Well – this is definitely a departure from our normal blog posts, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share some amazing photos of the nation’s first LEED Platinum Building certified by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council). Although it is in Manhattan, the One Bryant Park/Bank of America Building boasts some impressive, environmentally-friendly amenities from which future developments around America will surely take some cues.

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Inhabitat.com writes:
Quite uncommon for a tower of its size, the new building employs a system for rainwater catchement and reuse, greywater recycling, energy efficient building systems, and high performance glass which maximizes day-lighting and minimizes solar heat gain and loss. However, it’s the state-of-the-art, onsite 4.6-megawatt cogeneration plant that really gets the ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ going. The advanced system provides a clean and efficient power source for the building’s energy requirements, significantly reducing its reliance on the NYC grid. The system also perfectly compliments an incredible cooling system that produces and stores ice during off-peak hours, and then uses the ice phase transition to help cool the building during peak load. Another remarkable innovation is the air purification system – not only is the air entering the building purified to a high standard, but the air exhausted is also cleaned, effectively making the tower a giant air filter for Midtown Manhattan. With an area of over 2 million square feet, this level of green technology in one building is nothing short of remarkable.