LEED Certification For 1271 Avenue Of The Americas Pushes Sixth Ave. Ahead Of Park in Manhattan

PRLog (Press Release) - Apr. 21, 2012 - NEW YORK – April 21, 2012 – The Rockefeller Group today announced that Sixth Avenue has now surpassed Park Avenue for the most LEED-EB certified buildings in Manhattan.  LEED-EB is the designation for existing buildings that meet the standards for sustainability and energy efficiency set forth by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).  The analysis comes just in time for Earth Day, which is celebrated Sunday, April 22.

Sixth Avenue moved ahead of Park Avenue with the recent LEED certification for 1271 Avenue of the Americas (also known as the Time & Life Building), a 2.1 million square foot class-A building owned by The Rockefeller Group, a major New York-based global property investor, developer and manager.  In addition to breaking a tie between the city’s two most prominent corporate corridors, 1271 Avenue of the Americas – which earned certification as LEED-EB Silver – moved the West Side ahead of the East Side for the most LEED-EB buildings by a margin of one.

Sustainability experts consider LEED-EB certification an important initiative due to the enormous inventory of existing property in Manhattan and the relatively limited new construction in recent years.  To date, only 37 buildings in Manhattan have qualified for LEED-EB certification.  By comparison, there are more than 1,650 office buildings alone below 59th Street in Manhattan, according to Cushman & Wakefield data.  By that measure, existing buildings are likely to make the most significant contribution to sustainability initiatives in the near future, primarily through reductions in energy consumption.

“[With LEED certification] we’re still in the very early stages of what will be the future of office buildings, and we’re committed to that future,” said Kevin R. Hackett, president and chief executive officer of The Rockefeller Group, at a recent reception for tenants and guests of 1271 Avenue of the Americas.  “Time & Life opened in December 1959, yet it remains one of the most advanced and modern buildings” thanks to proactive, hands-on management and ongoing capital improvements, he added.

“There are benefits from day one of going through the LEED application process, benchmarking energy efficiency and other building systems, and then striving for improvements,” said Blaise Cresciullo, senior vice president of Asset Services for The Rockefeller Group.  “It’s consistent with best practices in building operations and management, and we expect to continue to support the efforts of the city and the U.S. Green Building Council in New York.”  

An analysis of Manhattan’s existing buildings with LEED certification shows a high concentration of larger office buildings accounting for a significant portion of the total, with at least 18 of the 37 buildings larger than 1.0 million square feet.  The Rockefeller Group owns two of the five largest, 1221 Avenue of the Americas (approximately 2.7 million square feet) and 1271 Avenue of the Americas (approximately 2.1 million square feet).  

Information regarding LEED certified buildings in Manhattan is publicly available and searchable at http://www.usgbc.org/LEED/Project/CertifiedProjectList.aspx.

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Greenest Manhattan Streets for LEED-EB certification (as of April 2012):

1.       Avenue of the Americas = 7 buildings
2.       Park Avenue = 6
3.       Madison = 4
4.       Seventh Avenue = 4
5.       Broadway = 3
6.       Third Avenue = 3
7.       Fifth Avenue = 2
8.       Other = 8

West Side vs. East Side for LEED-EB certification (as of April 2012):

West Side = 19 buildings
East Side = 18

(Source: U.S. Green Building Council; The Rockefeller Group)