As regional architect for the Reckson Division of the SL Green Realty Corporation, Jason Black oversees a whopping 5.5 million square feet of commercial Class A office space throughout Westchester and Connecticut. With experience ranging from interior architecture to tenant office development and capital, Black has become a leader within New York City’s largest commercial office landlord. He has also become a leader in sustainable building, specializing in creating high-quality, green commercial office space. As a result, the Reckson Division has initiated a successful sustainability program, in connection with the Westchester County Climate Change Action Committee and the White Plains Green Technology Committee. MGB asked Black a few questions about his work at Reckson and the importance of sustainable architecture and construction.
As an architect, how has the advent of green construction techniques changed the way that buildings are designed? Has it reorganized the planning process?
Currently, as much as 70 percent of the emitted green house gasses come from buildings, and in addition to being a major contributor toward energy consumption, water use, and waste generation. Green construction provides an opportunity for architects to significantly impact issues surrounding global warming while creating a healthier and more productive environment for its inhabitants. The effect of sustainability on the architecture, construction, and real estate industry has a profound effect on architectural design. It has broadened the depth of factors we need to consider when designing spaces and buildings. A building is no longer solely a product of form/function, as architects need to consider the environmental impacts related to its components, occupants, and the relationship to its surrounding environment. It is no longer simply about how many offices are needed to achieve a business requirement, but aspects of orientation, access to natural light, electrical efficiencies, air quality, acoustics, thermal issues, ability to reuse materials, and materials with recycled content become paramount.
What types of projects does the Reckson Division focus on? Do these projects tend to focus on green construction and sustainability?
Reckson currently works on a variety of projects that relate to tenant office space as well as many other base building projects. When a new project starts to take shape, as a component of the design, Reckson outlines key sustainable factors that make sense to a particular project. This has allowed for various programs to grow over time, and opened doors for other large scale sustainable projects. The culmination of our efforts was most apparent in the reposition of 150 Grand Street in White Plains, New York. This complete building renovation, aimed at creating Class A office space for our tenants, reused an existing property, which incorporated many of our smaller initiatives such as high efficiency lighting, new mechanical/elevator systems with 30% greater efficiency, and recycled ceiling tile, carpet, and various scrap metals. A new window and building curtain wall system was installed to reduce air infiltration and improve efficiencies, new insulated roof, water efficient fixtures and flush sensors. Additionally, these considerations are also introduced as a sustainable palette within our tenant office construction, which parallels LEED Commercial Interior standards. Carpet with high levels of recycled content, low VOC based paints/adhesives, day lighting considerations, and occupancy sensor devices are all incorporated.
Do you think the current economic climate will affect the demand for sustainable development?
Undoubtedly, the current economy has placed greater strain on the development and short term outlook for sustainability. However, while this may have a negative impact on some areas, it will also create an opportunistic environment for businesses to establish and grow their programs. By starting small, companies can adopt a progressive approach that builds sophistication over time, and fosters a successful, healthy, and viable long term program. This is supported by Reckson's efforts to reduce capital expenses through programs that stress monetary savings, such as electrical conservation. Use of high efficiency lighting and occupancy sensors, now standards within tenant related construction, were initially introduced to help reduce electrical costs. This paved the way for larger current initiatives including the recently completed suburban portfolio lighting retrofit program. This $1.2 million dollar project, targeting garage and core/common areas, reduced energy consumption by approximately $500,000 annually through high efficiency lighting. By utilizing initiatives in a cost neutral and profitable way, economic concerns do not have to impede sustainable development within a business, but can allow these base efforts to root themselves within its practices, providing opportunity for additional efforts over time.
You are known for your involvement with sustainable development advocacy. What groups are you working with and what do you see for the future of green construction?
Reckson wants to be a leader within sustainability to help show other businesses how to get involved. Through public speaking at events for the Urban Land Institute, Westchester Municipal Planning Federation, and the Columbia University Real Estate Development Program, we are able to help tackle one of sustainability's biggest questions: How? Through Reckson's experiences, we are trying to foster conversation with others to help establish their own sustainable development over time, proving examples of how others were able to be successful and the means which it was accomplished. Building on our efforts that began in February 2007, we worked closely with companies such as Armstrong to utilize their successful ceiling tile recycling program, in conjunction with Carpet Cycle, to establish our first dedicated carpet and ceiling tile recycling program. Today we have successfully diverted approximately 350,000 square feet of each material from landfills, which is equivalent to over 200 tons of debris. But where can we go from here? We will consider other programs including mechanical upgrades and operating efficiencies, photovoltaic solar projects, sustainable products, and water efficiency measures. We recognize that sustainability is not a trend, and it is necessary to be socially responsible to work closely with the municipalities, local organizations, and other companies to make a difference. The future development for sustainability holds great promise, and Reckson will continue to be at the forefront of this effort as an advocate and example of its success.
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