Manhattan Scout's Top 20 Luxury Green Buildings

The philosophy of green buildings is that they are constructed in line with natural features and resources surrounding the property. The U.S. Green Building Council designed a green building framework called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). It is a design tool that helps developers design resource-efficient buildings. Once a building reaches a specific score in the LEED rating system, it gets the highly sought after LEED certification. The Solaire, built in 2003, was the first LEED certified building in New York City. Since then, countless green buildings have risen from the ground, and LEED certified buildings have become very popular for apartment hunters. Even commercial buildings, like the iconic Empire State Building, have been renovated to become LEED certified. Here’s our Top 20 list of NYC’s best green buildings, sorted by our luxury ranking.