On June 17, 2025, The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced nearly $7 million has been awarded to nine projects through the fifth round of the Buildings of Excellence Competition, which aims to advance best-in-class, energy efficient multifamily buildings in New York State. The Competition provides financial awards and recognition for zero emission or carbon–neutral ready buildings that are healthier for residents and their communities, supporting the State’s transition to a clean energy economy. In addition to these awards for demonstration projects, NYSERDA also announced that $15 million of new funding is now available under Round Six of the Competition.

AIA New York has been a steadfast partner of the Buildings of Excellence program since its launch in 2019. “AIA New York is proud to continue our sixth year of partnership with NYSERDA on the Buildings of Excellence program, which plays a critical role in advancing sustainable design across the state,” says Jesse Lazar, Assoc. AIA, Executive Director, AIA New York and the Center for Architecture. “As an organization committed to shaping a more resilient and equitable built environment, we see these award-winning projects as powerful examples for our members—and the broader industry—of how thoughtful design can help address both the climate crisis and the urgent need for quality housing.”

Lazar once again served as emcee during the Round 5 awards ceremony held at the Center for Architecture, in partnership with Passive House Accelerator. NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence Competition is the only competition of its kind that provides financial incentives and recognition for the design, construction, and operation of zero-emission buildings. Including the most recent honorees, NYSERDA has awarded a total of 75 state-of-the-art new construction and gut-renovation projects over five rounds of the competition, with 41 located in disadvantaged communities (DACs), as defined by the Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG) and more than two-thirds of these high-performing new construction buildings serve affordable housing markets. (Round 5 winners located in DACs are indicated below with an *.)

NYSERDA President and CEO Doreen M. Harris said, “The Buildings of Excellence Competition continues to inspire replicable and scalable solutions, tapping into cutting-edge technologies that transform the way we design and construct buildings. NYSERDA applauds the partners awarded today for accelerating the adoption of the latest clean, efficient building practices, and welcomes proposals of future projects that will push the envelope to benefit residents across New York.”

Highlights of yesterday’s awarded demonstration projects include:

  • Affordable Housing: Seven of the nine buildings to be constructed will serve low- to –moderate-income customers; six of the nine awarded projects will serve disadvantaged communities.
  • Zero Emissions/Carbon Neutral Ready: 100% of projects are zero emissions and carbon neutral ready, meaning they are highly efficient with no use of fossil fuel combustion on site for daily operations.
  • Passive House Standard: All projects are committed to meeting a Passive House standard, meaning design and construction will be executed to extremely energy efficient standards, while also achieving high levels of comfort, health, and resiliency for the occupants in the building.
  • Solar Energy Inclusion: Eight projects incorporate solar generation with one including energy storage.

Congratulations to the Round Five awardees:

1707 Hertel Avenue
East Aurora, NY
Developed by: Forward Development LLC
Designed by: Line 42 Architecture, PLLC

280 E. 161st Street – West Tower*
Bronx, New York
Developed by: Gilbane Development Company & Institute for Community Living
Designed by: Aufgang Architects

475 State Street
Brooklyn, NY
Developed by: Alloy Development,
Designed by: Alloy Architecture LLP and Thornton Tomasetti

77 William Street*
Newburgh, NY
Developed by: BronxPro Group and Safe Harbors of the Hudson
Designed by: Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

Building 10 Bio-based Passive House (3989,3995 Hillman, 4009 Gouverneur Avenue)
Bronx, NY
Developed by: Amalgamated Housing Cooperative
Designed by: ZH Architects

Chester Agricultural Center Farmworker Housing*
Chester, New York
Developed by: Chester Agricultural Center, Inc
Designed by: WXY Architecture + Urban Design

Kissena House*
Flushing, NY
Developed by: Selfhelp Realty Group
Designed by: Curtis+Ginsberg Architects

Powerhouse Apartments*
Bronx, NY
Developed by: Lemle & Wolff Development Co., LLC, HELP Development Corp, and True Development New York, LLC
Designed by: Ettinger Engineering Associates, STAT Architecture

Seneca West 110th Street*
New York, NY
Developed by: Infinite Horizons, LLC, L+M Development Partners LLC, Urbane Development Group, LTD, and Lemor Development Group, LLC
Designed by: Curtis + Ginsberg Architects

For a complete list of all Buildings of Excellence Competition awarded projects, please visit NYSERDA’s website.

Round Six Funding
Additionally, NYSERDA is now making $15 million available through the next round of the Buildings of Excellence Competition, with project applicants eligible to receive up to $1.5 million in awarded funding—an increase from past rounds. This latest round of funding continues to welcome applications for new construction projects that employ high performance envelopes, support converting institutional, office, or retail space to housing, and demonstrate cost compression. The competition is structured to prioritize funding for projects leveraging technologies that minimizes energy use during peak times and rely on refrigerants with lower environmental impact. Projects employing geothermal heat pump systems for space conditioning will have access to a higher level of funding.

Round Six proposals will be accepted through September 17, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. For more information, please visit NYSERDA’s website.

Additionally, the Buildings of Excellence Competition continues to offer an Early Design Support Request for Proposals (RFP), providing up to $150,000 per project in direct funding to Design Partners. This funding aims to encourage early-stage zero emission multifamily building design efforts and aims to build the technical expertise needed for successful project implementation. The RFP is currently open and accepting applications through November 15, 2025, for projects involving zero emissions multifamily buildings. Design teams can apply to become an Early Design Support Partner here .

Funding for this program is through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and $6 billion Clean Energy Fund.