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JUST A FEW YEARS AGO, the only time New York's skyline could be called green was when the Empire State Building adorned itself in emerald lights for St. Patrick's Day.
But suddenly, new office buildings designed with the latest green building technology are sprouting up like, well, trees. At least 206 buildings in the city have been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council for certification - the imprimatur of the green building movement. Right now, the city has only 15 buildings certified by the council.
Interest in green building was spurred by the council's introduction of the LEED rating system in 2000, according to Rick Bell, executive director of the American Association of Architects' New York chapter. "It gives people something concrete to aim for," he says.
LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, grades buildings on a 69-point scale for sustainable design, air quality, and energy and water efficiency. It awards ratings - certified, silver, gold and platinum - depending on how many points a build receives.
As green building technology has improved and the costs for incorporating green features have come down, more developers are getting on board. Many realize that the initial up-front costs attached to such technology can be recouped in savings on utility costs over time.
The demand side of the equation is also contributing to the boom, according to Peter Turchin, a senior vice president at CB Richard Ellis Inc. "As recently as two years ago, green was at the bottom of most tenants' list of priorities," he says. "Now, among larger companies, it's in the top five, and it's on the rise. Developers don't want to be caught behind the curve on this issue."
Crain's looks at four large office buildings - two recently built and two under construction - to see what developers have done and what they are doing now to make their buildings green.
Gradual greening at WTC site
THE CITY'S FIRST gold-certified office tower didn't start out that way. Larry Silverstein, who held the lease on the World Trade Center when the Twin...