200 West Street Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids 200 West Street (Goldman Sachs Tower)
as seen from the Hudson River (2010)
General information
Status	Complete
Type	Office
Location	Battery Park City, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates	40°42′53″N 74°00′52″W / 40.71472°N 74.01444°W / 40.71472; -74.01444
Construction started	2005
Completed	2009
Opening	2010
Cost	$2.1 billion
Owner	Goldman Sachs
Height
Roof	749 ft (228 m)
Technical details
Floor count	44
Floor area	2,099,985 sq ft (195,095.0 m²)
Lifts/elevators	53
Design and construction
Architect	Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, with Adamson Associates Architects
Developer	Goldman Sachs
Structural engineer	Halcrow Yolles
Main contractor	Tishman Construction Corporation

200 West Street is the global headquarters of the Goldman Sachs investment banking firm, located in New York City. The building is a 749-foot-tall (228 m), 44-story building located on West Street, between Vesey and Murray Streets in Lower Manhattan. It is adjacent to Brookfield Place and the Conrad Hotel, the Verizon Building to the east across West Street, and diagonally opposite the World Trade Center. It is the only office building in Battery Park City north of Brookfield Place.

The skyscraper was designed by Henry N. Cobb of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, with Adamson Associates Architects, and was erected at the cost of $2.1 billion. The building received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification.

Features
Construction
Financing
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Features

The building features an environmentally friendly raised floor underfloor air system. Conditioned air for the occupants is provided by multiple environmental air towers located in the tenant space that deliver 62 °F (17 °C) air into a raised access floor plenum. This underfloor air system provides users with the ability to control their own space temperature as well as improving the ventilation effectiveness. When building churn occurs, workstation moves can be performed more easily with lower cost and less product waste.

Artist Julie Mehretu created a $5 million, 80 by 23 feet (24 by 7 m) mural for the entrance lobby. Between the building and the Conrad New York hotel to its west is a covered pedestrian walkway, with a glass and metal canopy designed by Preston Scott Cohen.

Construction

Construction on the building's foundation began in 2005 and faced various problems before completion in late 2009. On December 14, 2007, a nylon sling on a crane failed, sending a 7-ton load to the ground. It crushed two trailers and severely crippled the legs of an architect inside. Work at the site was halted for several days for safety violations. New York City officials halted the project after another construction accident occurred on May 17, 2008. A 30-by-30-inch (76 cm × 76 cm) piece of steel fell eighteen stories onto a neighboring baseball field that was in use by children, though no one was injured. The City issued a stop-work order and cited the general contractor, Tishman Construction, for five violations. Work resumed in the months thereafter.

The first of 7,500 employees arrived in October 2009. The building occupies 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m²) and features six large trading floors. Goldman Sachs headquarters were previously at 85 Broad Street, with its main trading floor at One New York Plaza.

Financing

Built in the area affected by the September 11 attacks, the project was awarded with $115 million in tax breaks and cash grants, as well as $1.65 billion in Liberty Bonds to help cover the building's $2.1 billion construction costs.