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Queens unveils city's greenest building

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer | jsilverman@am-ny.com

September 28, 2007

New York got a glimpse into the future of architecture on Thursday, with the unveiling of the most environmentally friendly building in the city.

"This reminds us that the natural world is an important part of city life," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg of the new visitor center at the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing. "Eventually these buildings will become the rule, not the exception."

The $22-million structure is heated and cooled with geothermal energy, and recycles water from sinks and showers to flush the toilets. Other toilets in the building don't flush at all, but feed directly into a massive composting bin that can then be used to fertilize the garden's 39 acres of flowers, trees and meadow.

The building includes offices, conference rooms and a gift shop.

Much of the office furniture is made of reused wood, including some sidewalk trees that had toppled during storms.

"You have good wood, and it's a shame to throw it away," said Stubby Warmbold, a carpenter with CitiLog, a local wood recycler that outfitted the visitors center.

Warmbold's philosophy defines the new green building, where everything from rainwater to solar power is captured and reused. The building itself is long and thin, to maximize the natural light and give almost every office a window view of the botanical garden outside.

That garden hosts 300,000 visitors annually, with more than three quarters of them speaking a language other than English at home.