Stories

Building Sustainability into Our New Headquarters

November 20, 2023

JPMorgan Chase is currently constructing a new headquarters building to meet the needs of our workforce decades into the future. Reflecting the growing need for healthy and sustainable buildings, the 1,388- foot, 60-story skyscraper is expected to be Manhattan’s first all-electric tower with net zero operational emissions. The design also considers indoor air quality and aims to exceed the highest industry standards in sustainability, health and wellness. In order to strengthen and guide the design and construction process, we have aligned and plan to seek final certification to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ("LEED") Platinum v4. During demolition, we recycled, reused or upcycled 97% of the materials from our previous building, exceeding the LEED Platinum requirement by over 20%. We also utilized flexible and adaptable design strategies to drive embodied carbon reductions by using innovative materials with lower carbon content, planning for circularity at end of life and placing an increased emphasis on minimizing waste.

In addition to achieving net zero operational emissions, the new building plans to use several state-of-the-art technologies and systems to boost efficiencies, including:

  • Intelligent building technology that uses sensors, artificial intelligence ("AI") and machine learning systems to predict, respond and adapt to energy needs.
  • Advanced water storage and reuse systems to reduce water usage by more than 40% as compared to industry standard.
  • Triple pane glazing on the facade and automatic solar shades connected to heating, ventilation and air conditioning ("HVAC") systems for greater energy efficiency.

The building is expected to contain many occupant health and well-being features, including:

  • Doubling the amount of outside, fresh air and continuously monitoring air quality to improve the overall health and wellbeing of employees.
  • Bringing nature indoors through biophilic design, including wide use of natural plants and healthier furniture and building materials.
  • Bringing in 30% more daylight and using circadian lighting to minimize the effects of electric light and support a healthier indoor environment, as compared to industry standard.

 

Promoting Health and Wellness in the Workplace

In addition to more traditional environmental considerations, such as energy and water efficiency, health and wellness are important aspects of our sustainable building strategy. When looking at how our buildings can affect the health and well-being of our employees, we prioritize factors such as cleaning and sanitization, air- and water-quality, emergency preparedness and health service resources. As a result of our efforts, in 2021, we maintained the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management from the International WELL Building Institute™ for our approximately 6,200 corporate office and retail bank branch locations globally. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder engagement strategies to help organizations prioritize the health and safety of their staff, customers, visitors and stakeholders. JPMorgan Chase was the first global financial institution to receive the WELL Health-Safety Rating in 2020.

 

Learn more about our sustainability strategy and how we're creating solutions that protect the environment and grow the economy, here.

Learn more about how JPMorgan Chase supports the economic growth of New York City