Despite being known as New York City’s most energy-efficient skyscraper, and the sparkling green credentials of its developer, the Durst Organization’s One Bryant Park uses more energy than the Empire State Building, the New Republic reported.
The skyscraper was given a LEED-platinum rating by U.S. Green Building Council, the highest of its kind. However, citing data released by New York City last fall, the New Republic reported that the Bank of America headquarters produces more greenhouse gases and uses more energy per square foot than any similarly sized Manhattan office building.
In fact, the building, which Al Gore once endorsed for its environmentally conscious design, uses more than twice the energy per square foot as the Empire State Building. It also performs worse than the Goldman Sachs headquarters at 200 West Street, a building with a lower LEED rating.
The article goes on to point out that the problem isn’t that the tower, located on Sixth Avenue between 42nd and 43rd streets, is wasteful, but rather that the LEED certification system judges the building before it is occupied. In other words, buildings are evaluated on design rather than actual usage or performance. [New Republic] – James Comtois