A
Tale Of Two Towers
The Conde Nast Building, 4 Times Square
This
is the house that Durst built. The 51-story "Green Giant,"
sits at 4 Times Square on the corner of 42nd Street and
Broadway. Designed by Fox & Fowle Architects and developed by
the Durst Organization, it is New York’s first commercially
green-designed, high-rise.
It’s
not easy being green. In fact, it’s downright
expensive.
In
1997, the Durst Orgainzation forked out a cool $240 million to get
the "Green Giant" on its feet. In addition,it plugs in another $14
million each year to keeping it running in an environmentally
friendly fashion. Douglas Durst, president of the Durst
Organization, says that it cost $8-per-square-foot annually to run
the Conde Nast building. Rentals are slightly higher than market
rates, added Durst, up by about 2 per cent.
The
Durst group would not comment on the buildings profit margins
after its green investments. But Durst said Conde Nast building is
running at a profit.
Reuters Building at 3 Times Square
The
Reuters Building is the younger brother of the Conde Nast
Tower.
It’s
a 30-story skyscraper, built at a cost of $360 million. And it is
the 855,000 square foot home of the headquarters for the
international news agency Reuters.
Take
a stroll through these Green Giants and you will experience some
cutting-edge green technology:
Take
a deep breath of some of the freshest indoor air in the city,
thanks to a state-of-the-art filtration system.
The
buildings unique fuel cell technology allows light in while
keeping the heat out.
The
Green Giants saves about 30 percent on their energy bills as
compared to a conventional building.
