NEW YORK, NY – Columbia University’s 611 West 112th Street has been recognized by Engineering News-Record (ENR) for project excellence, earning Awards of Merit in the Sustainability and Renovation/Restoration categories in the New York regional awards program.

Consigli Construction Co., Inc. transformed a long-vacant 1904 building into Columbia University’s first all-electric undergraduate residence hall through an innovative adaptive reuse approach. The 44,000-square-foot, six-story building provides 159 student beds and community spaces, including common kitchens, a lower-level lounge and three courtyards. The renovation also restored the building’s historic brick, limestone and terracotta façade while reimagining its interior to support modern student living.

To deliver the high-performance residence hall, Consigli had to balance ambitious sustainability goals with the preservation of a severely deteriorated historic structure. After sitting vacant for more than 15 years, the building had experienced significant water infiltration, structural instability and a partial roof collapse. Consigli retained and restored the original masonry shell while reinforcing and replacing compromised structural elements and integrating entirely new building systems.

Sustainability was a central focus of the project, which operates entirely without on-site fossil fuels and is the first residence hall on campus to earn LEED recognition. By incorporating green building strategies such as variable refrigerant flow heat pumps, energy recovery ventilation, high-performance windows and insulation, smart building controls and a green roof, the building is expected to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 43% compared to a typical New York City residence hall.

Completed in time for the 2025–2026 academic year, 611 West 112th Street demonstrates how adaptive reuse, historic preservation and electrification can work together to give new life to aging urban buildings while advancing Columbia’s sustainability goals and decarbonization commitments.

611 West 112th Street was one of six Consigli projects in New York that were recognized by ENR in this year’s regional awards. Across ENR East, Consigli earned a record-high 14 project honors for project excellence throughout the New England and New York regions.

Project teams recognized by ENR’s panel of judges were evaluated on their ability to overcome challenges, contribute to industry innovation and benefit the community, as well as overall excellence in design, construction and safety execution.

Read more about the project in ENR here.

Learn more about the ENR Regional Best Projects Awards here.