Bank of America New York Skyscraper Wins Highest LEED Certification Ever
There are green buildings and then there are GREEN buildings. The Bank of America Tower in New York has won the highest LEED certification ever which makes it a GREEN building.
The Bank of America Tower is a rather impressive structure. Completed in 2008 at a cost of nearly two billion dollars, the entity is 54 stories of high tech green technology and sustainable standard. The Tower is so impressive, it has received the "platinum" rating from the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest certification ever given to a commercial building.
The certification is hardly a surprise. Bank of America made a conscious effort to build a building that was not only environmentally friendly, but was going to go to extremes. The powers that be at the bank specifically instructed the design team, Cook & Fox Architects, that the building must be cutting edge on all the relevant fronts. It is exactly that!
Let's start with the basics of construction. The steel used in the building is 87 percent recycled. The concrete is 45 percent. The floor to ceiling windows are treated for thermal exchange and limit the lighting needs of the offices. Perhaps even more impressive, the building has its own 4.6 megawatt co-generation power plant.
The approach to water usage is also very impressive. The roof captures rain water for use in the building. The waste water from the sinks is recycled on site. The urinals for men are waterless. The total savings on water usage each year is nearly 9 million gallons. That is a very hefty savings.
As you've probably noticed, banks haven't exactly been held up in a good light lately. They have managed to disprove the old cliché that any PR is good PR. While Bank of America deserves all the criticism it gets, this is one area where it should be lauded. When the Tower was launched in 2004, there was little in the way of hard green building standards in New York City. The fact the bank went well above and beyond to create this building is something that should be lauded.