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CURRENT PROJECT

251 Mercer Street Plaza - Cogeneration Plant

New York University is replacing and expanding its Cogeneration Plant which is housed under 251 Mercer Street. This will improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions and improve reliability.

The project began in the spring of 2007 and is scheduled to be completed by the spring of 2010.

rendering: Mercer Street Plaza

An Architectural Rendering of the Re-landscaped Mercer Street Plaza

The University has an existing combined heat and power (CHP) plant which provides electrical power to 7 NYU buildings and high temperature hot water to 40 NYU buildings throughout the Washington Square campus. Because the plant is at the end of its useful life, NYU has the opportunity to upgrade and replace the electrical generating equipment to increase the CHP plant output, efficiency, and environmental performance. The new plant will continue to provide high temperature hot water to 40 NYU buildings and will also provide electrical power to an additional 18 to 20 NYU buildings.

The new CHP Electrical plant will be located under the plaza along the west side of Mercer Street between West 3rd Street and West 4th Street, adjacent to Warren Weaver Hall. At the end of the project, the plaza will be re-landscaped with a green, more inviting, usable, and visibly pleasing space. NYU convened a Community Advisory Committee comprised of local residents, elected officials, businesses, and Community Board members to collaborate on the design of an improved plaza above the underground Cogeneration facility.

The proposal was approved unanimously by Community Board #2 and is available here. The Public Design Commission is scheduled to review the proposal in October.

Main Phases
The Cogen Project has several major phases:

  • Phase one included demolition of the plaza, which included the existing greenery.
  • The primary work included in phase two is the excavation of the site and the build out of the concrete vault.
  • Phase three of the project is the construction of the generator, which will occur underground.
  • During the final phase, the plaza will be re-landscaped.

The project is currently in phase three.