Page 11 - 14th @ Irving Basis of Design (internal)

2.2.2 CLIMATE-BASED OPPORTUNITIES

CLIMATE
New York City is in a humid continental climate (Köppen class Dfa). Although the climate is heating-dominated, dense urbanization
causes temperatures in Manhattan to be warmer than surrounding areas by up to seven degrees, exacerbating summer cooling
needs. The New York Academy of Sciences anticipates that climate change will bring an increase of up to 4.1-5.7 degrees and an
increase in extreme heat days above 90 degrees. In response to these two drivers, a balanced approach between heating and cooling
needs will be more resilient to future climate shifts, and load reduction strategies can help to offset potential impacts.

SOLAR RADIATION
Solar Radiation in Context (North Façade) (South Façade)

In these images, the shading feature and adjacent buildings are rendered in wireframe for clarity
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Solar radiation analysis indicates that there are three typical façade conditions for solar access. The north façade facing 14 Street
is generally shaded from direct solar gain by surrounding buildings, with the exception of some periods during a few hours in the
morning in summer due to the angle of the street grid. The south façade below the 14 floor is also typically shaded by neighboring
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buildings. The south façade above the 14 floor and the east and west façades above the party walls are unshaded and receive a
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high level of direct solar radiation. This effect may create a different thermal load and daylight profile on the south perimeter
spaces of the upper floors compared to other areas in the building, which could be an opportunity to fine-tune passive and active
control strategies for each condition through glazing selection and placement and shading strategies.

PHOTOVOLTAICS
The building’s roof receives approximately two times more solar radiation per square foot than the vertical surfaces. Its height and
subsequent lack of overshadowing provide an ideal opportunity for photovoltaics, which support sustainability and resiliency goals
and can help to further reduce energy costs. Photovoltaics could be placed on the roof’s feature shade, which has room for
approximately 265 modules, without impacting occupiable terrace space.

The basis of design for photovoltaics is a frameless bifacial glass module with cell coverage around 90%. Custom modules are
available with lower cell coverage for a more transparent aesthetic effect. Electricity generation from these modules should scale
roughly linearly with the amount of cell coverage, with high-coverage options reaching an efficiency of 20% or better.
Alternatively, thin-film opaque or translucent amorphous panels could be used to create an integrated aesthetic with the
architectural design, and could be further explored either for the feature shade or for other areas of the façade with high solar
radiation access. Typical efficiencies are lower for these types of panels, starting around 8% and improving as opacity increases.

14th @ IRVING WSP
Project No. B1809809.000
RAL COMPANIES & AFFILIATES Page 11