Fulton Center is first subway station to receive special rating for environmental friendliness

One Manhattan subway station is making history — and all for being a good friend to the planet.

The MTA announced Wednesday that the agency’s Fulton Center station — located on Broadway between Fulton and Dey streets — has been awarded the LEED Silver rating.

LEED — which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — is the most used third-party certification for green buildings. The rating system was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council and is the primary program for buildings, homes, and communities which are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for enhanced environmental and human health performance.

“The Fulton Center has been the recipient of a number of awards and honors, but this designation is truly special,” said Michael Horodniceanu, MTA Capital Construction (MTACC) President. “It shows how we married the old with the new to create a state of the art transportation hub, shopping destination and office facility while keeping the environment top of mind.”

Fulton Center is the first subway station in New York to receive the special rating. Other MTA locations that have received such a certification include Mother Clara Hale Bus Depot in Harlem, the Corona Maintenance Shop in Queens and Metro-North Railroad’s office building at 525 North Broadway in White Plains.

According to the MTA, the Fulton Center was designed “as a demonstration of an environmentally responsible 21st Century rail transit center.”

It was given LEED certification back on its implementation of practical and measurable strategies in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The Fulton facility reaches over 25 percent in energy savings compared to a baseline building of the same type and half of the energy used at the location comes from renewable sources.

Daylight that enters the location — which is enclosed in a glass and steel shell — reduces the use of electricity and low flow plumbing fixtures lower water use by 40 percent.

Fulton Center accommodates close to 300,000 customers daily and is home to the 2,3,4,5,A,C,J,Z and R subway lines.

Construction of the location included the restoration of the 125-year-old Corbin Building, which will provide extra public access. The Fulton Center also has close to 66,000-square-feet of retail and commercial space and the MTA’s largest digital media program.

The facility also includes ten newly installed escalators and fifteen American with Disabilities Act. The public restrooms also include two ADA accessible bathrooms on the concourse and the street level.