26 Facilities Building and facility design, construction, operations, and maintenance Along with major fixed structures such as bridges, rail lines, and tunnels, the <strong>MTA</strong> maintains a highly diverse building portfolio of hundreds of facilities, including rail stations, subway stations, maintenance barns, office buildings, and such landmark properties as Grand Central Terminal. <strong>The</strong> buildings represent a wide range of functions and styles. Many are open-air structures; some border wetlands, rivers, or parks; most date from the early 20th century; a number feature state-of-the-art designs; several occupy some of the most valuable real estate in the world. <strong>The</strong> <strong>MTA</strong> acts as both a builder and operator of its facilities. Both roles involve extensive management of energy systems, materials, and other aspects of sustainability. Because these holdings are so extensive, the <strong>MTA</strong> can make a significant contribution to regional sustainability through green building design and management. <strong>MTA</strong>’s Corona Maintenance Facility was North America’s and the <strong>MTA</strong>’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified transit facility. Based on this pioneering effort, the Commission has determined that LEED standards can apply to some transit facilities, and the Commission has recommended that in the future all applicable <strong>MTA</strong> projects seek a LEED Silver certification. However, the current LEED standards do not substantially apply to many typical transit facilities, such as power substations and most rail stations. With guidance from the Commission, the <strong>MTA</strong> is drafting the green building guidelines that will specify how these facility types can be designed in a sustainable way (see table later in this chapter). <strong>The</strong> <strong>MTA</strong> Green Building Guidelines will incorporate LEED criteria, as well as <strong>MTA</strong>-specific environmental criteria relating to noise and vibration, security, maintenance of transit operations, visual impact, and other transit-specific qualities. Once developed, these guidelines can serve as an industry model for green transit facilities and should be submitted to the U.S. Green Building Congress (USGBC) for potential adoption as a LEED for <strong>Transit</strong> standard. <strong>The</strong> other area where LEED standards may not apply to <strong>MTA</strong> facilities is in older structures. <strong>The</strong> <strong>MTA</strong> portfolio includes a large number of legacy structures from the early 20th century or before. While there are LEED standards for existing buildings (LEED-EB), only a minority of <strong>MTA</strong> structures can be readily adapted to meet them due to their specified functions. <strong>The</strong> <strong>MTA</strong> should seek LEED-EB certification for Grand Central Terminal, which would make it a national showcase for greening landmark buildings. For greening most of the <strong>MTA</strong>’s facilities, two ready options exist. Many of the more recent buildings should be recommissioned to optimize all energy systems. <strong>The</strong> <strong>MTA</strong> is identifying and assessing such structures. <strong>The</strong> remaining facilities should undergo rigorous energy auditing, as described in the Energy/Carbon chapter of this report. <strong>The</strong> Commission has urged the <strong>MTA</strong> to accelerate its building energy retrofits in conjunction with the NYPA, recommending that <strong>MTA</strong> set a goal of reevaluating the energy-efficiency potential of 100 percent of major <strong>MTA</strong> facilities every 10 years. <strong>The</strong> retrofits entail ongoing green enhancements, such as high-efficiency lighting systems, boilers, and HVAC systems. In addition, the <strong>MTA</strong> has a number of green innovations for its existing facilities in various stages of planning, including high-performance roofs (vegetated “green” roofs, white roofs, and rainwaterretentive “blue” roofs) and other rainwater capture systems, solar panels, motion-activated escalators, groundwater thermal exchange systems, and more. Greener building maintenance should become standard operating procedure and would complement the initiatives described in the Energy/Carbon, Materials Flow, and Water Management chapters of this report. In light of the current financial climate, the Commission looked carefully at costs and potential savings in green building design. Its survey showed that LEED buildings can achieve operating cost savings as great as 9 percent annually, often enough to absorb their somewhat higher project contracting costs within a reasonable payback period. Upfront capital costs for LEED buildings can vary widely, depending on the project and the level of LEED attainment sought, according to King County <strong>Metro</strong> <strong>Transit</strong> in Washington State and Los Angeles County <strong>MTA</strong>, two transit agencies with experience building LEED facilities. <strong>The</strong>y estimate that it can cost little or nothing extra for projects to attain LEED certification and as much as 25 percent extra to attain LEED Platinum. Los Angeles <strong>MTA</strong> also found that some building projects could move up from LEED certified to a higher LEED rating at little or no added cost. To realize the full value of green design, the Commission has also recommended that the <strong>MTA</strong> adopt a Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) system for buildings, like the one described in the Materials Flow chapter of this report. Building design and maintenance can also benefit from the Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) model presented in the <strong>Transit</strong>’s Triple Bottom Line chapter.
“People often ask me ‘What makes a building green?’ And I always answer, It’s not one big thing, it’s hundreds of little things.’ ” – Robert F. Fox Jr., AIA, LEED AP, Partner Cook+Fox Architects Chair, Facilities Group Cavern Stations, which are mined within bedrock, represent a number of opportunities for sustainable design on the new Second Avenue Subway. 27
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