School of Visual Arts

Decarbonizing the arts in Manhattan

Universities play a unique role in paving the way for others by exploring a variety of opportunities to reduce their energy use through energy efficiency and converting to cleaner energy sources. With GreenerU’s help, New York’s School of Visual Arts is taking that challenge and running with it.

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Sustainability Goals

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50% reduction in carbon by 2050

In 2015, School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City issued a request for proposals to perform an energy audit to identify energy-efficiency projects on campus. SVA sought to increase campus efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, decrease costs, and update its infrastructure. This initiative was, in part, due to SVA becoming a signatory of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Carbon Challenge, with an aggressive goal of reducing carbon by 50% by 2025.

GreenerU initially won its bid for work at the School of Visual Arts in 2016. It first performed ASHRAE Levels 1 and 3 audits, then worked with SVA’s President David Rhodes and his facilities staff to put together an execution plan on a variety of measures. GreenerU then replaced old HVAC systems in one of SVA’s buildings with new variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, a move toward electrification that enables the School to source its power from clean energy.

School of Visual Arts

Campus Improvements

  • HVAC optimization
    Like any equipment, heating/ventilation/air conditioning systems for a building need adjustments from time to time.
  • Change management
    Change management is approaches to prepare, support, and help individuals, teams, and organizations in making organizational change.
  • Energy audit
    An energy audit discovers opportunities for lowering energy consumption, improving occupant comfort and addressing maintenance issues.
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“Project management has been very helpful on projects such as HVAC that would be difficult to manage internally. I feel you can always reach out for help.”
John Dye, Director of Internal Audit and Controls School of Visual Arts
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