NYC Office Receives LEED Silver Status

Washington, DC, August 16, 2007--The New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM) headquarters has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED is the USGBC’s system for designing and constructing the world’s most environmentally efficient buildings. OEM’s office is the first city agency headquarters – and one of only nine buildings citywide – to earn silver certification. 

OEM’s headquarters, which opened last fall, was designed to achieve LEED certification for site selection, water and energy efficiency, material use, and a variety of other environmental measurements.

“OEM is engaged in environmental issues year round -- air quality, water and energy conservation, climate issues, debris management – these are areas of strong familiarity to us,” said OEM Commissioner Joseph Bruno.

“Given these concerns, we felt a responsibility to create a building that was healthier for our staff, healthier for the environment, and could serve as a leading example for other city agencies.”

Some of the building's green features include a roof surfaced with light colored material including pavers made from recycled content. These materials help to reflect sunlight rather than absorb it.

The columns and floors of the building are reused from the superstructure of a former Red Cross headquarters.

Also, 20% of the materials in the building were manufactured locally and  50% of construction waste was diverted from landfills.

Building materials included low emissions compounds such as paint, furniture, adhesives, and carpet. OEM has also installed high efficiency air filters and CO monitors to track the quantity of fresh air.

The building uses 33% less water than a conventional building by employing low flow fixtures and waterless urinals and eliminating the need for landscape irrigation by using native species of plants.

The facility has dedicated exhaust for janitors’ closets and printer areas.

The windows have efficient thermal properties which lowers energy usage.

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