Chrysler Building gets a green makeover

The Chrysler Building may not light up like its fellow Midtown landmark, the Empire State Building, but the iconic property just got a little greener. Owner Tishman Speyer Properties has received a LEED gold certification for the 1.2 million-square-foot office tower, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Tishman spent two years updating the building’s energy, waste, water and maintenance systems. The upgrades include new plumbing fixtures that will cut the property’s water consumption by 64 percent; a waste-management policy that will ensure 81 percent of the building’s waste is recycled; and a 21 percent reduction in energy usage.

A source told the Journal that the makeover cost “less” than the $20 million environmental overhaul to the Malkin Properties’ Empire State Building, which received LEED gold certification in 2011.

The U.S. Green Building Council administers the LEED program, which stands for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design.

While LEED certification is no longer rare, not all developers seek the designation. The Durst Organization recently said it would forgo LEED certification at its pyramid-shaped residential development on West 57th Street and the Hudson River, since it will implement its own green technologies and policies. [WSJ, 2nd item] – Leigh Kamping-Carder