4. Dumont Green, East New York

Green architecture today is often both figuratively and literally greening the environmental, combining energy efficiency with classic features such as on-site landscaping.

At Dumont Green, an 8-story apartment building completed in East New York, Brooklyn in 2011, state-of-the-art photo-voltaic solar panels provide electricity, which helps the environment by reducing fossil fuel emissions.  But, solar panels, as beneficial as they are, are not a substitute for trees.  On the other hand, the building is set back from the street with a green ribbon of grass, trees, and plants lining the property. There is also a courtyard with trees and other plantings to go with seating and play areas for children.

Dumont Green, which was developed by the Hudson Companies and designed by MHG Architects, provides 176 family-sized units, including 30 units for the formerly homeless with the remaining units targeted to low-income families.  In 2010 when its housing lottery was held to select tenants, the target income for the low-income units was $46,000 for a family of four.