Breaking Green

The Conde Nast tower - unlike the Reuters building - is not eligible for the new "green" building state tax credit. The tax break was written into New York State law in May 2000 - after the Conde Nast building went up. Had the Conde Nast building opened shop after this tax break, the Durst Organization would have racked up a tidy $2.4 million. But Douglas Durst is not huffing and puffing about losing out on the green break. He's looking ahead at his next green project at One Bryant Park, right next door to the Conde Nast building.

Others are not as blase. Green-design critics say the amount from the tax incentive is no green deal. They say it will barely cover the cost of standard environmental measures - which add to the high price tag for green construction.

But architects are singing a different tune. They say if nothing else the "green" tag can help buildings distinguish themselves. "I see it as a significant marketing advantage," says Robert Fox, a senior principal at Fox & Fowle Architects, the Manhattan firm that designed both 3 and 4 Times Square.

Go forth...Go green...

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Gravel on the terrace of Conde Nast Building

"I see it as a significant marketing advantage," Robet Fox, Principal Architect, Fox and Fowle.