The Project at a Glance

In July 2015, Cushman & Wakefield Inc., the global commercial real estate services provider, moved its Lower Manhattan office into a suite on floor 45 of the iconic and newly built One World Trade Center. In designing and constructing its space, Cushman & Wakefield had three major goals: to showcase its brand and culture in the iconic building; to build out the space as energy efficiently and sustainably as possible; and to maximize employee comfort and satisfaction. In addition, the Durst Organization and PANYNJ recommended that energy and sustainability play an important role in Cushman & Wakefield’s buildout. To help achieve these goals, Cushman & Wakefield chose to follow the Tenant Energy Optimization process—a proven, replicable approach that integrates energy efficiency into tenant space design and construction and delivers excellent financial returns through energy conservation.

Executing the Process

Design and Construction

As the leasing agent for One World Trade Center, Cushman & Wakefield was aware of the energy efficiency measures that were incorporated into the construction of the newly built trophy office tower. Choosing to lease tenant space in an already efficient base building would allow Cushman & Wakefield to achieve higher levels of energy and cost savings through the Tenant Energy Optimization process than would be feasible in a less efficient building.

Cushman & Wakefield strategically assembled a team of experts to plan and execute the Tenant Energy Optimization process for the space and take the lessons learned and process to real estate clients.

The team outlined energy performance goals that aligned with overall corporate sustainability targets and developed an extensive list of energy performance measures (EPMs) to be considered for implementation in the final buildout. EPMs are technologies and systems that aim to reduce energy use through efficiency and conservation. They are also frequently referred to as energy conservation measures (ECMs).

Using energy performance modeling, incremental costing information, and cost savings projections, the team was able to choose a package of EPMs that would meet the energy and financial goals of the company.

The EPMs that were implemented in Cushman & Wakefield’s space on floor 45 include the following:

Measurement and Verification

After completion of the buildout, the energy team returned to Cushman & Wakefield’s space to conduct a ten-day measurement and verification (M&V) period to ensure that energy use projections were accurate and that the implemented EPMs were performing as intended. The M&V period confirmed that the nine implemented EPMs were functioning as intended but also revealed opportunities for further savings.

The M&V period produced the following recommendations:

• Metered data revealed that computers were being manually shut off at the end of the week. Activating ENERGY STAR shut-off or hibernation controls on computers can help reduce weeknight plug loads and harvest savings on days an employee is not in the office.
• Lights were scheduled to operate on weekends; however, plug-load data suggest the space may not always have been in use. Implementing manual on/automatic off timer controls for off-hours lighting can help prevent lights from remaining on over the weekend when the space is unoccupied.

Post-Project Actions

Following the M&V process, Cushman & Wakefield reviewed the findings and recommendations from the energy consultant. The Cushman & Wakefield operations and IT teams worked with and the Durst Organization’s building management team to ensure the new office would continue to operate as designed.

“As employees and their visitors walk into the new space at One World Trade Center, Cushman & Wakefield’s commitment to its goals of showcasing its brand, energy efficiency and sustainability, and employee satisfaction is apparent,” said Eric Duchon, director of sustainability strategies for Cushman & Wakefield.

The small footprint of Cushman & Wakefield’s space on floor 45 demonstrates how the Tenant Energy Optimization process is scalable, whether a tenant leases 6,000 square feet or 60,000 square feet. Cushman & Wakefield will continue to draw on its experience from this project and apply lessons learned to future leased spaces.