The Condo that Stopped Replacing “A with A”

Residents of 1 Grand Army Plaza — a sleek, all-glass condo in Brooklyn — struggled with sweltering corridors and soaring repair bills, and set out to find why. Unfortunately, the “why” turned out to be a fundamental design flaw in the building’s ventilation system. The fix, shared by Amalia Cuadra, senior director of engineering at En-Power Group, was a phased capital project that not only restored comfort but also cut energy use, improved the building’s letter grade, and reduced carbon emissions — without blowing the budget. Cuadra urges boards to think beyond “replace A with A” and instead take a holistic, forward-looking approach to capital upgrades, which this Brooklyn condo successfully did. Habitat’s Emily Myers conducts the interview.Thanks for listening. Subscribe to this podcast for more stories on how New York co-ops and condos have solved a myriad of problems. Brought to you by Habitat Magazine, the "bible" that hundreds of board directors turn to every day!