The Mid-Atlantic Region (MAC) of the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International recently awarded 13 winners of The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) Award at the regional competition. Three out of the thirteen winners are members of BOMA New York and include Starrett-Lehigh Building at 601 West 26th Street owned by RXR Realty Group for the Earth category; SL Green Realty’s635-641 Avenue of the Americas for Renovated Building of the Year; as well as SL Green Realty’s810 Seventh Avenue for Operating Office Building of the Year in 500,000-1,000,000 square feet category.
About the winners:
The Starrett-Lehigh Building
The Starrett-Lehigh Building is 2.3 million square feet and one of New York City’s largest landmark properties with a history of attracting world-class creative companies and elite brands. Officially declared a New York City landmark in 1986, it was earlier included in the International Exhibition of Modern Architecture in 1932 by the Museum of Modern Art. In 2011, the Starrett-Lehigh Building and its tenants began a multi-year, $50+ million repositioning program including a state-of-the-art BMS that monitors the cooling towers, condenser water pumps, HVAC air handlers, boilers and equipment, LED fixtures in all common areas and back of house mechanical rooms, a modern system which averages indoor/outdoor temperature in order to maximize heating ability, and a rooftop garden and apiary – supported by tenants who receive monthly vegetable produce. More information about the building can be found here.
810 Seventh Avenue and 635-641 Avenue of the Americas
810 Seventh Avenue is centrally situated between the prime locations of Times Square, the Plaza District, Columbus Circle and Central Park. The neighborhood is second to none for amenities, with everything from parks to the very best in retail and dining and is easily accessible to nine subway lines and six bus lines. 810 Seventh Avenue also boasts features such as a sleek new lobby, tower floors that accommodate six corner offices, highly efficient side core floor plates for flexible layouts, a 200+ on-site parking garage and recently modernized elevators, corridors and bathrooms. Additionally, the building is Wired Certified Platinum, and there is on-site catering and a conference center available through Convene.
635-641 Avenue of the Americas is conveniently located in the heart of Chelsea between 19th and 20th Streets. Once home to the Simpson Crawford Department Store, the buildings have recently been redeveloped into a Class "A" office building featuring a brand-new lobby, elevators, state-of-the-art building systems and a one-of-a-kind penthouse rooftop that highlights a bocce court and event space. More information on the properties can be found here.
About the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and the TOBY Awards
BOMA International was founded in 1907 and is a federation of 88 BOMA U.S. associations and 18 international affiliates. BOMA International is a primary source of information on building management and operations, development, leasing, building operating costs, energy consumption patterns, local and national building codes, legislation, occupancy statistics, technological developments and other industry trends.
TOBY Awards were established by BOMA International in 1985 to honor and recognize the quality in office building operations, tenant retention, emergency planning and community impact, and award excellence in office building management.
The competition consists of three levels. The competition begins at the local association level, and the winners are encouraged to enter the regional competition. The regional winners automatically advance to the international competition. The International winners will be announced at the BOMA International Conference & Expo which will be held from June 23-26 in San Antonio, Texas.
More information about the TOBY awards can be found, here.
About Building Owners & Managers Association of Greater New York (BOMA NY)
BOMA New York is the largest member of BOMA International which represents commercial real estate, responsible for the ownership and management of some of the world’s most prestigious properties. BOMA New York serves as the first line of defense for New York’s working public, accountable for the safety, physical well-being and security of the City’s 3 million office tenants. For more information, please visit the Association’s website at www.bomany.org.
The Middle Atlantic Region
The Middle Atlantic Region, better known as MAC or the Middle Atlantic Conference, is comprised of 15 local associations with a combined membership in excess of 3500 members covering 11 states and the District of Columbia, including: Capital Region/Albany, Baltimore, Boston, Greater Buffalo, Greater Hartford, New Jersey, Central New York, Greater New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Long Island, NY, Rochester, Southern Connecticut, AOBA/BOMA Washington, D.C., Rochester and Westchester County, NY as well as members at Large. For more information on BOMA MAC, please visit www.bomamac.com.
