Seven NYC Landlords Paving The Way For Innovative Office Buildings

New York City is already one of the United States' most sustainable cities, according to Arcadis' sustainable city index. Thanks to the ingenuity of several prominent landlords, it is also on the path to becoming the best connected. As smart building technology, high-speed internet and luxury amenities become the norm, commercial properties have had to adapt to changing consumer needs.

Bisnow and WiredScore, the creator of the Wired Certification commercial real estate rating system that empowers landlords to understand, improve and promote their buildings' digital infrastructure, have compiled a list of seven NYC landlords bringing innovation and a tenant-centric focus to their properties.

Rudin Management Co.

Rudin Management has achieved Wired Certification for 16 buildings across New York City including: 3 Times Square, 32 Avenue of the Americas, 55 Broad and 641 Lexington. The company has also built a reputation as a leader in smart building technology.

Rudin founded Prescriptive Data, the property technology company behind Nantum, an intelligent, mobile, machine-learning system that integrates all building operations using prescriptive and predictive analytics. Nantum is designed to optimize building systems and improve tenant comfort. It functions as the “brain” of the building, ingesting sensor data to build a holistic view of the property in real time. Rudin Management has deployed Nantum in 17 of its New York City buildings, including 15 commercial buildings and two residential towers.

Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President John J. Gilbert is also a member of the WiredScore Connectivity Advisory Committee. Gilbert and other committee members contribute their learning and experience to help push the global CRE community forward in adopting technologically advanced building design.  

Edward J. Minskoff Equities

Edward J. Minskoff Equities oversees all phases of its properties from financing, design and development to management and leasing. This approach allows it to deliver premier buildings to the market and guarantee a high level of tenant service and satisfaction. Minskoff Equities currently boasts three Wired Certified Platinum properties and one Wired Certified Gold building in NYC. 

At one of Minskoff Equities' Platinum-certified buildings, 590 Madison, Colony Northstar signed a 40K SF lease. It is the first over $100/SF relocation larger than 25K SF in the Plaza District since 2014.

Jack Resnick & Sons

Jack Resnick & Sons has achieved Wired Certification for 11 of its office holdings in Manhattan, with all the properties meeting Gold or Platinum standards. They were also early adopters of Wired Certification, demonstrating a vision for improving the connectivity of NYC’s office inventory and delivering better wireless infrastructure to commercial tenants.

“Today’s commercial tenants have critical connectivity needs with respect to bandwidth, reliability and redundancy, and if a building doesn’t meet their standards, they’ll seek out a property that does,” Resnick & Sons President Jonathan Resnick said. “As a true broadband connectivity benchmark, Wired Certification helps us differentiate and market our buildings to attract and retain elite tenants.”

In the past 12 months, Resnick & Sons has announced new anchor tenants and tenant expansions at Wired Certified properties 880 Third Ave., 250 Hudson St. and 315 Hudson St.

Equity Office Properties

Equity Office is a forward-thinking company with an eye to the future and a finger on the pulse of the needs of today’s tenants. All four of Equity’s properties in New York City have achieved Wired Certified Platinum status: Park Avenue Tower, 1740 Broadway, 44 Wall St. and 114 West 41st St.

At 1740 Broadway, Equity focused on creating pre-built spaces that boast high-quality finishes, exposed ceilings, polished concrete floors and open pantries. Arcade Beauty, a marketing and sampling solution for fragrance, beauty and personal care brands, signed a 10-year, 10K SF lease at the office building, attracted by the renovated space.

ABS Partners

The Flatiron, where ABS Partners maintains 915 Broadway, is a hub for NYC tech startups. Given the growing demand from tenants for increased connectivity options and capacity, ABS has moved to promote its offices as tech-friendly destinations.

“When it comes to attracting tech tenants, we know that connectivity is high on their list, even first," ABS partner and Executive Managing Director Jay Caseley said. "So we pursued Wired Certification for our properties and worked to ensure our stock has a variety of telecom providers.”

ABS wired the 250K SF, 20-story building with fiber-optic cables to give tenants the highest level of internet connectivity. The landlord has spent $2M renovating the lobby and adding amenities to suit new, tech-oriented tenants like General Assembly and Union Square Ventures.

George Comfort & Sons

George Comfort & Sons is one of New York's oldest and most reputable real estate firms. The company currently manages over 12M SF of commercial property, 70% of which it maintains ownership interest in. The landlord boasts six Wired Certified Platinum buildings in NYC and three Gold certified properties.

In 2013, digital content development and talent management firm Alloy Digital signed a lease for the entire 19th floor at 498 Seventh Ave., one of George Comfort & Sons' Wired Certified Platinum buildings. The deal came with the promise that the sublandlord would redevelop the space to meet the needs of the firm.

Empire State Realty Trust

A number of Empire State Realty Trust's pre-war trophy buildings, including The Empire State Building, have achieved Platinum Wired Certification, indicating that the properties have met the highest standard for connectivity in commercial office space. The company was one of the first to achieve Wired Certification, ensuring that tenants in Empire State Realty Trust's buildings can access the services they need and rely on the digital connectivity of their office building.

“[Wired Certification] is designed to provide transparent metrics for comparing office building technology and internet connectivity, which will enable tenants and brokers to make informed decisions when choosing to relocate offices,” Empire State Realty Trust Executive Vice President and Director of Leasing and Operations Thomas P. Durels said. “We are proud to be among the first to participate in its launch and implementation.”

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