An icon of New York City and currently the tallest building in the Empire State recently received a LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system. It awards ratings based on implementation of practical and measurable green building designs, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions.

 

 

The Empire State Building stands 1,454 feet from base to the tip of the antenna and has become an eco-friendly structure. The plan to turn the Empire State building into one of the largest eco-friendly buildings began in 2009. 

The proposed $100 million retrofit was part of a larger program to retrofit portions of New York State to be more environmentally friendly. The changes to the Empire State Building include upgrading windows and insulation and renovating the cooling plant in the basement.

 

The building management is also set to purchase 55 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy from retailer Green Mountain Energy. Building maintenance procedures are also expected to go green to maintain the LEED rating. Pest-control and cleaning supplies in use are expected to be eco-friendly. Low-flow fixtures have been installed in bathrooms. The paints and other products being used in the building are low-VOC or sustainable items.

 

Individual meters have been installed for each building tenant so each can monitor how much energy is being used and make changes accordingly. Some tenants have already decided to make their own individual changes to correspond with environmentally friendly plans.

 

Fans of the Empire State Building have often marveled at how its construction has enabled the building to last for more than 80 years. It seems this old-timer can also learn some new tricks and stay abreast of environmental issue and compete with newer buildings on a green level. TF11C583

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