Geothermal heating and cooling aren’t new to New York City office buildings, nor are thermally activated floor slabs, dedicated air ventilation units or even all-electric HVAC systems. But only one building ties all these advanced sustainable technologies together—the 270,000-sq-ft, 16-story 555 Greenwich St. in lower Manhattan, which broke ground in September 2020 and aims to open early next year.
The slender structure, on a lot that housed a one-story car park in Manhattan’s Hudson Square, has ambitious objectives: achieving LEED Platinum status, slashing typical spec office development carbon emission levels by avoiding use of fossil fuel energy sources and connecting through portals on most floors to neighboring 345 Hudson St.