The 1,454 ft tall and 2.85 million sq ft Empire State Building has received the LEED Gold certification as a further recognition for the $550 million worth Empire State Rebuilding program.
Tower Lights of Empire State Building. Credit: ESB NYC
The building, while renewing and gearing up to meet the requirements of the 21st Century businesses is also observing its 80th anniversary celebrations. It is one among the few historic landmarks of the nation to achieve the LEED designation recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council and confirmed by the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI).
The modernization completed by Jones Lang LaSalle and Johnson Controls, assures to cut down the energy intake of the building by over 38% and save around $4.4 million in energy spending every year and it will take around three years to payback the cost of implementation. The building has achieved ENERGY STAR status in 2010 and continues to maintain the certification in 2011.
The improvements installed in the building will enable it to offset around 105,000 t carbon discharges in over 15 years. In January this year, Anthony Malkin of the Empire State Building has arranged to purchase carbon credits worth 55 million kWh annually to make the building carbon-neutral.
The other installations that enabled the building to attain LEED gold certification include fixing of low-flow toilets, use of recycled content made carpets, low VOC paints and adhesives, wall coverings and green pest control and cleaning products. The building during the renovation process recycled the construction debris and tenant waste. Lastly, it has introduced a new tenant energy management system, which includes compulsory energy saving green requirements in the lease accords.
Source: http://www.esbnyc.com/