April 2011
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Four BOMA/NY Pinnacle Winners Take Home the TOBY

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Iconic towers representing three generations of Manhattan skyline development and a BOMA/NY Officer have just been named Middle Atlantic Conference (Regional) winners of The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) award for 2011-12.

It was the largest showing of winners for  NYC since 2001-2 and tied the Big Apple with Boston, a perennial TOBY stronghold. Boston also takes home four winners. New Jersey is next with three,  Philadelphia put forward two winners, and Washington, DC, one.

The winners are:

Historical Building – The Empire State Building

This pre-war giant changed the New York skyline forever and became the world’s "favorite" office building and New York’s No. 1 tourist destination, topped by an observation deck that is forever part of cinematic history.

Yet as "historic" as New York’s tallest tower maybe be —and it was a beacon of design and engineering in its day—it roared back into the headlines with a new mantle, just a few years ago after completing one of the City’s most comprehensive renovations.

Today, as a high-scoring tower of all things green, the legend has proved that Energy Star and LEED interiors are more than "do-able" in an historical landmark and world-class icon. 

26 Federal Plaza – General Services Administration

Designed in the '60s and reflecting all the sensibilities of the International Style of design, this three-building complex is also the third largest in the federal government real estate portfolio and serves the public like few others with heavy traffic from its agency tenants including the FBI, Homeland Security, US Immigration Service, and a courthouse solely for international trade. It is united by landscaped grounds featuring publicly-funded works of art, and has been renovated and upgraded as funding allows.

Hearst Tower – Corporate Facility

Much was expected of Hearst Tower—New York’s first LEED Gold-Core & Shell/Interiors structure built after 9/11—and it did not disappoint. Its pioneering diagrid tower rose above the landmark base created for William Randolph Hearst and every inch was planned to maximize natural resources and occupancy productivity. Its standout features include one-of-a-kind interior water cooling, rainwater harvesting, natural light in 95 percent of the space and on-site amenities ranging from an organic café to the world-famous Good Housekeeping Institute test kitchens.

James R. Kleeman, RPA – Member of the Year

As Time Warner Center’s General Manager, BOMA/NY Secretary Jim Kleeman is used to managing at the height of excellence—the groundbreaking tower he manages was New York’s first to take home the BOMA International TOBY for Operating Office Building Over 1 Million sf. But he is also committed to giving back to the industry and found the ideal conduit for that in BOMA/NY and later, BOMA International. His contributions were central to developing the BOMA 360 certification benchmarking standards now adopted nationwide, and he serves as Vice Chair of the BOMA International Committee Building Codes and Voluntary Standards. BOMA/NY colleagues know him best as an officer of the Association, which he serves as Secretary, Board of Directors liaison to the Professional Development Committee and as a member of the Codes & Regulations/Government Affairs, Energy/Sustainability, Preparedness and Membership Committees.  

The four winners will take home their Regional TOBY trophies on May 4 at the Middle Atlantic Conference in Philadelphia. While there is no International competition for the Member award, the three building winners now advance automatically to the BOMA International TOBY competition for judging. Winners will be announced the evening of June 28 at the gala TOBY Awards Program and Banquet at the BOMA International Convention and The Every Building Trade Show in Washington, DC.