Walk this way to the office of the future.

We may not be riding to work in spaceships or have robots catering to our every whim like the Jetsons, but the city's newest office towers are proof positive that the office of tomorrow has finally arrived.

The Bank of America Tower, 7 World Trade Center and the New York Times building are just a few of the buildings that are taking efficiency and luxury to new levels, transforming the workplace into a high-tech haven where often the building knows what you want before you do.

"The building can literally recognize you," said Scott Frank, a partner at Jaros, Baum & Bolles, a full-service mechanical and electrical consulting engineering firm responsible for the sustainable design elements in 7WTC. "We are dealing with the most state-of-the-art technology available."

All three buildings share a common elevator design known as Destination Dispatch. Originally created by the Schindler Elevator Corporation--the world's second largest elevator company and its largest escalator provider--the Miconic 10 elevator allows passengers to request the floor they wish to travel to before even stepping into the elevator. Using an external keypad located in the lobby area of each floor, users enter the floor they require and then the keypad will indicate which elevator they should use to get there in the shortest time.

Also known as the smart elevator, the system basically groups people going to common floors together, instead of having them randomly board the first elevator that arrives.

"The elevator will literally tell you what stops it is making and all you have to do is enjoy the ride. It allows the elevators to make less stops and you get to your floor much quicker," said Michael Landis, vice president of Business Development for Schindler.

"In New York, it's like taking a limousine to where you need to go instead of the train or bus."

At 7WTC, a microchip in a tenant's ID card tells the smart elevator which floor the employee is going to and automatically takes him there.

Once you reach your work area, the sky's the limit when it comes to comfort. At the 52-story New York Times Building on 8th Avenue at 41st Street heating and cooling vents on the floor instead of on the ceiling allow employees to control their own environment.

David Thurm, senior vice president and chief information officer at The New York Times, explained how a single vent at each workspace allows the employee to adjust the temperature around their own area, a boon to any office worker who has ever been plagued by chilly corners in winter or blistering window seats in summer.

Thurm added, "Since hot air rises, pumping fresh air through the floor that will leave through the ceiling in a low pressure will make the room evenly cooled."

The developers have focused on every facet of convenience, including the use of motion detectors that mean staff don't even have to switch on their own lights! That technology also saves the building owner from needless power charges because the lights go out when nobody's there.

Natural light plays a major role in these innovative offices, but installing floor to ceiling windows wasn't enough. Explained Thrum, "What we've created that sets us apart is a system that detects when it's too sunny and then shades automatically drop." Specifically, the New York Times Building has a double curtain wall that uses ceramic rods placed 18 inches from the outside glass of the building to deflect sunlight and act as built in sunscreen for both the building and the employees. The first of its kind to be built in the US, the curtain wall will reflect light and change color throughout the day.

When the system detects the sunlight to be too high, it automatically drops the shades to prevent glare. Simultaneously, the lighting in the room will adjust. Of course, all of this will only happen if the motion detectors have registered a person or persons using that particular space--otherwise the lights will stay off.

In the event that a light fixture somehow blows out, there's a system monitoring that, too. "Basically, the system says 'Hi, I'm light bulb X on the X floor and I'm out. Please fix me,'" joked Thurm.

For male tenants in the Bank of America Tower at 1 Bryant Park--co-owned by the Douglas Organization and the bank--there's an interesting surprise in the bathroom. Jordan Barowitz, director of internal affairs at the Durst Organization, explained how waterless urinals have been installed to both eliminate the need for flushing and eliminate odor.

In case of emergency, these building are each leap years ahead. Each has building-wide air filters that will purge stairwells of smoke and they also have carbon monoxide monitors that adjust the amount of fresh air when necessary.

While such high-technology may be tend to be on the pricey side, the developer are recouping their cash in energy savings while also protecting the environment. All three buildings have attained coveted LEED certification from the US Green Buildings Council and all three have proven to be a magnet for tenants.

"Building efficiency features have certainly been positive when it comes to attracting tenants," said Barowitz. "We're are 95% leased and we're still six months away from topping off."