NEW YORK—New York Convention Center Operating Corp. President and CEO Alan Steel announced that the Javits Center has achieved LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the developers of the LEED building rating system. This certification follows the completion of a comprehensive renovation and revitalization. Located on Manhattan’s West Side, the Javits Center is considered the busiest convention center in the United States, supporting more than 17,000 jobs and generating up to $1.8 billion in economic activity for the Empire State. Led by the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, FXFOWLE, Epstein and Tishman Construction, an AECOM Company, the historic renovation has reduced the building’s energy consumption by 26 percent, saving energy costs and improving the area’s quality of life. The building’s signature feature—a nearly 7-acre green roof—is the country’s second largest of its kind and has become a sanctuary for area wildlife, including hundreds of bats, birds and bees.
“The Javits Center has become a model of sustainability for buildings throughout the region, and I would like to thank the U.S. Green Building Council for recognizing such an achievement,” said Alan Steel, President and CEO of the New York Convention Center Operating Corp., who operates the Javits Center. “Our mission has always been to support New York’s economy, but with our recent improvements, we are now supporting our community in a new way. I would like to commend the New York Convention Center Development Corporation, FXFOWLE, Epstein and Tishman Construction for their work in reimagining and reinvigorating a New York icon that is critical to New York’s economic future.”
“Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State has been an environmental leader, and this LEED certification is a great step forward for the Javits Center,” said Empire State Development (ESD) President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “The Center’s new ‘green’ features reduce energy consumption and create wildlife habitats in the heart of Manhattan.”
Original Building ‘Fraught with Problems’
“The Javits Center’s original building was ahead of its time technologically, but it was fraught with problems,” said Bruce Fowle, Founding Principal, FXFOWLE. “Our goal was to retain the integrity and vision of the original design while capitalizing on opportunities to reinvent, revitalize, and sustain this dynamic, world class facility.”
“We are proud to have worked with the entire team to give new life to this nationally recognized convention center,” said Jay Badame, President and COO for the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania regions of Tishman Construction. “Through innovative planning and logistical coordination, our team was able to transform the Javits Center into an environmentally responsible, state-of-the-art building, while allowing it to remain open and active.”
Funded by a public-private partnership, the $463 million renovation project provided a significant upgrade to the Javits Center’s infrastructure, improving the aesthetics of the facility while enhancing its overall operations and services to customers. More than 100 energy-efficient HVAC units were installed, as well as 300,000 square feet of new terrazzo, a new food court in the Crystal Palace, energy-efficient lighting and a dozen renovated restrooms. During the five-year renovation project that was completed in 2014, the Javits Center remained fully open at all times as staff and construction managers worked together to coordinate construction operations around the busy event schedule.
Green Roof Almost Seven Acres
As a part of the renovation, specific sustainable strategies included:
• A 6.75-acre green roof, the second largest on a single, freestanding structure in the country. The green roof can absorb an average of 72 percent of the rainfall that falls on it, as well as conserve energy by moderating temperature inside the building and reducing the temperature of air drawn into the rooftop HVAC units for air-conditioning.
• With the installation of both new and upgraded fixtures, the Javits Center achieves a 32 percent reduction in regulated potable water annually, per LEED 2.2. That amounts to 2.9 million gallons of water saved annually. These savings equate to drinking water for up to 1,000 people for the duration of one year.
• Seventy-seven percent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill, per LEED 2.2. Of 9,865 tons of waste generated, 7,567 tons were diverted.
The curtain wall was replaced with a combination of solid stainless steel panels and glass that reduced the reflectivity from 35 percent to 8 percent and included a ceramic frit pattern that reduced solar gain while creating a visual obstruction for the birds. With more than 6,000 new, bird-friendly glass panels installed, bird collisions decreased by 90 percent, allowing the building to transform into a unique habitat for area wildlife atop its green roof. As a result, the building has received accolades from the National Audubon Society, New York City Audubon, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Building Owners and Managers Assn., as well as features in various news outlets such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News and CBS News.
The design team implemented energy efficiency measures that resulted in a 9.1 percent EUI reduction from the baseline, per the LEED energy model. This equates to a 16 percent reduction in annual consumption and an 11.3 percent reduction in annual energy cost. Efficient building upgrades include demand control ventilation via CO2 sensors, improved glass ratings (vertical glazing covers 45 percent of gross wall area), installation of better-insulated wall and roof assemblies and reduction of the heat island effect through green roof evapo-transpiration.
Go to the Javits Center.
