The new L’Oréal USA headquarters is changing a neighborhood

Hudson Yards is the name of a neighborhood in the making. It’s short for Hudson Rail Yards the urban redevelopment project going on above the 30 active tracks carrying trains into and out of the city all day, every day. Fortune magazine has described it as a “city on stilts” and “the most challenging engineering project in the annals of Manhattan real estate since the construction of Grand Central Terminal at the dawn of the 20th century…one of the most advanced in all of U.S. commercial real estate development.”​

Many employees of early area tenants like Coach, VaynerMedia, L'Oréal, and SAP spend the last leg of their commute walking through block after block of construction sites.

Beautiful​

But the area isn’t all cement mixers, cranes, and construction crews. On the river side, right along the water, runs Hudson River Park, a greenspace stretching from Battery Park up to West 59th Street.

And this is where L’Oréal’s lighting project is going on. “We are proud that the Lights by L’Oréal program will make the beautiful Hudson River Park an even safer and more sustainable place for our employees and the community to enjoy,” ​Frederic Rozé, president & CEO of L’Oréal USA, says in a company press release about the project.

“As new residents of the West Side at Hudson Yards, it’s particularly important for us to give back to our vibrant new neighborhood,” ​he adds.

Sustainable​

The Lights by L’Oréal project is part of the company’s sustainability strategy: Sharing Beauty With All. In partnership with Friends of Hudson River Park, the company is replacing existing bulbs with LED bulbs on over 350 light poles running the length of the four mile park.

According to the press release, this new auto-on, auto-off lighting is anticipated to reduce CO2 emissions by 350,000 pounds each year and save the park $20,000 per year in bulb replacement expenses.