The refit at 5 Times Square forms part of a broader plan to reduce CO2 emissions for which the firm is responsible, and it is expected to make considerable inroads to that end. Indeed, the more energy-efficient lighting systems should use nearly three million fewer kilowatt hours annually than the system they replace.
As well as cutting its carbon footprint, EY’s lighting refit will effectively halve its annual energy bill in New York and significantly improve its credentials as an environmentally responsible business. The scale of the refit was considerable, to say the least, with its offices in Manhattan covering close to 650,000 square feet of usable space.
“Reducing the carbon footprint of our office space is part of our firm-wide strategy to reduce our environmental footprint as our business grows,” explained Leisha John, EY’s director of environmental sustainability in the Americas.
“In fact, by the end of 2013, we plan to have a majority of our employees working in LEED and or Energy Star-certified space.”
Savings resulting from the lighting refit through reduced energy costs are expected to be worth nearly $1 million (£640,000) annually. There are around 580 people employed by EY at its headquarters in New York.
EY has 695 offices in 140 countries worldwide, including across Europe and Asia. Its global headquarters are in London, and it employs roughly 150,000 people worldwide.
Editor’s notes: As of July 2024, EY was based at Brookfield’s One Manhattan West at 395 Ninth Avenue.
The firm announced the move in November 2017, and officially opened its new US headquarters in July 2021.
In 2023, the firm employed 395,442 people and generated revenues of $49.4 billion.
In May 2026, Brookfield announced it had completed 1 million square feet of London office leasing deals since the start of 2025.
The Canadian commercial real estate firm, formed in 1978, advised that leasing deals within its City of London and West End portfolio were driven by high occupier demand and tenant retention. It also stated that the 1-million-square-foot milestone included significant renewals, expansions, and record-breaking rents.
Major Brookfield deals over the period included Accenture re-gearing and extending a 260,000 square foot lease at 30 Fenchurch, QBE Insurance acquiring 100,000 square feet of office space at 30 Fenchurch, Ripple signing a 90,000 square foot lease at One Leadenhall, Uber expanding its footprint by 30 per cent at Aldgate Tower, and CleoAI signing a 16,000 square foot lease at The Gilbert in Finsbury Square.
The record-breaking rents were achieved at the recently completed One Leadenhall in the City of London, where £160 per square foot was achieved on the top floor, and the ‘super prime’ 77 Grosvenor Street in Mayfair, where £220 per square foot was achieved.
In its report, the firm advised that occupancy within its London office portfolio had exceeded 98 per cent and that it was focused on its 1.3 million-square-foot London development pipeline, which included the 99 Bishopsgate and One Moor Lane schemes.