Loading ...
I knew it was coming, but I was rather cynical that The Durst Organization would pull off their amazingly “green” Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park in The Big Apple. Sure, I knew there would be plenty of green being transacted in the bank’s part of the tower. But now, in a city where nothing stops short in largess, the 52-story office building with condos and apartments has been awarded LEED Platinum status from the U.S. Green Building Council – the highest green rating available.
CNN reports that the tower–located on 6th Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets in mid-town Manhattan—is the only tall building in the country to receive top ratings for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from independent jurors.
Green from the Ground Up
Seen here under construction, the tower remarkably uses 10 million gallons less water than a building of equivalent size. The structure not only captures all water that rains down on it, a recycling center in the basement cleans all greywater from the buildings toilets and pumps it back into use. The cold water is pumped through pipes beneath the first floor, adding radiant cooling to the structure.
Sassy and Glassy
Self-adjusting vents in the floor allow residents to adjust their heating and cooling for each room and the filters on the 53rd floor capture 95 percent of pollutants before air enters the building. The glass you see is low-iron transparent glass with tiny dots on the panels so as much daylight can enter without transmitting heat. Learn more about the building at One Bryant Park.
Mind Blowing Views for a Price
Looking south is quite the rush! I’m not saying you won’t pay a hefty price to own commercial space or live in this 2.1 million-square-foot marvel. But I am excited that we’re finally building green skyscrapers rather than those energy guzzling, air-polluting structures that poke into our yellow skies.
3 Responses to “Green Skyscrapers: No Longer an Oxymoron”
This is an incredible achievement. If you have ever been involved in a LEED project, you know that it is difficult to comply with all of the ratings criteria. For a building of this size to get a platinum rating is really amazing.
I’m completely on board with this project, but need some convincing about the recycling of “gray” toilet water.
It should be a requirement for all new buildings, especially ones of this size to be made with green products, materials, and green ideas. Tax incentives should play a major roll in it too. I am glad to see there are some out there taking initiative to do this even though it might be a bit costlier to make, it will pay off in the long run. They are ahead of the game.