JPMorgan Chase Completes Largest Renovation Ever to Achieve LEED Platinum

Word on the street is that a restructuring at JPMorgan Chase in New York City is attracting accolades—from environmentalists.

The global investment bank has achieved the highest possible rating, LEED Platinum, from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for the renovation of its global headquarters at 270 Park Avenue in Manhattan—making it the world's largest renovation project to achieve Platinum status.In the United States, existing buildings contribute 50 to 80 percent of urban greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Building Owners and Managers Association.

The JPMorgan Chase Building

The JPMorgan Chase retrofit will enable the primary tenants of the 50-story skyscraper—originally designed in 1959 by the architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill— to cut its electricity consumption in half, compared to pre-renovation levels. In addition, the building will save more than one million gallons of water a year by installing new, highly efficient infrastructure."This was the largest 'green' renovation of a headquarters building in the world, and we completed it while operating in the building," said Frank Bisignano, JPMorgan Chase's chief administrative officer and CEO of Mortgage Banking. "We are extremely proud of the improvements made at 270 Park, which will substantially cut consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Achieving LEED Platinum status is not just a source of pride; it is very sound business."Earning the Platinum rating meant upgrading and modernizing every system and feature in the building— from heating and air conditioning, to lighting, insulation, plumbing fixtures, flooring, and outside views. To minimize disruptions at the fully occupied site, an average of 400 construction workers a day completed the renovation in phases, working on up to ten floors at a time.

With each new LEED-certified building, we get one step closer to USGBC's vision of a sustainable built environment for everyone within a generation," said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council. "The work of innovative, forward-thinking building projects such as the Park Avenue headquarters of JPMorgan Chase is a fundamental driving force in the green building movement."

LEED Platinum certification of JPMorgan Chase's global headquarters was based on a number of green design and construction features, including:

• New systems to improve energy efficiency—among them, heating and air conditioning equipment; lighting with occupancy sensors and daylight dimming controls; Energy Star kitchen appliances, computers and monitors; and new building insulation and window tint to reduce glare, heat gain, and air conditioning load;
• A 54,000 gallon tank in the cellar that collects rain water from drains on the roof and plaza, which is stored and filtered, and then used in landscaping and to flush toilets in the lower part of the building— saving more than one million gallons of water a year and halving the amount used by the building;
• Nearly 16,500 square feet of new landscaping, including green roofs that feature low-maintenance plants— to help reduce building temperatures in the summer, while reducing stress on the city's sewer system on rainy days;
• Reuse of more than 99 percent of the original building and recycling  of more than 85 percent of construction waste,  including 990,000 square feet of carpeting—to divert more than 12,000 tons of construction waste from landfills;
• New floor designs and layout— to give 85 percent of employees natural daylight at their desks, with more than 92 percent enjoying exterior views; and
• More than 250 bicycle racks— to encourage employee well being and greener commutes.

The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification system is the foremost program for the design, construction, and operation of sustainable buildings. Over 44,000 projects are currently participating in the LEED rating systems, comprising more than 8 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 U.S. states and 120 nations.

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