Latest Media & Press

11/15/2016

Source: NYREJ

JRM Construction Management has completed construction of the new 200,000 s/f Etsy headquarters located at 117 Adams St. in DUMBO. Etsy, the online marketplace where creative entrepreneurs can set up storefronts to sell their own products, will house their 800-plus employees in the new office in a nine-floor complex.

Etsy wanted to ensure they built a headquarters that was best for the long-term health of the ecosystem. Etsy, along with JRM, pursued the Petal Certification through the Living Building Challenge (LBC), issued by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI). LBC is the most advanced sustainability certification program for building and, much like Etsy, is focused on supporting resilient, living systems that create healthy and beautiful environments but also strengthen the local economy and community. Etsy’s new headquarters is the only LBC project in the U.S. that is largely furnished with homemade and micro-manufactured furniture, which was made by local artists and Etsy sellers.

JRM worked with the Etsy team to vet 1,500 items used in the space to avoid toxic or harmful chemicals. This meant conversing with manufacturers about how their items were made, for everything from paint on the walls to fixtures. During construction, more than 95% of the waste generated was kept out of landfills. JRM incorporated recycled wood throughout the space and repurposed 10 existing fire doors as functioning doors. Solar panels were installed on the roof as well as a rainwater collection system to water the interior greenery. The water is kept in a large storage tank that connects to an innovative irrigation system that helps reduce runoff and flooding in the neighborhood.

JRM installed a Building Management System (BMS), to aid in commissioning and sustaining energy efficiency on each floor and a daylight harvesting system that reduces electric light in the building interiors when daylight is available, to reduce energy consumption.

“The real strategy behind the sustainability scope was based on aligning Etsy’s values and their community,” said Bruce Cohan, project director at JRM Construction Management. “The team faced many challenges in pursuing the LBC, but we delivered a thoughtful and meticulous headquarters on time and within budget.”

JRM constructed an auditorium, two galleries, a green library, yoga studio and bike storage areas with showers to support a carbon-neutral commute as well as multiple exterior terraces with extensive planting. There is also a cafeteria, dining spaces, multipurpose rooms, craft lab and woodshop and a recording studio. The new headquarters aims to provide a comfortable, safe and imaginative working environment for all employees.