xxii Introduction

A good example of this is the Condé Nast Building (officially 4 Times

Square), which is located in Midtown Manhattan. The building boasts
48 stories and rises to 809 ft (247 m). It is environmentally friendly with
gas-fired absorption chillers, and a high-performing insulating and shad-
ing curtain wall, that keeps the building’s energy costs down by not
requiring heating or cooling for most of the year. In addition, the build-
ing utilizes solar and fuel cell technology, making it the first project of
its size to incorporate these features in construction. Another example is
the Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park, which is a 1200 foot
(366 m) skyscraper also located in the Midtown area of Manhattan in
New York City, United States. The building is 55 stories high and con-
tains 2,100,000 square feet (195,096 m2) of office space, three escala-
tors, and 52 elevators. COOKFOX Architects designed the project and
who claim the building to be one of the most efficient and ecologically
friendly buildings in the world. The design of the building is environ-
mentally friendly, using technologies such as floor-to-ceiling insulated
glazing to contain heat and maximize natural light, and an automatic
daylight dimming system. The tower also features a gray water system,
which captures rainwater for reuse. Bank of America also states that the
building is made largely of recycled and recyclable materials. At the time
of its completion in 2009, it was the fourth tallest building in New York
City (after One World Trade Center, and the Empire State Building)
and the sixth tallest building in the United States (Hughes, November
5, 2008).
Myth 12: It is difficult or not possible to convert existing conventional
buildings into energy-efficient buildings.
Reality check: It is not really difficult to convert existing buildings into
green/sustainable buildings. Actually, there are numerous scientific rat-
ings and checklists that builders can use to redesign and realign tra-
ditional buildings to meet modern green standards. According to the
premise of Anthony Malkin, President, Malkin Properties, New York
City, “overall upgrades and practices are qualitatively the right thing, but
not quantitatively.You gain benefits toward sustainability, but you cannot
determine a payback period from overall green practices. A true retrofit
requires a fact-based, benchmarked, quantitatively oriented, energy-effi-
ciency retrofit with a clear payback analysis on an integrated multi-
component effort with performance guarantees.” Many rating systems
such as LEED for existing buildings, Canada’s Go Green Plus, and the
Japanese CASBEE certification system all encourage such conversions.