JPMorgan Chase holds grand opening of its new HQs building

JPMorgan Chase & Co., a leading financial services firm, this week officially opened its new corporate headquarters, a 60-story, 2.5-million-sf skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan in New York. It is the city’s largest all-electric building, with net-zero operational carbon emissions.

The firm has been moving employees into the building, located at 270 Park Avenue, since August, and will eventually have 10,000 of its associates working from it. The six-year-long construction project cost $3 billion, according to several news sources.

The building, designed to achieve LEED Platinum v4 and WELL Health-Safety Rating certifications, is 100% powered by renewable energy generate from a New York state hydroelectric plant. Other notable features include 285,000 sf of dedicated client entertainment space, column-free floor plates, and 2.5 times more outdoor space than the firm’s previous headquarters that encompass a new plaza on Madison Avenue, wider sidewalks, and improved access to Grand Central Terminal.

“270 Park Avenue delivers benefits beyond its four walls, with critical investments to modernize the Grand Central train shed, ensuring safer, faster commutes for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” said Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York, in a prepared statement.

‘Quantum leap’ in sustainable design

The building’s sustainable attributes include triple-pane glazing on the façade and automatic solar shades that connect to HVAC systems for greater energy efficiency. Advanced water storage and reuse systems reduce water usage more than 40%. The tower lets in 30% more daylight and circadian lighting.

“The building not only radically reimagines the urban workplace but also represents a quantum leap in the evolution of design and engineering,” said Walter Mehl, Managing Partner with Jaros, Baum & Bolles, this project’s mechanical and services engineer.

Foster & Partners was the lead design architect on the project. The Building Team also included Tishman Speyer as the developer manager. Adamson Associate Architects served as AOR and executive architect. Interior spaces were designed by Gensler, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and STUDIOS. Vishaan Chakrabarti, Architect and Founder of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, served as the project’s overall design advisor.

The construction project was managed by AECOM Tishman, with New York City Constructors overseeing the frame’s installation and Severud Associates serving as the structural engineer. JRM Construction Management, Structure Tone Building Group, and McKissak, Turner and Valez (MTV) performed the fit-out of the interior spaces.

The opening of 270 Park also marks the start of renovations at the firm’s 383 Madison Avenue building, directly across the street.

JPMorganChase partnered with experts including Dr. Joseph Allen, Director of Harvard University’s Healthy Buildings program; wellness expert Deepak Chopra; and Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group to create wellness and hospitality experiences.