Basilica Hudson

Building Design

When the owners purchased Basilica Hudson in 2010, it was abandoned and in great disrepair. Early work on the buildings included adding plumbing and electrical upgrades. Before the renovation, Basilica Hudson operated from April through November with only 15% of the interior space conditioned. In this project, weatherization completely seals the thermal envelope and allows efficient conditioning throughout the entire space. To achieve this performance, extensive renovations were required to preserve the historic character of the former industrial building, while sealing and improving insulation values of the envelope. A new roof with more insulation was installed, the existing brick façade was restored, windows were replaced, and doors were sealed. The renovations and window replacement were subject to approval by the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and the US National Park Service (NPS) due to the historic significance of the building.

Community and Economic Development

Economic Development

The founders of Basilica Hudson are dedicated to the city of Hudson’s revitalization. This project supports key Downtown Revitalization Initiatives for the City of Hudson by providing more cultural offerings, employment opportunities, workforce training, and enhanced public spaces that can bring new activity into Hudson’s historic waterfront district. Their private investment in the property has created a vibrant community space, that brings artistic programming and commercial activities with significant economic impact to the area. A year-round cultural arts center is another amenity in the community that makes Hudson an even more desirable place to visit, live, work, and raise a family. The facility supports hundreds of artists and small businesses in the region and receives 40,000 visitors each year attending events and programs. The facility's weatherization and renewable energy investments are estimated to create approximately 25 construction jobs and 10 new long-term staff positions. Employment at Basilica Hudson is accessible to residents without transportation, as Basilica strives to support employment opportunities and livable communities.

Environmental Justice and Equity

Basilica Industries and the non-profit Basilica Arts both offer employment opportunities for the community. Both organizations offer jobs with varying required skill levels for the local workforce providing multiple opportunities for workforce engagement. All positions are posted publicly and are open to local applicants; the organizations regularly hire staff from the local community and provide training for other jobs within their organizations or other employers. Both organizations are increasing recruiting efforts among the veteran and military family communities in the area.

Basilica Hudson plans to serve the community by providing pathways to education and employment for residents and youth with an expanded workforce training program, spaces for community gatherings, and more cultural programs. Expanding access to family-friendly programs and ensuring that the facility is adult and child-friendly is important to the founders who were establishing Basilica Hudson at the same time they were starting their family. A key aspect of Basilica Hudson’s programming is that they are open to all ages, and children are encouraged to attend events. All ticketed programs are free to children under 12 years of age. Family-specific programs such as free family matinees are also offered to cater to this demographic.

Workforce Development

Renovations to Basilica Hudson enable Basilica Arts and Basilica Industries to cater to the growing creative sector in Hudson and the Capital and Hudson Valley regions. The team envisions providing job training programs for the creative, media, and event production workforce. Those trained at Basilica Hudson will be able to find job opportunities within Basilica’s ongoing year-round programs, and other new creative enterprises working from Basilica Hudson’s sister organization River House, a film and media hub in Hudson.

Replicability

Basilica Hudson offers a model for post-industrial communities to integrate clean and resilient strategies within larger revitalization efforts. Focusing on weatherization first, efficient systems and appliances next, and renewable energy in stages is a replicable model that other projects and teams can follow. Basilica Hudson proves that former industrial spaces and sites are good candidates for adaptive reuse projects for community or for-profit use and can help revitalize neighborhoods.

Energy Efficient, All-Electric, Carbon-Neutral Design

Building Envelope

To achieve all-electric net zero energy year-round operations, the project began with extensive weatherization work to improve the thermal performance of the existing historic brick envelope. The building’s porous brick exteriors, large single-pane windows, and aging roof, all required repairs.

The existing masonry wall mortar was repaired and other masonry improvements were completed to reduce air infiltration and ensure the façade can properly repel rain and moisture. The majority of single pane inoperable windows were replaced in favor of low-emissivity, dual pane replacements that conform to SHPO and NPS standards for historic preservation. Storm windows and weather stripping were added to the upper-level clerestory to ensure a complete seal. All doors were winterized with double seals at the jambs and drop seals at all door sills.

The roofs were removed, reframed, and extensively renovated, which included continuous insulation and new metal cladding. The roof of the 13,000 ft2 Main Hall received 4”-6” of polyisocyanurate insulation and the smaller west wing, offices, and gallery spaces received 6”-8”. 6” and 8” of insulation add approximately R-30 and R-40 respectively, helping to reduce the heating and cooling loads of the building. This is a vast improvement from the existing uninsulated roof assembly. The renovation retained the original terracotta roof bricks visible from the interior.

All-Electric Systems and Appliances

Basilica Hudson is retrofitted with all-electric systems, removing existing gas and propane heaters and a gas stove. A new air-to-water HVAC system with radiant floors and forced air works with existing ASHP mini-split systems to serve previously unconditioned spaces in the two buildings. A heat pump water heater (HPWH) provides DHW throughout the campus. The kitchen facilities are updated with a commercial induction stove.

Renewable Energy, Battery Storage, and Electric Vehicles

Basilica Hudson currently has a 50-kW solar array (installed in 2013) which provides 70% of total building energy for seasonal use (which conditions 15% of the interior space from April through November). This project adds a new solar array (150 kW) to provide 100% of the energy needed to operate the facility year-round. The new arrays double as shade structures for onsite parking, with access to four new Level 2 EV charging stations.

Energy Modeling

L&S Energy Services conducted the energy modeling for the project. The model investigated the main energy demand and energy savings strategies in the project. Strategies incorporated into the model included the weatherization and air sealing measure in the building envelope, the addition of roof insulation, window and door replacements, all-electric high efficiency split-style HVAC units, HPWH, commercial electric induction stoves, and EV charging stations. The solar arrays were not included in the energy model but were considered by the design team separately.

The energy model of the proposed design estimated a 16% increase in electricity use compared to the baseline due to the shift of heating from fossil fuels to electric heat pumps and the year-round operation. The model estimated 45.3 kBtu/sf-yr for the proposed design compared to 98.2 kBtu/sf-yr for the baseline, a 54% reduction. This reduction is well above the minimum performance requirement of 20% more efficient than the baseline and code (ASHRAE 90.1-2016 Appendix G).

Additional Benefits

Resiliency

Basilica Hudson sits within the Hudson River floodplain. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy created a storm surge in the Hudson River that reached nine feet, resulting in three inches of water flooding the Basilica Hudson main hall. To mitigate future risks from flooding due to storm surges and extreme weather precipitation, Basilica Hudson is redesigning the surrounding site and landscaping to include grass berms that protect against flooding from the Hudson River while creating an aesthetically pleasing vegetated landscape element. Additionally, the surrounding land is raised between four and six inches with gravel and stone pavers further helping to reduce flood risk on the site.

Economic Analysis

Project Budget and Cost Reduction

The total project cost for the Basilica Hudson was $3,400,000. Professional design fees totaled $240,000 for design, modeling, engineering, and project management. This budget included $2,657,871 in incremental costs to pursue carbon neutral operations which included the full cost of the installation and commissioning of the solar system, a new HVAC system, improved roof replacement and insulation, appliance replacement, and the extensive window replacements which were required for year-round operation. The remaining costs included other construction related activities such as demolition and discovery, renovations, and weatherization.

Although Basilica Hudson expects to operate as a net zero energy facility, the team does expect to have higher utility demand costs since the electrical demand increases with the all-electric equipment, additional EV chargers, and moving to year-round operations and programming. However, Basilica Hudson eliminated the nearly $12,000 it spends annually on direct fossil fuel utility costs for propane, which will help to offset electricity demand charges.

Financing

Basilica Hudson used the cost-sharing incentive from NYSERDA under the Carbon Neutral Community Economic Development Program. Through this program, NYSERDA was able to support the project’s carbon neutral goals by providing a 75% cost share incentive to help offset the incremental costs of all-electric and carbon neutral building systems and weatherization activities. Additional public funding came from the New York Department of State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, Empire State Development grants, and Historic Tax Credits. Basilica Hudson also used a mixture of private, institutional, and NYS Preservation League Loans and cash equity to bridge project costs.

Lessons Learned

Basilica Hudson uses several successful strategies and ideas that incorporate clean, resilient features into the building.

• Adaptive Reuse: As an adaptive reuse project, Basilica Hudson is successfully finding new uses for a former industrial manufacturing building and the surrounding site. Reinvestment in the property has changed the formerly vacant building and site into a center for arts, culture, and community that sits between the Hudson River waterfront and the City. The adaptive reuse benefits have reconnected the site to the rest of city with new activities and events, while avoiding building materials going to the landfill or clearing land for new construction on a greenfield site, while preserving a historic structure.
• Understanding Flooding Risk: During Hurricane Sandy, 3” of water flooded the Main Hall. Part of the landscaping for the Basilica Hudson campus involves a grass berm that serves as both a decorative feature and as a functional blockade against flooding from the Hudson River. The landscaping of gravel and stone pavers raises the terrain between 4 to 6 inches, which will help to mitigate the risk of flooding from storms like Hurricane Sandy.
• Renewable Energy Integration: Basilica Hudson integrates onsite renewable energy generation to provide additional benefits. Rather than being placed on the roof of the building, the PV systems are ground mounted. This makes them visible to visitors and provides canopy shading for the parking lot. The addition of EV chargers under the solar parking canopy creates a visual connection between the clean and resilient transportation and renewable generation systems that underpin Basilica Hudson’s carbon neutral operations.