NEWTON, Mass. - Aircuity announced that it has been awarded the contract to install its OptiNetâ„¢ facility monitoring system in the Bank of America Tower being built at One Bryant Park in New York City. Described as "the world's greenest skyscraper," this high-profile, 2.1 million-square-foot building is designed to be one of the most ecologically friendly and efficient buildings in the world.

When it's completed in 2008, the building will serve as the headquarters for Bank of America's operations in New York City, housing its global corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management, and consumer and commercial banking businesses.

The project is registered with the U.S. Green Building Council as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building; its designers are working to attain the highest LEED rating of Platinum certification. Cook + Fox Architects is the architect; the developer is The Durst Organization.

Bob Fox, partner of Cook + Fox, said, "We want to change the way people think about buildings, and the OptiNet system will help by allowing our building to think about people." Don Winston, P.E., director of technical services for The Durst Organization, said, "The continuous monitoring of IAQ made possible by the OptiNet system represents a significant step forward in monitoring and control capabilities, resulting in a healthier environment for our tenants, and therefore providing Durst a competitive edge in the marketplace."

The OptiNet is a multiplexed air-sampling network with a suite of centralized, high-performance sensors that provide continuous monitoring of key environmental parameters. These sensed parameters are then analyzed by the system to provide feedback to the building's operating systems. OptiNet also provides access to real-time expert analysis of the building environment through Aircuity's Web-based Knowledge Centerâ„¢.

Publication date: 05/08/2006