The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has been awarded LEED Silver certification for the Fulton Center on Broadway in Manhattan’s Financial District.

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used third-party verification for green buildings. The Fulton facility is the first subway station to receive a LEED rating. 

The LEED rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance. Other MTA facilities achieving LEED status include Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot in Harlem, the Corona Maintenance Shop in Queens and Metro-North Railroad’s office building at 525 North Broadway in North White Plains.

The Fulton Center was designed as a demonstration of an environmentally responsible 21st century rail transit center. It achieved LEED certification for implementing practical and measurable strategies in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The facility achieves more than 25 percent in energy savings compared to a baseline building of similar type. Half of the energy used at the Fulton Center comes from renewable sources. Additionally, daylighting from the iconic oculus reduces electricity use, while low-flow plumbing fixtures reduce water consumption by 40 percent.

“This designation is truly special,” said MTA Capital Construction President Michael Horodniceanu. “It shows how we married the old with the new to create a state of the art transportation hub, shopping destination and office facility while keeping the environment top of mind.”

Encased in a glass and steel shell, the bright and modern facility dramatically improves the commuter experience and accommodates up to 300,000 daily customers using the 2345ACJZ and R subway lines. Construction of the Fulton Center included restoration of the 125-year-old Corbin Building, which will provide additional public access to the facility.

The Fulton Center houses nearly 66,000 square feet of revenue-generating retail and commercial space and the MTA’s largest digital media program, both of which are being managed and operated by Westfield Corp., an international developer and operator of iconic retail properties and a leader in digital sales and sponsorship.

A new 350-foot-long pedestrian tunnel constructed under Dey Street between Broadway and Church Street expands intermodal transit options by offering a connection to the R line, built outside of fare control, and ultimately to PATH trains at the World Trade Center complex. These transit options will expand to include transfers to the E line and the 1 line once the Cortlandt St Station is rebuilt.

In order to ensure the new complex is accessible to all customers, ten escalators and fifteen American with Disabilities Act (ADA) elevators have been installed. The public restroom facilities include two ADA-accessible bathrooms on the concourse and the street level.

The $1.4 billion Fulton Center project was funded with $847 million from a special Congressional appropriation granted after September 11, 2001. Known as the Lower Manhattan Recovery Grants, those funds were intended for local transit agencies to repair, replace, and enhance transportation infrastructure in Lower Manhattan. The MTA provided $130 million in local funds. The project also received $423 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the largest single award for the Federal Transit Administration’s ARRA projects.