The Hearst Building is considered the first green building in New York City, United States of America. It is also the first building in New York City to receive a gold LEED certificate. The most physically apparent environmentally sustainable feature of this building is its shape and glass windows.
These triangular windows work in sync with light sensors to maximize natural daylight and minimize electrical light used. The roof itself collects rainwater, which feeds the plants inside and outside the building. For much of the year, cooling is accomplished with a HV AC system, which simply uses fresh air from outside to cool and ventilate the building. The structure itself was also accomplished with 20% less steel than other buildings of its stature and over 90% of the steel used was recycled material. All in all, an office in this building emits about 22% less CO2 than other New York offices.
