Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the ‘World’s Most Famous Office Building.’ Once the tallest building in the world (from 1931 to 1971), the grand Art Deco skyscraper was designed by William F. Lamb of the architectural firm Shreve, Lamb and Harmon; construction began on St Patrick’s Day 1930 and was completed 410 days later.

With new investments in energy-efficiency, building-wide infrastructure upgrades, public areas and amenities totaling more than $550 million, the Empire State Building has attracted and continues to attract corporate office tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world.

The Empire State Building also has taken a leading role in sustainability, partnering with the Clinton Climate Initiative, Rocky Mountain Institute, Johnson Controls and Jones Lang LaSalle to develop an innovative process for a comprehensive energy efficiency retrofit program that will reduce the building’s total energy consumption by 38% and that has led the building to receive an Energy Star rating of 80, placing it in the top 20% in energy efficiency among all buildings measured under the Energy Star program. The energy retrofit program that contributed to the Energy Star designation was also an important element in receiving the LEED-EB Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council. All information and monitoring and verification reports can be viewed here.

The $550 million Empire State ReBuilding program – planned and completed – includes a comprehensive restoration of the Art Deco lobby and ceiling, along with the creation of four dedicated tenant entrances, visitor desk and access control, messenger center, new restrooms, air-conditioned public corridors, brand-new Otis Destination Dispatch Control elevators, new marble elevator cabs, 6,500 windows rebuilt on site for greater energy efficiency, improvements to the building-wide mechanical and electrical systems, and improved security systems. Tenants also enjoy the benefits of a campus environment within the city, with banking, an AT&T store, several dining options, and (coming in 2013) a tenants-only fitness center and conference center, and a white-tablecloth restaurant with private rooms.

The flagship of the W&H Properties’ Pre-War Trophy office portfolio, the Empire State Building is supervised by Malkin Holdings LLC, one of New York City’s most financially stable ownerships. High-end pre-built office suites from 4,000 to 6,500 square feet are available throughout the building, along with fully white-boxed partial and full floors ready for tenant build-out from 10,000 square feet, over 104,000 square feet of contiguous tower space available on floors 55 to 58, and 65,800 square feet of contiguous space available on floors 28 and 29. Broker commissions are paid in full at lease signing.

Xero Flor America (XFA), the official and exclusive distributor in the U.S. for the Xero Flor Green Roof System, announced on September 26, 2013 that the system has been installed on the Empire State Building, the World’s Most Famous Office Building. The Xero Flor system was selected for four green roofs: 21st floor east (3,450 square feet), 21st floor west (3,450 square feet), 25th floor northwest (1,000 square feet) and 30th floor west (1,200 square feet). The green roofs on the 21st floor feature rooftop patios with outdoor furniture for the enjoyment of office tenants.

“With its comprehensive energy efficiency retrofit program, the Empire State Building has attracted new tenants who derive direct economic benefits from our energy efficiency program and who recognize the value of healthy workplace environments for attracting and retaining talented employees,” said Tom Durels, executive vice president of Malkin Holdings, L.L.C., which supervises the Empire State Building. “The new green roofs further demonstrate our sustainability leadership and add appealing green space that enhances the value of office space for our tenants.”

Installed in July, 2013, the Xero Flor System used on the Empire State Building, 25th Floor Northwest is the XF322 Sedum-Moss System with a dry weight of 4 pounds per square foot and saturated weight of 8 pounds per square foot. This option was used here because this roof area receives little direct sunlight. This greenroof is not accessible.

Xero Flor Plant Mixes: Xero Flor Sedum-Moss Mix.

Xero Flor is an extensive green roof system. It features lightweight, pre-vegetated mats that utilize a patented, textile-based design engineered in Germany and refined over more than 40 years of successful installations. Xero Flor has been proven in Europe and around the world on tens of thousands of rooftops covering hundreds of millions of square feet. Xero Flor America has installed the system in 38 states since 2002. All system components for projects in the United States are 100 percent American-made. Xero Flor America grows its green roof plants at independently owned local farms. The mats, which roll out like sod, are delivered with extensive vegetative coverage for instant green roofs with a diversity of mature, full-grown plants adapted to specific regional climates.

See the other two Empire State Building profiles in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database: Empire State Building, 21st Floor East and West and Empire State Building, 30th Floor West.