The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. (PPI) has recognized the 1 Java Street project in Brooklyn, New York, as the Building and Construction Division Project of the Year at its 2023 awards ceremony. This notable project is set to be the largest mixed-use development in New York State to utilize a geothermal system for its heating and cooling needs, with completion targeted for 2025.

At the core of the 1 Java Street project's geothermal system are 321 vertical boreholes, each drilled 499 feet deep and spaced 15 feet apart. These boreholes are lined with 1.25-inch high-density polyethylene (HDPE) PE4710 pipes supplied by Versaprofiles, which received the Project of the Year accolade. In total, the project utilized 326,000 feet of plastic pipes in the boreholes and an additional 31,000 feet across various diameters for lateral distribution systems.

The awards ceremony took place during PPI’s annual global meeting in Florida. PPI, serving as North America's primary trade association for the plastic pipe industry, also honored other innovative uses of plastic pipes this year, including a fish habitat project that used HDPE conduit made from recycled materials.

PPI President David M. Fink praised the diversity and innovation of the projects submitted for this year’s awards, stating, “It is amazing the vast variety of innovative undertakings that can be accomplished with our members’ products in addition to those helping to improve our nation’s infrastructure.”