Goldman Sachs is riding high, even as its competitors remain mired in the subprime crisis. But in one area, the bank seems content to be second-best: eco-consciousness. For its Jersey City tower in 2000, Goldman got a gentleman's C—barely breaking the 26-point minimum, with a score of 27—from the group that awards Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification. Today, as Goldman builds itself new headquarters in downtown Manhattan's Battery Park City, it's showing more environmental drive in going for gold status (39 to 51 points). The new building, set to open in 2009, will have features like storm-water retention and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

But a few miles uptown, Bank of America aims to create the first skyscraper with platinum status (52 to 69 points). Goldman had also wanted platinum status for its new tower but wasn't willing to build the required outage-prone private power plant. Plans for Bank of America's building call for green roofs, gray-water recycling, power generation, innovative cooling systems, and ample natural light—a range of specifications that typically boosts construction costs 6.8 percent.

So why aim for pricey platinum? Bank of America's tower will have paying tenants; Goldman's won't. Midtown Manhattan's commercial rents averaged $94 a square foot in late 2007, but platinum could partly justify the startling $185-a-square-foot rent that the Durst Organization, the developer of Bank of America's tower, reportedly sought for its last two vacant floors. That kind of green speaks for itself.