The interior of LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B Photo courtesy of governor’s offi ce
TIMESLEDGER | Q 2 NS.COM | JULY 23-JULY 29, 2021
BY JULIA MORO
A Kew Gardens resident
recently created and started
to sell his own card game for
kids that encourages them
to explore their own creativity.
Michael Schmidt works at
a children’s art studio called
Little Pulp in Glendale. In
November, he was looking
into other games that kids
are into but was wondering
why kids couldn’t create
their own game characters.
So he created a game where
kids could essentially make
their own game.
The game, Namikopy,
comes with a deck of 30
blank cards. Schmidt said
most of the fun comes from
designing your own characters.
Once you have your
cards, you assign each card
a value.
Then with the other players,
you put down a card hoping
to have a higher value
than your opponent. Whoever
has the card with the highest
value picks up the other
cards. The player with the
most cards at the end wins.
“The game is very simple.
It’s not a lot to it,” Schmidt
said. “I suggest to the kids if
they can come up with a better
idea, go for it. The game
is fun, but it focuses more on
the creative aspect of it and
the character development.”
Though the game has
a simple concept, Schmidt
said he really just wanted
to make a game where kids
could put their imagination
to the test.
“It really pushes them
to think further about what
they’re creating,” Schmidt
said. “The kids seem to really
enjoy having that push
to develop something really
interesting.”
Schmidt said the kids at
Little Pulp love the game.
So far, he has sold about 20
decks.
“I’m amazed by what
they come up with; I’m more
blown away by what they
come up with,” Schmidt
said. “It inspires them to
know they’re playing a game
that they also had a part in
creating.”
The game is sold for $15
and comes with instructions
on designing the cards and
playing the game.
The game is sold at
Namikopy.com and on Etsy.
BY BILL PARRY
Seven years since then-
Vice President Joe Biden likened
LaGuardia Airport to
one you would find in a “thirdworld
country,” the first phase
of its $8 billion reconstruction
is nearing completion.
Biden helped break ground
on the project in June 2016
and heard Governor Andrew
Cuomo declare a complete
transformation would get
underway.
“Today, we are not just
breaking ground,” Cuomo
said. “We are building an entirely
new LaGuardia and
transforming it into a worldclass
transportation gateway
for the 21st century.”
The sleek and modern Terminal
B is more than 80 percent
complete and it has now
become the first airport project
in the world to achieve the
stringent LEED v4 Gold certification
for building design
and construction.
LEED, an acronym for
Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design, was
developed by the U.S. Green
Building Council. It is the
most widely used green building
system in the world and
has become an international
symbol of excellence for projects
that achieve a LEED
certification.
The project at LaGuardia
Airport includes a mix of sustainable
strategies which meet
specific benchmarks provided
for energy sufficiency, water
conservation, site selection,
material selection and waste
reduction.
“Achieving LEED v4 Gold
status at Terminal B at La-
Guardia Airport under the
more stringent version 4
standards underscores our
commitment to live up to ever
higher sustainability targets
as we completely transform
LaGuardia from the ground
up,” Port Authority Executive
Director Rick Cotton
said. “We committed in 2018
to meet the Paris Climate Accord
standards and we will
continue to upgrade our sustainability
targets to be consistent
with President Biden’s
recent enhanced climate
goals.”
LaGuardia Gateway Partners,
a consortium of developers,
was selected by the Port
Authority to build and operate
Terminal B.
“LaGuardia Gateway Partners
prioritized sustainability
throughout the redevelopment
project by building Terminal
B to be as energy efficient as
possible,” LaGuardia Gateway
Partners CEO Stewart
Steeves said. “As the longterm
operators of Terminal B,
we continue to look for ways
to reduce our carbon footprint.
I’m thrilled that we’ve
been recognized by the U.S.
Green Buildings Council with
LEED v4 Gold designation for
the project.”
Following the demolition of
the old parking garage, 99 percent
of the debris was recycled
into materials for new construction.
To reduce summer
cooling loads and greenhouse
gas emissions, Terminal B’s
roof was covered with a lightcolored
aluminum membrane
that reflects solar heat more
effectively than conventional
materials.
The baggage handling system
moves only when luggage
is present on the system and
goes into “sleep mode” when
not in use, saving at least 37
percent of energy compared to
airports using older technology
.“
Skanska has a long, proud
history of leadership in sustainable
development and
construction,” said Skanska
Asset Management Executive
Vice President Magnus Eriksson,
who is also the chairman
of the board of directors
of LaGuardia Gateway Partners.
“We are honored to have
played a significant role in
ensuring the new LaGuardia
Terminal B serves as a beacon
for responsible and sustainable
infrastructure, while also
providing a world-class experience
for the people of New
York.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@schneps
media.com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Photo courtesy of Michael Schmidt
Kew Gardens man
creates game that
inspires kids to use
their own creativity
LaGuardia’s Terminal B achieves
gold standard in green certifi cation
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