developer to manage design and construction activities.

The developer for this project originally proposed a luxury apartment project with a target of achieving LEED Silver certification, which is in line with comparable projects in this market. The client directed the developer to pursue a more ambitious outcome, with a goal of achieving LEED Platinum, LEED Zero Energy, LEED Zero Carbon, and a substantial reduction of fossil fuel consumption.

Marx|Okubo integrated with the design team during the schematic design phase and orchestrated studies to replace gas-fired space heating and domestic hot water systems with air-source heat pumps or ground-source heat pump systems. As this was the first project for which the design team had specified fully electric systems, Marx|Okubo’s project lead and MEP engineer were deeply engaged in assessing the coordination and detailing of these systems. In a collaborative effort, Marx|Okubo, the developer, and the construction manager arranged acoustical testing of heat pump water heaters. Using data from the testing, the team worked with the mechanical engineer and acoustics consultant to acoustically isolate the water heaters from adjacent spaces while also ensuring that adequate ventilation will be provided to ensure the units operate efficiently.

During the construction document phase of design, Marx|Okubo found that the mechanical engineer had specified gas-fired rooftop HVAC units; the design was revised to ensure that all heating systems will use heat pumps. Marx|Okubo’s contributions also led to an expansion in electric vehicle charging stations, integration of a peak electricity demand management strategy, and specification of “solar ready” infrastructure to facilitate efficient installation of a rooftop solar array.

At the completion of the construction document phase, the project was on track to achieve the client’s LEED certification goals along with a 92% reduction in fossil fuel consumption and a projected reduction in operating carbon emissions of 35% when compared to the project that was originally proposed by the developer.