Ithaca City Centre – Newman Development

Project Overview

The Ithaca City Centre is located on the east end of The Commons in Ithaca, New York.

The project presented many unique features and challenges for the design team. Ithaca has issued a moratorium on the use of natural gas as a heating source for facilities inside the city limits, and this is further complicated by their energy efficiency requirements for acceptable construction practice. To comply with these requirements, high efficiency air source heat pumps were selected for the primary HVAC system. These units can provide heating for the facility down to below -22 degrees F. Further, these units generally operate with cooling Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratios (SEER) in the 15-18 range, and heating Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 2.8-4.3, depending on ambient temperature.

The facility is completely lit with LED fixtures, the Building Envelope is constructed with insulation values well above code minimum, and the water fixtures are all low flow water conservation types.

Generator backup power provides emergency operations power and serves many other loads. Life Safety requirements included Stairwell Pressurization and control, a fully addressable fire alarm system, and emergency lighting systems.