New York's Green Building History

A City Of Firsts: New York's Green Building Pioneers

The LEED Gold rated Solaire is the first green residential high-rise in North America.

New York's first comprehensive green building project was a series of renovations to the historic Schermerhorn Building in 1992. The seminal New York-based firm Croxton Collaborative Architects designed the project, which now serves as the National Audubon Society headquarters.

Croxton Collaborative also was behind renovations to several floors of the Natural Resources Defense Council building in Manhattan in 1998, New York's first green construction project. Addressing energy efficiency, light, air quality and the health and well-being of the buildings occupants, this project was a watershed moment in the green building movement.

Four Times Square, developed by the Durst Corporation developed and designed by architects Fox & Fowle, became the first green skyscraper in North America in 1999. The property was fully leased within four months of opening, adding significant momentum to the green building movement in New York and nationwide.

A Laying The Foundation: Office of Sustainable Design and Battery Park City

In an effort to identify and implement cost-effective ways to promote environmental responsibility in building design, the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) formed the Office of Sustainable Design (OSD) in 1997.

The OSD published DDC's High Performance Building Guidelines in 1999, which helped introduce sustainable design to DDC project teams and to the entire city. This led to a companion piece for infrastructure published in 2005, which became the groundbreaking High Performance Infrastructure Guidelines.

The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) embraced the LEED Green Building Rating System early on and now has the greatest concentration of LEED high-rise buildings in the country. It is home to the Solaire, a LEED Gold-certified building, and the first green high-rise residential project in North America.

Not to be left behind, the New York City Transit Authority has developed green design guidelines and constructed a number of sustainable projects. Among the most prominent is the Stillwell Avenue subway station in Brooklyn, featuring one of largest thin-film, building-integrated photovoltaic installations in the world.

Urban Green Council, the U.S. Green Building Council of New York, was established at this crucial juncture in 2002, and is now the second-largest USGBC chapter in the nation.

Local Transformation: Bold Steps Toward the Future

New York City enacted Local Law 86 in 2005, requiring most city-owned and city-funded buildings to achieve LEED Silver certification. One of the strongest in the United States, the law was passed due in part to advocacy by Urban Green Council, and is expected to green more than $12 billion worth of city construction by 2017.

In December 2006, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg committed New York City to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30% by 2030. Meeting this challenge will require substantial changes to building infrastructure. This makes Urban Green Council's activities and initiatives, and the city's commitment to LEED, all the more important.

Local Transformation: Bold Steps Toward the Future

New York City enacted Local Law 86 in 2005, requiring most city-owned and city-funded buildings to achieve LEED Silver certification. The first legislative mandate of its kind, the law was passed with help by Urban Green Council, and is expected to green more than $12 billion worth of city construction by 2017.

In December 2007, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg released PlaNYC, a green blueprint for NYC with 127 action items that committed the city to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 30% by 2030. A major installment of that plan occurred in December 2009 when Urban Green worked with the city to enact the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan. This package of legislation mandated audits, benchmarking, retuning, and light retrofits for large buildings – many of which were first in the nation.

New York City achieved another milestone on February 1, 2010 when the NYC Green Codes Task Force, released its 111 recommendations to green the laws and regulations governing construction. Convened and managed by Urban Green at the request of the Mayor and City Council Speaker, the report from this 18-month effort with over 200 volunteers received critical acclaim. Urban Green is now working with the city to refine and implement the task force recommendations.