Being Green: It Is Easy!

The nice thing about building green in Battery Park City is that the Governor comes to cut your ribbon.

Not that you’d need the publicity.

When Pataki stopped by Tribeca Green early yesterday, “New York’s Most Environmental Rental” had already leased 80 percent of its 274 units (starting at $2,500 for a 600-square-foot “junior one-bedroom”), and half were already occupied, according to brokers for the developer, The Related Companies.

Whether the filtered air, photovoltaic panels (capable of generating 5 percent of the building’s energy), cogeneration and recycled storm water is responsible for the quick selling remains to be seen. But all this green gobbledygook, which is supposed to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent and earn the Robert A.M. Stern-designed edifice a gold LEED rating, ultimately is figuring into the rent. Construction costs were 18 percent higher than they would be otherwise, according to Related President Jeff Blau.

That’s much higher than the typical green premium of 1 to 5 percent, by the way, but it hasn’t stopped Related from embarking on green buildings in Chicago and Boston, which, unlike the Battery Park City Authority, don’t require environmentally friendly measures.

– Matthew Schuerman