Another industry-leading company recently joined the growing roster of prestigious tenants at the Empire State Building. Skanska, one of the 10 largest construction companies in the world, is currently involved in notable projects throughout New York City, and will soon be tackling another important project - the construction of its own LEED-certified space on the Empire State Building's 32nd floor. [LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.]

According to Steven Pressler, area general manager for Skanska, the objective is to achieve a LEED rating of Gold or higher. He explains that 90 percent of the space "will have full daylight access," and that "all full-time occupants will have an exterior view. Private offices will be located in the core area, while all open cubicles will sit on the perimeter."

In addition, he notes that the office "will have a pressurized raised floor system that will allow employees to individually control their working environment temperature, providing maximized thermal comfort," and that "all sealants, paints and adhesives will meet LEED requirements for low to zero volatile organic compounds (VOC), and the highest grade of recycled materials will be chosen for the finishes."

Steve Pressler

These plans are an outgrowth of Skanska's leadership in green building. They are strongly supported by Cook + Fox and Swanke Hayden Connell, the project's architects, as well as the staff of the Empire State Building, who are themselves spearheading many green initiatives. As Mr. Pressler points out, Skanska has "had a lot of support from the Empire State Building management team in our efforts to successfully target a LEED office. This is crucial to the end result in pursuing such a project."

Skanska, in turn, is a strong supporter of the ESB's Re-Building program. "We are committed to the revitalization of the building, and felt that developing a LEED-certified office would contribute to this effort," says Mr. Pressler.

There were other factors influencing the firm's decision to lease space at the property, however. "This is an historic building in the heart of New York City," Mr. Pressler notes. "We at Skanska pride ourselves on being city builders. What better place to relocate our offices than to one of the most iconic office buildings on the New York skyline?"

Furthermore, Skanska employees appreciate the proximity to multiple sources of mass transit systems (Grand Central, Penn Station, PATH and many subway lines) and the "tremendous" facilities and resources available to a company in the Midtown area, he adds.

Founded in 1887 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Skanska has 60,000 employees in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America. Two hundred of these employees work in or around the greater New York area. Those based in the Empire State Building will include the New York construction staff units, a commercial development team, and some corporate officers.

The firm's current work in the New York City area comprises a wide range of prestigious clients and projects, such as the United Nations, Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Staten Island Hospital, St. Barnabas Hospital, Hudson River Park Trust, the Public Health Lab, the Brooklyn Children's Museum, and the American Airlines Security Checkpoint at LaGuardia airport, to name a few. Skanska is also working with CUNY's City College to complete a new science research facility, and recently won a contract to renovate Madison Square Garden.

"We could not have selected a better partner to magnify the changing tenancy and physical improvements being achieved through our repositioning program," says Steve Eynon, director of leasing at the Empire State Building. "Skanska is an internationally revered brand, a leader in its industry and a pioneer of green initiative building practices."

For more information about Skanska, please visit http://www.skanska.com.