Bank of America Tower, New York City
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The Bank of America Tower in New York City is a $1 billion skyscraper project currently undergoing construction, on the west side of Sixth Avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Street, opposite Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan. It has been designed to be one of the most highly efficient and ecologically friendly buildings in the world. Construction is expected to be complete in 2008. As its name indicates, Bank of America Corporation will be its anchor tenant.
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[edit] Details
The tower will have two spires: an architectural one that is 1,200 feet (366 m) tall (including antenna), and a 960 foot (293 m) one that will have a wind turbine that will generate electricity for the building. The building will be 54 stories high and will have approximately 2.2 million square feet (204,000 m²) of office space. Upon its scheduled completion, the tower will become the second tallest building in New York City, after the Empire State Building.
Several buildings were demolished to make way for the Bank of America Tower, the tallest being the Remington Building.
[edit] Environmental advantages
In Bank of America's report on the construction of the building, it cited that the design of the building will make it environmentally friendly, using technologies such as wind turbines, translucent floor-to-ceiling insulating glass to contain heat and maximize natural light, and LED lights, which automatically dim during the daytime. The tower also features a greywater system, which captures rainwater and reuses it. Bank of America also states that the building will be made largely of recycled and recyclable materials. [1]
Another interesting innovation is that not only is air entering the building purified to an impressive degree, but that when exhausted is cleaner, thus effectively making the tower a giant air filter for Midtown Manhattan.[2]
The first skyscraper ever to attain a Platinum LEED Certification, 1 Bryant Park is being called "The World's Most Sustainable Skyscraper."[3]
[edit] Second tallest vs Fourth tallest
When comparing building height, only the structural height is used, according to rules and regulations of the World Council on Tall Buildings. [4]
In this case, it is debatable as to whether what is being called an "architectural spire" by the developer[5] will count towards the structural height. Doing a comparison of the Bank of America Tower to the current second tallest building, the Chrysler Building, it seems as though the Chrysler Building is smaller when comparing two factors:
| Tip Height |
Roof Height |
|
|---|---|---|
| Bank of America Tower | 1,200 ft | 944.5 ft |
| Chrysler Building | 1,046 ft | 925 ft |
A formal ruling by the World Council on Tall Buildings has yet to be released.
[edit] Criticism
The tower drew some early criticism when announced in 2003. Critics denounced its usage of $650 million in tax-free liberty bonds, money which was intended to rebuild lower Manhattan after the September 11, 2001 attacks. They also questioned Bank of America's efforts at retaining jobs in the new tower, referencing a deal in 1993 where the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA) allowed Bank of America to move into Tower One of the World Trade Center on the condition that they employed 1,300 workers; however, the number of workers dropped to 830 in 1998.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and governor George Pataki countered the criticism by citing the building's environmentally-friendly design and claiming that it will generate enough jobs to compensate for expenses. The IDA also stated that it will concentrate on job retention, and set specific dates with a certain amount of workers needed to acquire full payout; for example, the tower must have at least 4,400 workers by June 30, 2028.
[edit] Companies involved in construction
- Developer - Durst Organization
- Architect - Cook+Fox Architects, LLP Cook+Fox Architects
- General Contractor - Tishman Construction Corporation
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Emporis's entry on the Bank of America Tower (includes more companies involved)
- Bank of America's entry on the tower
- The Durst Organization, 50% project funders, official site
- Site pictures at Wirednewyork.com
- Report on Bank of America Tower at conway.com
