Hearst's green tower gets gold LEED rating.

The spectacular Hearst Tower has become just the second office building in New York City to be given a gold star for its "green" status.

Hearst Corporation president & CEO Victor F. Ganzi and U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president, CEO and founding chair, Rick Fedrizzi, announced that the

Lord Norman Foster-designed tower achieved a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating for high environmental performance both on its exterior and interior fit-out and systems--the first office tower in the city to do so.

Silverstein Properties' Seven World Trade Center was the first NYC office tower to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council earlier this year for the high environmental performance of it exterior (core and shell). The Durst Organization is aiming to achieve a platinum LEED rating for it's new Bank of America tower currently under construction in Bryant Park. "The world looks to New York for innovation, ideas, validation, and a skyline that's unlike any other," said Fedrizzi.

"Hearst's magnificent new LEED Gold building will help us use the language of architecture to build a very different kind of skyline, one whose value is measured not just in beauty but also in operational efficiency, in environmental sensitivity, and in improved health for those lucky enough to occupy the space." The environmentally-conscious approach to building the new head-quarters for the communications conglomerate began prior to construction when, demolishing the interior portions of its original six-story structure, Hearst and its team separated and recycled about 90% of the original structure for future use.

Working with Lord Foster, Hearst settled upon an innovative "diagrid" system that creates a series of four-story triangles on the facade. In addition to giving the tower an architectural distinctiveness, it provides the tower with superior structural efficiency.

As a result, Hearst eliminated the need for approximately 2,000 tons of steel, a 20% savings over a typical office building.

Hearst executives also selected an innovative type of glass that wraps around the exterior of the building. The glass has a special "low-E" coating that allows for internal spaces to be flooded with natural light while keeping out the invisible solar radiation that causes heat.

Light sensors were installed to control the amount of artificial light on each floor based on the amount of natural light available at any given time. The optimization of natural light has been demonstrated in recent studies to have important, positive effects on occupant health, quality of life and productivity.

Hearst also is utilizing technology that senses activity level. For instance, at lunchtime, when some employees are leaving or not using their computers, motion sensors will detect this and adjust the system accordingly. These sensors will allow for lights and computers to be turned off when a room is vacant.

In addition, the corporation is using high efficiency heating and air-conditioning equipment that will utilize outside air for cooling and ventilation for 75% of the year, as well as Energy Star appliances. These and other energy-saving features are expected to increase energy efficiency by 26% compared to a standard office building.

The roof has been designed to collect rainwater, which will reduce the amount of water dumped into the City's sewer system during rainfall by 25%. The rainwater is then harvested in a 14,000-gallon reclamation tank located in the basement of the Hearst Tower. The water is used to replace water lost to evaporation in the office air-conditioning system. It also feeds into a special pumping system to irrigate plantings and trees inside and outside of the building. It is expected that the captured rain will produce about half of the watering needs while also serving to humidify and chill the tower's ten-story atrium as necessary.

The corporation's environmental focus did not stop after construction and installation of building systems.

While the Tower was designed to include as few internal walls as possible in order to maximize natural light, the walls that do exist are coated with low-vapor paints. Workstations and offices are furnished with desks, chairs and other furniture that is formaldehyde-free. Concrete surfaces are furnished with low-toxicity sealants. The floors beneath and the ceiling tiles above were manufactured with recycled content, and the wood is harvested from sustainable forests.

"New York City and the Columbus Circle area of Manhattan have been Hearst's home for nearly a century, and when we decided to build a new home here, we had to get it right," said Hearst's Victor Ganzi. "Our approach to environmental sustainability is an outgrowth of our determination to build the best building for our employees, our neighborhood and our city.

"We are proud of this designation as it validates our hard work and hopefully raises the bar for future office towers in New York City."

Ganzin also acknowledged the efforts of the construction and design team, its development manager, Tishman Speyer; architectural firms Foster & Partners, Gensler and Adamson Associates; its construction manager, Turner Construction; and the engineering firms, WSP Cantor Seinuk and Flack + Kurtz.