News
BILL CLINTON: GO RETRO
April 7, 2009
| Yesterday, former President Bill Clinton, Mayor Mike and W&M Properties' Tony Malkin used the Empire State Building as a test case to unveil a new process for analyzing and retrofitting existing structures for sustainability. Also joining: partners Rocky Mountain Institute, JLL, and Johnson Controls (which happened to sign its energy services contract that very morning). |
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| Penny for your thoughts, Mr. President? (Mayor Mike's thinking "That Bisnow reporter, again?") The $20M retrofit adopts elements of the $500M upgrades already in place, aims to reduce energy consumption up to 38%, and serves as a model for others. Work has begun, with building systems scheduled for completion by end of '10 and the balance by '13. The next 18 months will result in half of the project's energy savings, Tony said. It's aiming for Energy Star and LEED-EB Gold—a rarity. |
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| President Clinton says retrofitting is a tremendous opportunity for cities, which produce over 70% of the world's greenhouse gases. In this economic climate, he adds, it may create millions of jobs. Sustainability also proves to be good economics—the Empire State Building will save $4.4M annually, reduce consumption by 40%, and repay its extra net cost in three years. The Building Retrofit Program is part of the Clinton Climate Initiative, which he launched in '06. |
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| Buildings are responsible for 80% of NYC emissions, and Mayor Mike notes the city is spending $100M/ year towards reducing consumption by 30%; green retrofits are part of that strategy. He says the Empire State Building shows you can be ambitious in the worst of times, just like when it was built in the Great Depression. (Is that comparison supposed to make us feel better?) Johnson Controls' Iain Campbell: "If it can be done here, it can be done elsewhere. . . We're teaching an old building new tricks." Also on hand: Rocky Mountain Institutes'Amory Lovins and JLL's Ray Quartararo. |
