Tenant Initiatives
A Groundbreaking Program: What It Means for Tenants, The Real Estate Industry and the Environment
On April 5, 2009, President Bill Clinton, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and W&H Properties' Empire State Building (ESB) unveiled a new model for economically viable, replicable energy retrofits in the existing built environment to reduce materially energy consumption, operating costs, and carbon footprint. The announcement was the product of almost two years of coordination, collaboration, and work under a veil of secrecy. Through 2010, we will issue four publications, of which this is the first, explaining the work underway at ESB and the value proposition of our work to brokers and tenants in New York City.
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What Brokers Need to Know; How ESB Helps Tenants
In this, our second of four publications, we would like to explain the impact of this work on our tenants and the brokers who serve them.
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A Case Study: How Skanska Achieved $680,000 in Energy Savings and Expects to Save Even More with ESB’s Energy Efficiency Program
In this, our third of four publications, we illustrate the experiences of one tenant, sharing its no-compromise energy efficiency and the measurement of its cost savings within its first year of occupancy at ESB.
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Leadership in Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency, Convenient Location and Modern Amenities Make the Empire State Building the Venue of Choice for Tenants of All Sizes
In this, the last of four publications (visit www.esbnycleasing.com/advertisements.phtml to see the three prior issues), we summarize what the changes at the Empire State Building means to satisfy today’s tenants and why commercial brokers and their clients should consider ESB first for cost-competitive, state-ofthe-art office space with modern amenities and convenient location.
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Attracting Energy-Efficient Tenants
McNally Message/The Business Case for Going Green
In today's economy, forward-looking companies are searching for innovative ways to boost revenues and reduce operating costs. In a city where 80 percent of office space has already been built, the answer could be this: go green. When Skanska began eyeing the Empire State Building for its new flagship office, Skanska President Mike McNally challenged the project team to prove that building green is affordable. The team accepted the challenge by creating a healthy and productive workplace that would lower energy consumption and operating costs compared to Class A office over the course of the 15-year lease. Skanska's New York office is the first LEED® for Commercial Interiors Platinum certification in the Empire State Building demonstrating the company's commitment to sustainability. In addition to delivering on one of Skanska's core values of environmental stewardship, the company has proven that building green makes good business sense.
Sustainability at Skanska's ESB Office
When Skanska was looking for a new location for its U.S. headquarters, the international construction firm sought a building where it could create a LEED Platinum interior that would cost no more than a typical Class A office space over the life of the lease. The company found what it was seeking not in a new, modern building. Instead, it was on the 32nd floor of the iconic, pre-war Empire State Building.
As the contractor and future occupant, Skanska challenged itself to do what it advises clients to do: Look at the existing space and focus on lifecycle value, not initial costs. The firm collaborated with an experienced team of experts to design and build a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient office space to reduce its energy costs and carbon footprint; provide a healthier, more productive environment for its employees; and demonstrate the economic argument behind energy efficiency in office space design and construction. Today, after nearly two years of occupancy, Skanska is on track to prove the case.
Skanska now benefits from a 58 percent reduction in electricity costs compared to its prior office, which is projected to save the company approximately $680,000 in energy costs over the life of its 15-year lease. This equates to a carbon footprint reduction of nearly 80 tons per year or removing 53 standard size cars from the road. The two largest contributors to energy reduction are the daylight-based lighting scheme and the under-floor air distribution system. Waterless urinals, low-flow toilets and hand-sensing faucets reduce water usage 40 percent below Energy Policy Act standards.
