Is NYC The Greenest Building City Today?

Jennifer Kaplan — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:33:58 +0000

Whenever I see my friend James D’Addio, the architectural photographer, I ask him about which new green buildings he’s been shooting. Not surprisingly, in a city with dedicated green building blogs and the NYC Department of Design & Construction’s award-winning programs, NYC may be the greenest city in the United States. Here two projects in NYC that exemplify where green building is going.

It seems like if a building is going up, its just as likely as not to be green. McGraw-Hill research tells us that 53% of building professionals expect to be dedicated to green on over 60% of their projects in the next five years. It seems like there is ample opportunity for innovation in the building industries despite a downturn in overall building. I guess NYC is as good a place as any to lead the charge.

Norman Foster’s Hearst Tower, which sits atop a 1928 landmark building in Manhattan is engineered to use 25% less energy than required by code and boasts the world’s largest “air conditioner.” The two-story, stepped waterfall is also a huge radiant cooling system that along with other measures saves 1.7 million gallons of water every year. Other interesting facts about the building include:

90% of the structural steel used came from recycled materials

More than 80% of the orginal structure was recycled for future use

26% less energy was used during construction

Light sensors and controls throughout the building

It has a 14,000 gallon water reclamation system in the basement

Green Options » Visionaire

Is NYC The Greenest Building City Today?