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 that encourage building owners to invest in energy efficiency, benefiting both themselves and their tenants. Former owners had little reason to invest in energy-saving measures, since only the tenants benefited.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand for the signing of the lease, as was the building’s developer, real estate investor Larry Silverstein. The language of the lease was developed by industry leaders with assistance from 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 revitalisation 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 has 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.
As of July 2026, WilmerHale was still in occupation at 7 World Trade Center.
As of July 2026, there were 557 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-certified) projects listed in New York state.