Green Buildings NYC

The Principal Financial Group recently earned an unspecified level of LEED for Commercial Interiors (”LEED-CI”) certification for its corporate headquarters space on the 25th floor of 888 Seventh Avenue in Midtown. Designed by M Moser Associates, the 19,800-square-foot office includes extensive natural daylighting, low-flow water fixtures, and other energy-efficient systems. The space was designed to achieve a 15 percent reduction in energy consumption through occupancy sensors and programmable, efficient HVAC units.

I did not attend West Coast Green last week, but was pleased to see that the conference included a panel discussion about the emerging legal risks associated with building green, titled “Packing a Parachute: Practices that Minimize Risk and Prompt Best Use of Green Features.” Some of the panelists’ remarks (which were published yesterday in an article on GreenerBuildings.com) resonated particularly salient in light of recent posts here at gbNYC, particularly with respect to how green projects are marketed, as well as our presentation of the country’s first green bui

Greenock Capital is executing a green renovation of the historic two-story Risk Building at 535 Springfield Avenue in Summit, New Jersey. The building dates from 1873 and is named for Dr. William H. Risk, a medical doctor who settled in Summit that same year. Greenock has retained Wesketch Architecture of Millington, New Jersey as the architect of record for the project, which will preserve much of the building’s original granite and brownstone facade features.

The Daily News is reporting that White Coffee Corp.- a third-generation, family-owned coffee business based in Queens- has earned an unspecified level (and type) of LEED certification for its headquarters building at 18-35 38 Street in Long Island City, across the street from the Steinway Piano factory. Details about the project are slim, but did include the installation of energy-efficient lighting throughout the company’s space, as well as a reorganization of truck delivery routes to conserve fuel.

Developed by Toll Brothers and The Kibel Companies, sales have opened at 303 East 33rd Street, which is touting itself as Murray Hill’s first green residential project. The 12-story tower will feature 128 units and seek an unspecified level of LEED certification. Perkins Eastman is the architect; studios to three-bedrooms range from 500 to 3000 square feet and from $635,000 to $4.5 million.

• Overview of co-generation installations in New York City buildings, including Millennium Tower in Battery Park City
• Columbia earns top grade for sustainability among U.S. university campuses

The P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center in Long Island City, Queens is an affiliate of the Museum of Modern Art and offers exhibition space for some of the most experimental modern art in the world, featuring over 50 different exhibitions annually, as well as various musical and performance programming.

As you may know, the USGBC recently accepted public comments on proposed amendments to its certified wood credit. The purpose of the effort is to establish “a clear set of metrics, proposed as the USGBC Forest Certification System Benchmark, that any forest certification system must meet in order to be recognized within LEED.” In its current form, only Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood products are eligible for LEED points.

Designed by USA Architects of Somerville, New Jersey, the 90,000-square-foot Center for Lifelong Learning will accomodate 175 autistic and disabled children aged 3 to 21 and is aiming for the first LEED Platinum rating of any school in the state of New Jersey. The $23 million project just recently broke ground in Sayreville and should be ready in September of 2009.

After taking effect earlier this year, the New York City Green Schools Guide and Rating System (“GSG”) now applies to all new school construction, modernization, and renovation projects in the five boroughs. The GSG and Rating System is based on LEED, but also incorporates elements from the Collaborative for High Performing Schools Rating System (developed by Washington, Massachusetts, and New York States) and the School Construction Authority’s Best Practices.