LEED Gold Riverhouse’s double glass curtain-wall provides drama as well as energy savings

If you've ever strolled along Battery Park City's River Terrace, you might have noticed a glistening building wrapped in a dramatic double wall of glass. Called Riverhouse, the glossy complex was designed by <a href="http://ennead.com/" target="_blank">Ennead Architects</a>, and boasts a host of sustainable and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/energy-efficiency/" target="_blank">energy-efficient</a> features that have earned it a LEED Gold certification. In addition to its green roofs, progressive filtration and recycling technologies, and use of eco-friendly materials, the 264-unit building's responsive design and elaborate second-skin facade system make it one of the greenest and healthiest residential properties on the East Coast.

Through its cavity volume, dampers, operable vents and manual sun blinds, the system is fully responsive to seasonal climate variations.

Green-conscious residents of the 264-unit building are able to enjoy various sustainable features at home such as a green roof, progressive filtration and recycling technologies.

The building's u-shape was created to blend in with the adjacent Tear Drop Park

However, it's the building's custom-design double skin facade that makes the design simply outstanding in terms of energy efficiency and responsive design.

The double skin system was created specifically for the project.

In fact, Riverhouse is the first residential development to use the double-glass wall technology in the United States.

The elaborate double skin system provides a buffer between the interior and exterior that allows the building to be energy efficient year round.

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When the vents are open, the outside air is able to enter through low vents installed the units.

The air rises as it gets warmer and is then exhausted to the outside through vents installed at the top on the unit, passively, but optimally ventilating each living space.