Re:NY

The Skyscraper Museum is devoted to the study of high-rise building, past, present, and future. The Museum explores tall buildings as objects of design, products of technology, sites of construction, investments in real estate, and places of work and residence. This site will look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

Greening the Glass Box

Part 1: Carol Willis, Introductory Remarks

Nina Rappaport
Carol Willis Introduces Carl Galioto
Carl Galioto
Hormoz Houshmand
Laurie Kerr

In 1961, the gleaming new headquarters of Union Carbide crystallized the image of corporate modernism transforming Park Avenue and midtown. Fifty years later, such paragons of progress define an era, but their materials and mechanical systems need an update. How does the 21st century "green" the glass box?

A panel of experts address the challenges of renewing the monuments of Modernism to LEED standards while preserving their historic character. A case study of the retrofit of 270 Park Avenue by SOM and MEP engineers AKF will detail best practices. An examination of curtain wall technology, landmarking, and citywide sustainability expand the discussion into the realm of public policy.