7 World Trade Center Earns LEED Gold Status

The downtown skyscraper becomes the first New York office tower to gain LEED status. Also, as construction of One Bryant Park continues, a key tenant leases 75 percent of the building.

7 World Trade Gets Gold

The new 7 World Trade Center, scheduled to open this month, has been certified by the United States Green Building Council as the first New York office tower to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating.

The 52-story, 1.7 million-sq.-foot tower at 250 Greenwich St. developed by New York's Silverstein Properties is the first building to rise in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center district following the attacks of September 11, 2001, which destroyed the original 7 World Trade Center.

Building features that helped to garner the Gold LEED rating include:

• more natural light through the use of ultra-clear glass windows
• improved air quality through filtered outside-air ventilation
• 15,000 sq. ft. of public park space
• energy conservation through steam-to-electricity turbines
• variable speed fans
• natural daylighting
• collection and reuse of rainwater to cool the tower and irrigate landscaping
• waste reduction through the diversion of 75 percent of construction debris as well as the use of recycled materials
• and better air quality through the use of cleaner fuel and particulate filters on construction equipment.

Midtown Bank Tower Steams Ahead

As the construction effort enters full swing on One Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan, the anchor tenant has announced that it will occupy 13 more floors.

Bank of America will raise its share of the 51-story tower to 77 percent, up from the previous 53 percent. It now will occupy floors 2 to 36 and 51.

The project team, led by New York's Tishman Construction, completed structural foundation work and was erecting podium steel and tower steel on the lower floors in early spring.

Designed by New York's Cook + Fox Architects and co-developed by the bank and New York-based Durst Organization, the 2.1-million-sq.-ft. tower is aiming to be the first high rise to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum-level certification from the United States Green Building Council.

Among the green features planned are: substantial use of recycled, renewable, and local materials; reuse of rainwater and waste water; floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall for better natural lighting; and a "floating" floor system designed to distribute heat more efficiently.

The estimated $1 billion project involves several additional components, including a reconstruction of the Henry Miller Theater, new subway system entrances, and an underground pedestrian tunnel that will connect subway lines on 6th and 7th avenues.

The bank plans to use its 1.63 million sq. ft. of total space as its headquarters, and will open six trading floors inside the building ranging from 43,000 to 99,000 sq. ft. Completion is slated for February 2008.

New Tower in Long Island City

Construction crews broke ground on the newest residential tower in the Long Island City district of Queens this winter.

Designed by New York's Perkins Eastman, the 39-story Avalon Riverview North at 4-75 48th Ave. will include 602 rental apartments ranging from studios to two bedrooms in size, some with balconies, and 2,750 sq. ft. of retail space. Building amenities include outdoor picnic areas with barbecue grills, a rooftop garden, a 3,300-sq.-ft. fitness center, a 2,000-sq.-ft. clubroom with waterfront views, and a 360-space valet parking garage.

The $175 million building is the second Queens West development for AvalonBay Communities of Alexandria, Va., which is developing similar-sized residential projects in New Rochelle, N.Y., and Manhattan. The firm's 32-story Avalon Riverview, completed for $96 million in 2002 at Queens West, has studios and one- to three-bedroom apartments that rent from $1,700 to $4,700 a month.

Riverview North is slated to begin occupancy in June 2007 and reach full completion in the first quarter of 2008.

New Chelsea Condo

Another luxury residential building is going up in Chelsea as the price of air rights in the trendy Manhattan neighborhood continues to rise.

Ginsburg Development, based in Valhalla, N.Y., started erecting a 12-story residential condo at 241-245 W. 19 St. in March, following the purchase of the lot for $13.5 million, or $443 per floor-area-ratio foot. The seller also agreed to take down a three-story building and a four-story building on the site.

Designed by New York's 1100 Architects, the new building will consist of 19 units over 38,358 sq. ft. of space and a 2,000-sq.-ft. community facility. The units, which range in size from 1,070 to 1,864 sq. ft., some featuring balconies and terraces, are being offered for $1.25 to $3 million. The project is expected to take 15 months. The developer refused to disclose the cost of construction or the construction manager.

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