The Power of Publishing

I jumped in a cab to head off to The Hearst Building for a day of discussion about the power of the print media vs. digital media.  Where are we going?  How can we collaborate?  What changes do we expect to see in the coming years?  While not all those burning questions were answered, I did marvel at the beauty of this building.

As I was crossing 8th Ave. I asked the cab driver, "What is that beautiful building built on top of the older facade?"  He responded, "You don't know?  That's where you're going."  We pulled up in front the Hearst Building and it all made sense...

The original 6 story landmark building was used as the pedestal for the gleaming tower above.  The shell was scooped out to make way for the tower's open air atrium.  Norman Foster's 46 story glass-encased tower tops it off, like icing on a cake.  It is the first LEED certified green building in New York City.  90% of the steel used was from recycled material.  Rainwater collected on the roof feeds the cooling system, is used to water the plants, and feeds the 3 story cascading water sculpture in the lobby entitled "Icefall", that gently flows over the glass "steps."

 Water filled tubing under the heat conductive limestone flooring maintains heat in the winter and keeps the interior cool in the summer.  The Hearst Tower uses 26% less energy than what is minimally required for New York  City.

The Hearst Tower was the first building in the city to break ground after September 11th.

The view from the 44th floor conference room is breathtaking, or so I am told.  It's a shame we were literally in the clouds this rainy day.  I thought the glass was frosted!  Of course there is a brilliant art collection displayed in selected hallways.

This is what I hoped to see~

 

Bloggers are being compared to beat reporters from days of old, and in a real sense, we are.  We are gathering information and repackaging it at head-spinning speed.  Magazines really recognize the power of bloggers and we bloggers love our magazines!  We are all trying to figure out how to co-exist and support each other while the platforms for sharing information grow and change before our eyes.  I think only time will tell.  There are lots of questions and less answers.