8. First Large Commercial Wind Turbine in NYC is Here

The Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility is partially powered by renewable energy: 5% comes from the 100kw wind turbine, the first large commercial wind turbine in New York City, and 15% comes from solar panels on the building, one of the largest solar power installations in the city.

The facility is a joint project between Sims, DSNY, the Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and the NYCEDC, who have invested more than $110 million in the development of the facility. As requirement of the Request for Proposals (RFP) was that an architectural firm needed to be involved. Selldorf Architects, known for luxury galleries and apartment buildings, won the RFP, creating a building made of prefabricated pieces of almost entirely recycled steel. Selldorf subsequently won the 2010 Award for Excellence in Design from the Public Design Commission.