WilmerHale is renting 210,000 square feet of office space at 7 World Trade Center on floors 41 to 45. It will move from its current office at 399 Park Avenue.
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The lease it signed is intended to be a forebear of many more to come. It has terms which encourage the building owners to invest in energy efficiency to benefit both themselves and the tenants. Former owners had little reason to invest in energy-saving measures as it was only the tenants who benefitted.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand for the signing of the lease, as was the developer of the building, real estate investor Larry Silverstein. The language of the lease was devised by industry leaders with the assistance of the Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability.
WilmerHale Co-managing Partner William Perlstein said: “WilmerHale is dedicated to excellence, and we needed an equally excellent space to continue expanding our thriving New York practices.
“With this lease, we are able to aid in the revitalization of downtown in an environmentally-friendly manner.”
The original 7 World Trade Center, also developed by Larry Silverstein, was destroyed as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, but was rebuilt. The new 52-storey building opened in 2006 and has been touted as ‘the safest skyscraper in the US’.
Silverstein Properties have stated that the building “incorporates a host of life-safety enhancements that will become the prototype for new high-rise construction”.
Included in the building are two-foot thick reinforced concrete fireproof elevator and stairway access shafts. Additionally, the stairways have been designed to be much wider for faster exit.
Editor’s notes: In June 2023, WilmerHale continued to list 7 World Trade Center on Greenwich Street as its address on its corporate website.