Historic Building Goes For Gold
The Empire State Building &mdash certainly the most iconic building in New York City, and arguably in the whole U.S. &mdash is undergoing a sustainability makeover that its owners hope will qualify it for Gold LEED-EB (LEED for Existing Buildings) certification by 2013. Dan Probst, chairman of energy and sustainability services at Chicago-based Jones Lang LaSalle, the large global real estate services firm, which is managing the project, says the nearly 80-year-old building has been fairly easy to work on, and greening it has not involved many complicated or high-tech initiatives.
&ldquo It came down to a handful of tasks,&rdquo he says. &ldquo One was upgrading the building’s 6,500 windows: adding a suspended coated film and a gas fill between the double panes for better installation. We’re adding thermal barriers behind existing radiators, since so much heat had been leaking out of the building. We’re doing lighting retrofits that will allow more use of sunlight, with controls that will allow dimming when lights aren’t in use.
&ldquo You’d be surprised how much better an old building can be made to perform. This is important because there’s demand [from investors, government agencies, lenders, stockholders] for more transparency &mdash more reporting and comparison &mdash in energy use and environmental impact.&rdquo