Beautiful Earth Group and Gensler Announce New Sustainable Energy Center in New York City
BROOKLYN, NY—Beautiful Earth Group, a Brooklyn-based sustainable energy company founded in 2008, and Gensler, the global architecture, design, planning and consulting firm, have announced a joint plan to develop a new sustainable energy education center in New York City.
The center, to be built later this year, will be a destination both for students and the public to learn about the benefits of using clean, renewable energy and how it can be used in an urban environment to power everything from cars and homes to offices and factories.
The collaboration arose from the closely aligned sustainable business practices of the two firms. Gensler’s vast green portfolio of work includes the interiors for one of the world’s most environmentally responsible skyscrapers, Bank of America’s One Bryant Park – a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold-certified workplace. The firm also worked with the Beacon Institute for Rivers & Estuaries to create their Center for Environmental Innovation & Education, incorporating a host of sustainable strategies like geothermal heating and cooling, natural ventilation, green roof technology, solar hot water heating and composting toilets.
Meanwhile, BE is currently developing a 38-megawatt solar energy facilities (two 19-megawatt solar energy plants), capable of powering 38,000 homes, in California’s Mojave Desert. The power generated there will be sold back to the grid for local use and will displace tens of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
“We are very excited about this new partnership, and welcome Gensler’s superb expertise,” says president and CEO of BE, Lex Heslin. “Beautiful Earth Group works toward the goal of achieving a sustainable, life-enhancing relationship between humans and the Earth, and our new sustainable energy center will support and promote that goal for generations to come.”
“Gensler is looking forward to working with Beautiful Earth Group, with its strong track record of bringing renewable energy projects to scale,” says Oliver Schaper, design director at Gensler. “Sustainable design is intrinsic to Gensler’s practice, here in New York and around the world. We pride ourselves on creating responsible design that considers the impact of decisions today on our lives tomorrow.”
More information about the center and Beautiful Earth Group is available at the BE website.