New York City’s low carbon future is beautiful, livable, and 100% possible. In the Upper East Side’s Yorkville neighborhood, the ground-up Convivium multi-family development located at 515 East 86th Street is the first of its kind designed to the Passive House standard in the community. The 140-unit 22-story building boasts an eye-catching design while using 40-60% less energy than the average residential building in the area, allowing its residents to enjoy lower energy costs and higher thermal retention. As the Project Manager, Ben Igoe will showcase techniques used in design and construction to meet the project’s environmental conservation mission. The Convivium development was awarded $500,000 in the first round of the Buildings of Excellence competition in October 2019, recognizing the design, construction, and operation of very low or zero carbon emitting multifamily buildings. Convivium also includes 25 percent affordable housing units (35 in total). Additionally, five units in the building will be affordable permanently, a rarity for this wealthy neighborhood of Manhattan. The grand opening Convivium was held on March 5, 2021.