BUILDING A NEW DREAM
ALUMNI WORK TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
BY ANGELA MARSHALL
SHAKING HIS HEAD IN WONDER. PETER CARADONNA (B.ARCH. '87) RECALLS A PHONE CALL HE RECEIVED FROM A DEVELOPER. THE MAN WANTED CARADONNA'S ADVICE ON A RESORT HE WAS PLANNING TO BUILD IN NICARAGUA. THE LONG ISLAND ARCHITECT LISTENED TO THE DEVELOPER'S PLANS - A HUGE, MULTIFLOOR PROJECT THAT WOULD HAVE REQUIRED THE DESTRUCTION OF SEVERAL ACRES OF FOREST. OBVIOUSLY, THE DEVELOPER DIDN'T KNOW WITH WHOM HE WAS SPEAKING.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO GET YOUR DRINKING WATER FROM?" CARADONNA ASKED. "THE GROUND,' WAS THE REPLY. "AND WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO PUT THE GARBAGE AND OTHER WASTE FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS?" "THE GROUND," THE MAN REPLIED AGAIN. AFTER A PAUSE, CARADONNA ASKED THE MAN IF MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, THAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM. DURING A SERIES OF FUTURE CALLS, THE ARCHITECT TALKED THE DEVELOPER INTO CONSIDERING TIMBER-FRAMED BUNGALOWS INSTEAD. "PEOPLE CAN BE CONVINCED TO DO THE RIGHT THING WHEN YOU MAKE THEM AWARE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR ACTIONS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVES," SAYS CARADONNA.
WHILE SOME ARCHITECTS MIGHT HAVE SEEN DOLLAR SIGNS IN THE RESORT PROJECT, CARADONNA SAW ACRES OF ABANDONED, ROTTING TIMBER, FILTHY WATER, AND SEVERAL FLOORS OF AIR CONDITIONING CREATING AN UNNECESSARY BURDEN ON THE EARTH'S NATURAL RESOURCES. HE IS JUST ONE OF MANY NYIT GRADUATES DOING THEIR PART TO FOSTER INNOVATIVE AND EFFICIENT ENERGY AND DESIGN ALTERNATIVES.
CARADONNA BECAME A SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE DEVOTEE AFTER BEING INTRODUCED TO NEW YORK CITY'S HIGH-PERFORMANCE GUIDELINES IN THE 1990'S. "THIS IS THE FUTURE OF OUR BUSINESS," HE RECALLS THINKING. HE WAS SO CONVINCED THAT HE EVENTUALLY WALKED AWAY FROM A LUCRATIVE JOB AT A GROWING MANHATTAN FIRM TO OPEN A START-UP DEDICATED TO GREEN PROJECTS. IT WAS SLOW GOING FOR A LONG TIME, BUT CARADONNA'S FORESIGHT IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO PAY OFF.
"WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE AN EXPLOSION OF GROWTH IN THIS OFFICE," SAYS CARADONNA, WHO HAS HIRED TWO FELLOW NYIT ALUMNI, CHRISTINE MARIE CARUSO (B.ARCH. '02) AND ERIK HEULER (B.ARCH '05) TO HELP HIM KEEP UP WITH DEMAND. ON THE BURNER NOW ARE SCHOOLS, ENVIRONMENTAL CENTERS, RESIDENTIAL HOMES, AND A FIREHOUSE.
HIRING HEULER WAS AN EASY DECISION FOR CARADONNA. THEY MET AT AN NYIT CAREER FAIR AND FELL INTO EASY CONVERSATION ABOUT HEULER'S ROLE ON THE COLLEGE'S SOLAR DECATHLON TEAM. SPONSORED BY THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY, THE SOLAR DECATHLON CHALLENGES COLLEGE STUDENTS TO DESIGN, BUILD, AND OPERATE THE MOST ATTRACTIVE, EFFECTIVE, AND ENERGY-EFFICIENT SOLAR-POWERED HOUSE.
AFTER PARTICIPATING ON THE TEAM AND TAKING CLASSES THAT FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY, HEULER SAYS "MY EYES WERE OPENED TO EVERYTHING THAT COULD BE DONE SUSTAINABLY. I THOUGHT, IF THIS IS WHERE THE PROFESSION IS GOING, THIS IS WHERE I'M GOING."
CARUSO'S INTRODUCTION TO EFFICIENCY CAME FROM HER MOTHER. "SHE REMEMBERS THE 1970S GAS SHORTAGE AND TOLD ME ABOUT THE LONG LINES. SHE WAS ALWAYS TRAILING ME AROUND THE HOUSE AND TELLING ME TO TURN OFF LIGHTS AND CONSERVE WATER."
TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS ISN'T SOMETHING CARUSO HAS TO WORRY ABOUT AT WORK. THEY'RE RARELY TURNED ON. THE STAFF RELIES ON THE DAYLIGHT THAT STREAMS IN THE OFFICE'S FRONT WALL OF WINDOWS. CARADONNA'S OFFICE ALSO HAS FLOORING MADE FROM RECYCLED CAR TIRES, SPECIAL PAINT, AND OTHER SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS. "WITH EVERY DECISION YOU MAKE, YOU HAVE MULTIPLE CHOICES," HE SAYS.