Image courtesy of Foster + Partners

By KERRY SMITH BUCK

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Turner Construction has been chosen by American Express to build the core and shell of its future 10,000-employee headquarters in the heart of Lower Manhattan at 2 World Trade Center.

The 55-story tower will reach 1,226 feet.

Silverstein Properties is the developer.

Architect Foster + Partners is aiming for LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum certification, utilizing an array of cutting-edge green building and wellness features.

The designer’s master plan seeks to make the new American Express global hub one of the greenest and most energy-efficient skyscrapers in New York City.

Key sustainability and LEED Features include:

• Fully Electric Operation: The skyscraper will completely eliminate onsite fossil fuel combustion, utilizing a fully electric infrastructure with highly efficient thermal systems to vastly reduce carbon emissions.
• Operational Carbon Neutrality: The building is actively engineered to run operationally carbon neutral, establishing a new modern benchmark for supertall performance.
• Massive Urban Greenery: The stepped profile yields more than one acre of outdoor space across several planted terraces and sky gardens. These zones mitigate the urban heat island effect and clean local air.
• High-Performance Smart Facade: The glass curtain wall features advanced floor-to-ceiling smart glazing that maximizes natural daylight to reduce artificial lighting loads, while optimizing insulation to minimize cooling loss.

Its oculus is situated directly to the south, offering direct, underground access to the city’s transit hub. The 9/11 Memorial Plaza is located immediately southwest of the building’s footprint. 3 World Trade Center is positioned directly south, past the oculus plaza. One World Trade Center stands just to the west across Greenwich Street.

2031 is the target deadline for building’s opening and interior fit-outs.