Retrofitting high-rises to go green

Iconic skyscrapers find new luster by going green.

By Chris Kahn, Associated Press July 6, 2009

When owners of the Empire

State Building

decided to blanket its towering facade this year with thousands of insulating

windows, they were only partly interested in saving energy. They also needed

tenants, states an Associated Press article .

After 78 years, Manhattan’s

signature office building had lost its sheen as one of the city’s most

desirable places to work. To get it back, the owners did what an increasing

number of property owners have done – they went green, shelling out $120

million on a variety of environmental improvements, a move would have been

considered a huge gamble a few years ago.

Buildings that define city skylines across the country, some national icons,

are catching up to the sleek, new structures designed with efficiency in mind,

as property owners and managers become convinced that a greener building now

makes financial sense.

That’s because in recent years environmental retrofits have begun to pay off

for owners and tenants alike. Higher-profile companies are seeking out more

efficient office space, and new technology at older buildings has started to

translate into higher property values, leases, and occupancy rates.

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