The Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems (SyracuseCoE) is pleased to announce that Hydronic Shell Technologies is the recipient of a $3 million grant from the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge. A nationwide competition administered by Enterprise Community Partners and the Wells Fargo Foundation, the Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge supports innovative solutions to make housing more accessible and equitable.

Hydronic Shell Technologies will implement a patented building technology that uses prefabricated, modular panels to retrofit multifamily buildings. This high-efficiency system is designed to improve indoor air quality and lower residents’ energy bills.

Based in New York City, Hydronic Shell Technologies is a member of SyracuseCoE’s Partner Program – a network of startups and established companies working on indoor environmental quality, renewable energy, and other green technologies. Hydronic Shell Technologies is also an active industry collaborator in SyracuseCoE’s EPIC Buildings Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and executed in partnership with CenterState CEO.

“Syracuse was the birthplace of the modern HVAC industry in the early 20th century, and the culture of innovation still thrives here,” said David Goldstein, Founder and CEO of Hydronic Shell Technologies. “SyracuseCoE and Syracuse University have been essential partners in helping us reach this point, and we’re thrilled to work with them and other local partners to showcase a transformative new approach to retrofitting buildings, achieving deep emissions reductions while addressing the urgent quality of life issues prevalent in affordable housing communities throughout the country.”

Hydronic Shell Technologies will work in collaboration with SyracuseCoE and Syracuse University, as well as other project partners that include two SyracuseCoE Partner Program members: Cycle Architecture + Planning and Syracuse Housing Authority. The project will be implemented at a seven-story Syracuse Housing Authority residential building located at 418 Fabius Street on the city’s Near West Side.

As New York State’s Center of Excellence in Environmental & Energy Systems, SyracuseCoE is a hub for cutting-edge research and serves as a test bed for products that deliver clean energy solutions. Over the past twenty years, SyracuseCoE has engaged more than 200 firms and organizations in collaborative projects, as well as over 75 faculty members across Syracuse University and partner institutions.

“We are very excited to support the efforts of Hydronic Shell Technologies,” says Executive Director of SyracuseCoE, Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering & Computer Science at Syracuse University. “David and his team have designed a unique product that will make our community’s public housing stock more energy-efficient and livable.”