7 WTC is New York City's first "Green" LEED-certified Gold Skyscraper

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Display at Press Conference Announcing WestLB Lease

Photo:
Cody Lyon

Against a backdrop of artist's renderings of the future World Trade Center complex, Mayor Bloomberg offered praise for Silverstein and his commitment to Downtown, congratulating him on the buildings now reporting 85% occupancy. Financial terms of the lease were not available and neither Silverstein nor WestLB managing director, Connie Kain would comment on the amount the bank will be paying.

WestLB, in New York City since 1975, is moving from its current headquarters at 1211 Avenue of the Americas to floors 50 through 52 of the 1.7-million square-foot building.

The mid-day press conference, on the top floor of the first of five planned new skyscrapers, offered birds eye views of what's been known simply as Ground Zero, but now, a construction site where steel rises for the new Freedom Tower. Since 7 WTC's opening in 2006, the top floor, where exposed ceilings reveal plastic pipes that capture rainwater, has been used for events, ranging from photo shoots and weddings to Bar Mitzvah's according to Silverstein.

During the press conference, the Mayor praised the building's 'green' designation, encouraging other developers to pursue green architecture in future projects. Noting that 7 World Trade Center is New York City's first high rise office building to be LEED certified by the US Green Building Council, Silverstein said "one of the things we recognized early on was recognizing what was happening to the world's environment around us." Silverstein said the WestLB will now be part of a roster of tenants that includes law, marketing, publishing, advertising firms.

According to earlier published reports, of the 184 companies that moved to Lower Manhattan between 2005 and 2007, around 85% have been outside the financial sector. "This is a great place to work and do business, it is so affordable," in comparison to other cities around the world, said the Mayor. Lower Manhattan is "75% less expensive than London's West End," said the Mayor, calling Downtown the fastest growing neighborhood in the nation.

West LB was represented by Mark S. Weis, executive vice president; Scott J. Klau, executive vice president and Robert Eisenberg, senior managing director of Newmark Knight Frank. Negotiations for Silverstein Properties were handled by SVP Roger Silverstein and a CB Richard Ellis team including Mary Ann Tighe, CEO of CBRE's New York tri-state region; Stephen B. Siegel, chairman, global brokerage; Howard Fiddle, vice chairman; EVP Brad Gerla; SVPs Adam Foster, Jason Pollen and Simon Wasserberger; and Christie Harle, senior financial analyst.

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