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NEW YORK CITY – Skanska USA Buildings, Inc., the international Fortune 500 design and construction giant, is relocating its New York office from Madison Avenue to the entire 32nd floor at the Empire State Building, announces Stephen Eynon of CB Richard Ellis, director of leasing for the property.
"We could not have selected a better partner to magnify the changing tenancy and physical improvements being achieved through our repositioning program," says Mr. Eynon. "Skanska is an internationally revered brand, a leader in its industry and a pioneer of green initiative building practices."
Skanska plans to seek LEED® Platinum certification for its new space. (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. LEED Platinum is the highest level of certification offered.)
Founded in 1887 and headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Skanska is one of the ten largest construction companies in the world, with 60,000 employees in Europe, the U.S. and Latin America. The firm is a member of the UN Global Compact, a global corporate citizenship initiative concerned with exhibiting and building the social legitimacy of businesses and markets.
Skanska USA's services encompass all aspects of construction, management, architecture and engineering. Its Northeast projects include the construction of the new 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park, construction of the New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium, the redevelopment of the Delta Airlines Terminal at Logan International Airport, and the rehabilitation of the Manhattan Bridge.
Louis Buffalino of CB Richard Ellis represented Skanska in the lease negotiations.
Skanska's lease follows the recent full floor occupancy of architects BBG-BBGM, which are seeking Silver LEED certification. As Mr. Eynon points out, "As these leases demonstrate, there is growing recognition that the Empire State Building is extremely green-friendly and fully capable of accommodating even the most ambitious LEED efforts."
Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, the Empire State Building is the World's Most Famous Office Building. With new investments in infrastructure, public areas and amenities, the Empire State Building has attracted first-rate tenants in a diverse array of industries from around the world.
Improvements -- planned and completed -- total more than $500 million and include a strategic upgrading of the ground floor retail mix and a comprehensive restoration of the Empire State Building's art deco lobby and ceiling. A new messenger center, modernization of the building's systems, new restrooms, air-conditioned public corridors, and new, improved multi-layered security systems comprise some of the building's contemporary amenities.
All 65 marble elevator cabs have been refurbished and the building's 6,500 windows have been replaced, increasing the Empire State Building's energy efficiency and earning it a coveted "Energy Star" designation.
The Empire State Building is part of the W&H Properties portfolio. Broker commissions are paid in full at lease signing.
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