Renaissance Technologies, East Setauket New York

Renaissance Technologies Inc is a company of mathematicians and physicists that work in a bucolic natural setting on 45 acres in East Setauket, New York. Their primary goal is to find practical application of quantum mathematical models and apply them to financial and commodities markets. The existing office building designed by Perkins/Eastman is a two-story structure of brick masonry and cedar.

As part of their effort to recruit talent worldwide and the housing shortage in the area, the company has made the decision to proceed with creating housing for people who first come to the area prior to establishing themselves and finding more permanent housing in the more exclusive communities along the north shore of Long Island.

The clients program called for a type of housing that would create a campus setting with the adjacent office building. Furthermore, the client added an environmental component to the project program. Specifically, passive and active solar gains, passive ventilation, material use, and waste water systems were to be researched for use in the project. Finally, the automobile circulation was to be subordinate to the pedestrian circulation on the site and to the office building.

The planning developed had resident vehicles arriving on the north side of the site and driving directly underground to basement level parking. The spaces above the parking and drive will be landscaped into a park like setting with walking paths connecting the housing back to the office building. This leaves the majority of the site in a natural state.

The units themselves have been oriented to capture passive solar gain through south facing windows and masonry thermal mass. Solar gain in summertime is reduced by the use of overhangs and sunscreens. Building integrated photovoltaic systems are located in the roof and windows, with solar power generated fed back through the electric meter. Since the only electric equipment running during the workday is the refrigerator, the meter will spin backward during the day to offset nighttime usage. All water is preheated in solar panels to a temperature of 95˚ prior to the water heater to reduce energy consumption by more than 60%. A large skylight dominates the roof plan flooding the center of the space with natural light. Translucent walkways allow the light to penetrate the first floor. The key to the skylight is its operable thermostatically controlled louvers allow hot air to rise drawing in the cooler air from near the ground. Since impervious paving has been eliminated, there are no heat islands created at grade. The south end of the site contains a community building and swimming pool. Included in the open space is the high technology, compact ‘chromaglass’ system to process all the wastewater on site. The system is totally subterranean in its processing and storage of solids while water is leached back into the soil. 90% of all biodegradable solids are removed prior to leaching back into the soil.