New York’s golden landmark has gone green.
The Helmsley Building may glitter in the sun, but until recently it was producing a dark cloud of carbon emissions. Now, thanks to a $100 million renovation that included double-paned windows, a high-tech system to monitor energy use, and better cleaning and trash disposal practices, Monday Properties has received LEED Gold certification for 230 Park Avenue, Hani Salama, the firm’s vice president of operations, told The Observer. It is the first pre-war office tower in New York City to hit that mark.
The 1.4-million-square-foot, top-shelf building will belch 7,000 fewer tons of carbon a year — or about the amount of energy consumed by 300 U.S. citizens every year. “These were good changes,” said Mr. Salama. They may have cost a little bit more in the short-term, “but the plus outweighs the negative,” he added.
The building’s largest tenant, ING, which occupies more than 200,000 square feet, has undergone a greening project of its own, receiving LEED Gold certification for its executive offces in 230 Park, and reducing its overall energy consumption in the building by 30 percent.
Monday owns buildings in Virginia, Washington and New York. But Manhattan’s coveted pre-war buildings pose the biggest greening challenge, Brian Robin, chief operating officer at Monday, said in an interview. “Two-thiry had this terrific pop in that it’s one of our most important assets,” he said.
Monday is in the process of introducing a monitoring system that will help building managers identify where their buildiings are wasting energy. Next the landlord will apply its green thumb to 1440 Broadway, an 85-year-old, 750,000-square-foot building just south of Times Square.
