IFMA takes a tour of the New York Times Building

The first thing that strikes your eye when you walk into the expansive lobby is an open air garden enclosed in glass with 50 foot tall paper birch trees on mulch covered moss hills surrounded by an elegant wooden footbridge. This was the impressive start of the 52-story 65,000 s/f New York Times Building tour in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. Since the building is glass, you can see right through the garden to the other side. This is accomplished by having two separate elevator banks. On either wall as you walk through, you are surrounded by moveable type - tiny computer screens, each with their own speaker, sending out unrelated sentences mixed together from a New York Times.com feed, making for a unique sound and sensory experience. The tour continued on the 15th floor conference center, where the colors are striking. Red and marigold walls are done by a process called Mammamand, a mixture of pigment and plaster created by the Pritzker Prize winning architect Renzo Piano. One area, called Pulitzer Hall has pictures of 96 Pulitzer Prizes won by the Times. The tower was designed by Renzo Piano in association with FXFOWLE Architects, with Gensler being the interior designer. The technically advanced and environmentally sensitive headquarters features a double - skin curtain wall with ceramic rods on the outside which blocks out some sun, saves energy and also reflects different colors. The lighting system is the first of its kind in the world. When the building gets too hot, shades automatically go down to block the sun. When the shades are up - lights dim; when down - lights get brighter. This saves 50% of energy costs. The 10th floor is a typical office floor with a red and white color scheme and a Sulzberger family map and art collection on the walls. To add warmth and fun, each floor has a unique sofa in color and design. In the Systems and Technology Area the conference rooms and private offices are in the core with the other 90% of an open floor plan for the work stations. Under floor air is utilized for comfort, energy savings and ease of reconfiguration, along with pink noise which muddles sound. The newsroom is on the 4th floor and has a 200x400 footprint, while the rest of the tower is 200x200 feet. This is because it overlooks the garden and footbridge. It features TV screens with color photos of the day's website stories. The walls are covered with Afghanistan war photos and pictures from The Times Archives. Last stop was the Auditorium where the red and marigold color scheme continues with red seating and maple flooring. The event was concluded with a briefing by Angelo Salvatore, the executive director of Facilities who discussed the co-generation plant that makes energy on site. It features clean-burning gas and is used to supply 40% of the power for their space. The plant's heat by product provides heat in winter and cooling for the rest of the year. This is very unusual in New York City. This already recognizable fixture in Manhattan's legendary skyline is both extraordinary and dramatic. Albert Angotti is vice president of strategic development for Ergotech Group and IFMA PR committee member