Search Results for: 220 central park

June 6, 2016

Interview: Engineer Joseph Gulden Discusses Wooden Skyscrapers Surpassing 1,000 Feet

Could wood one day again be the material of choice for buildings? In response to rising construction costs and climate change, there's been a resurgence of interest in wood construction, with some even saying that we're in the beginnings of a "timber age." Many architects, engineers and builders have started to embrace the material, having erected, or making plans to construct, high-rises that reach several hundred feet in the air. In fact, in April, one architecture firm proposed bringing a 1,000-foot timber tower to London's Barbican. But is wood really a reliable alternative to concrete and steel? What about fire safety? And how tall can we really go at this point in time without compromising a building's structural integrity? To answer these questions and many more, 6sqft decided to pick the brain of DeSimone Project Manager Joseph Gulden. DeSimone is one of the world's leading engineering firms with a roster of top NYC projects that include Zaha Hadid's High Line project, 220 Central Park South and 45 East 22nd Street; Joseph himself is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) as well as a licensed Structural Engineer (SE) with extensive experience constructing in regions with high seismic risk. He's also worked on numerous high-rises and tall wood structures both in the U.S. and abroad. Ahead Joseph discusses some of the challenges and advantages of building with wood, engineered timber, deforestation concerns, and if a wooden supertall will ever be in reach.
read the interview here
May 20, 2016

Infographic: How NYC’s Supertalls Compare in Height and Girth to Global Towers

As the Skyscraper Museum so aptly writes, "Tall and BIG are not the same thing." Echoing 6sqft's recent post on global supertalls, the infographic above illustrates how when the height of New York's tallest towers are stacked up against the sky-high constructions abroad (and 1 WTC), our city's skyscrapers truly are "runts on the world's stage." The image also reveals that not only do these towers lack significantly in height, but also in girth. This means what really makes the design of all of New York's new skyscrapers so unique is not how tall they are, but rather, how slender they are.
more on all that here
May 16, 2016

Not Tall Enough! On the World’s Stage, New York’s Supertalls Are Ungraceful Runts

Carter Uncut brings New York City’s latest development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. Ahead, Carter brings us his ninth and final installment of “Skyline Wars,” a series that examines the explosive and unprecedented supertall phenomenon that is transforming the city’s silhouette. In this post Carter takes at aim the quality of design of those towers rising around the city right now, and how they fail to inspire when compared to those found internationally. The explosive transformation of the New York City skyline now underway is occurring without any plan in a very haphazard fashion. Some of the new towers are not ugly but compared to many new ones elsewhere, especially those that are free-standing, they’re not going to win many top honors. Many are very thin, mid-block incursions. Others arrogantly abut and loom over landmarks with nary a thought to context. Some clearly are aimed at one-percenters and offer lavish amenities and layouts. But many others are squeezing potential residents like sardines into very small apartments in attempts to set new “density” records.
The towers that got it wrong, and right
May 7, 2016

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

$250M Penthouse at 220 Central Park South Will Officially Be NYC’s Most Expensive Apartment East River Skyway Proposal Gains Steam, Would Only Cost Riders $25/Month The Whole Foods Effect: Does the Green Grocery Increase Home Values? Pinball Prohibition: The Arcade Game Was Illegal in New York for Over 30 Years Live in Extell’s Hudson Yards […]

May 2, 2016

Hedge Funder Daniel Nir’s $52M Co-op Sale Is This Year’s Biggest

When Daniel Nir, founder and CEO of hedge fund Gracie Capital, and his wife, philanthropist Jill Braufman, listed their sprawling Upper East Side co-op for $48 million a year ago, it certainly caught raised a few eyebrows. But the 16-room home at 4 East 66th Street has actually sold over ask for $52 million, making it this year's biggest co-op sale and the seventh biggest co-op sale to date. It's also the first time this pre-war building has cracked the top-ten list. The couple bought the home in 2007 from hotelier Robert H. Burns for $29 million, leaving them with a nice chunk of change.
See what all the fuss is about
April 18, 2016

Skyline Wars: In Lower Manhattan, A New Downtown Is Emerging

Carter Uncut brings New York City’s latest development news under the critical eye of resident architecture critic Carter B. Horsley. This week Carter brings us his fourth installment of “Skyline Wars,” a series that examines the explosive and unprecedented supertall phenomenon that is transforming the city’s silhouette. In this post Carter looks at the evolution of the Lower Manhattan skyline. Lower Manhattan at the start of the Great Depression was the world’s most famous and influential skyline when 70 Pine, 20 Exchange Place, 1 and 40 Wall Street, and the Woolworth and Singer buildings inspired the world with their romantic silhouettes in a relatively balanced reach for the sky centered around the tip of Lower Manhattan. Midtown was not asleep at the switch and countered with the great Empire State, the spectacular Chrysler and 30 Rockefeller Plaza but they were scattered and could not topple the aggregate visual power and lure of Lower Manhattan and its proverbial “view from the 40th floor” as the hallowed precinct of corporate America until the end of World War II. The convenience and elegance of Midtown, however, became increasingly irresistible to many.
More on the the history of Lower Manhattan and what's in store
February 12, 2016

Buyout Legends: Developers Paid 15 CPW Hermit Holdout $17M to Move Into a Free Apartment

What do you do when you're a developer who has a 52,000-square-foot property with one tenant...who won't leave? While we've all heard legends about holdouts in rent-controlled apartments getting big buyouts from deep-pocketed developers, none to date could beat the good fortune of Herbert J. Sukenik. The reclusive septuagenarian lived in his 350-square-foot apartment (which happened to have four exposures and Central Park and two river views) at the Mayflower Hotel for three decades. But he ended up walking away with $17 million, the most money ever paid to a tenant to leave a New York apartment, and walked into an almost-free, 2,200-square-foot, 16th-floor home in the venerable Essex House on Central Park South.
So what happened?
January 13, 2016

New Views of Robert A.M. Stern’s Limestone-Clad 70 Vestry Street

The Related Companies has launched the teaser website for its upcoming Tribeca condominium 70 Vestry Street. Related CEO Jeff Blau signed the purchase contract in December 2013 and closed on the six-parcel lot from Ponte Equities for $115.3 million in early 2014. Site excavation is already well underway, and new renderings of the Robert A.M. Stern-designed building have now surfaced. The project will pay homage to the neighborhood's distinctive warehouse architecture, and in true Stern fashion, will be clad in sumptuous French limestone.
More details ahead
December 21, 2015

6sqft’s Most Read Stories of 2015!

It's that time of year when we take a look back at all the news-making topics that caught the eyes of 6sqft's readers. Jump ahead for our top stories of 2015 in everything from new developments to architecture to product design, people, celeb real estate and NYC history. You can also peruse 2014's most popular posts here to see how they compare!
all the top stories of 2015 here
December 7, 2015

VOTE for 6sqft’s 2015 Building of the Year!

If you thought 2014 was an outstanding year that gave way to great new developments, 2015 could easily be considered epic. In the last 12 months, we've seen the rise of the supertalls along Billionaires' Row, a few groundbreaking structures that challenge traditional architectural geometry, and starchitect-designed towers with absurd asking prices. Here we've vetted 12 of the hottest buildings in NYC, noteworthy for their envelope-pushing design, record-breaking prices, or unprecedented height. So, in our second annual poll, we want to know what you think: Out of the dozen, which deserves the title of “2015 Building of the Year?” To help you make an informed decision, we've provided an overview of each contender, along with news highlights from the year. We're taking votes up until 11:59 p.m., Monday, December 7th, and we will announce the winner on Wednesday, December 9th. Happy voting, 6sqft readers!
Learn more about all the buildings in the running ahead
November 30, 2015

Infographic: The 12 Most Expensive Condo Buildings Rising in NYC

While it seems like every block in the city is host to a construction site throwing up some luxury condo building or pricey rentals, not all of these developments are created equal. Following up on their last infographic which rounded up the city's top five most expensive new developments, the data gurus over at CityRealty have culled an even more extensive list which pinpoints the 12 priciest structures going up right now. While the number of zeros that follow their combined $20,000,000,000 sellout will make your head hurt, what's even more mind-boggling is that these 12 buildings alone will count for nearly HALF of the money that'll be generated by the 200+ condo projects underway in Manhattan.
All the details here
November 28, 2015

November’s 10 Most-Read Stories and This Week’s Features

November’s 10 Most-Read Stories Iconic Halston House Where Andy Warhol Partied Hits the Market for $40M The World’s Most Expensive Dollhouse Will Be On Show at Columbus Circle This Month Rent a Literal Dumpster Apartment in Williamsburg for $1,200 a Month–or $200 a Night 432 Park in Numbers: New Renderings and Superlatives Will Blow You […]

November 18, 2015

Compare Dubai’s Most Expensive Penthouse to New York City’s

Playing the real estate comparison game is always fun, and more often than not, pinning New York prices against any other city will bring you to much bigger and more luxurious spaces. But here's a real estate showdown that might lead you to shrug off that usual urge to say "But it's not New York!" when you try to justify the city's outrageous prices. Word has it that Dubai's most expensive penthouse is now up on the market for a whopping $74.5 million. The sprawling pad (really a compound-like construction) comes with over 43,000 square feet and is steeped in private amenities. Now compare this to NYC's current title-holder for most expensive home—the $100 million penthouse at One57—and you've got a real estate death match in a league of its own.
Check it out here
November 7, 2015

Weekly Highlights: Top Picks From the 6sqft Staff

Rent a Literal Dumpster Apartment in Williamsburg for $1,200 a Month–or $200 a Night The World’s Most Expensive Dollhouse Will Be On Show at Columbus Circle This Month 220 Central Park South Costs $5,000 Per Foot to Build, Now 50 Percent Sold Rafael Viñoly’s 432 Park Reportedly Showing Cracks in Its 1,400-Foot Facade Renderings Revealed […]

October 28, 2015

Blockbuster Greenwich Lane Closes Its First Sales, Each Eight Figures

The first of five of the city's priciest developments has finally started to cash in, with two eight-figure sales recorded at Greenwich Village's rising mega-development, The Greenwich Lane. As 6qft reported in April, the ginormous, block-eating condo complex located at 145 West 11th Street is anticipated to make between $1.4 to $1.7 billion dollars at sell out. The first two sales, which appeared in public filings released yesterday, are a five-bedroom 4,537-square-foot unit (#8) which closed at $19.53 million, and similarly another 4,529-square-foot five-bedroom (#4) that closed at $16.32 million.
more on the significance of the two sales here
October 26, 2015

Atlantic Yards’ B2 Tower Employing Anti-Nausea Technology From NASA

"A new technology, designed to tame forces that could separate an astronaut’s eyeball from her retina, may also keep the one percent from throwing up," says The Real Deal. They're talking about a fluid harmonic disruptor, a device used during space takeoffs to protect astronauts from violent vibrations, which will be employed by structural engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti at Forest City Ratner’s B2 BKLYN, the 32-story modular tower at Pacific Park that could definitely succumb to queasy-making swaying and vibrations. The firm will put six water-filled pipes on the roof of the building, making up 0.5 percent of its total mass; then the disruptor will alter how the fluid, and therefore the building, reacts to wind and other vibrations.
More details ahead
October 11, 2015

Upper East Side Co-op Personally Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Asks $9.5 Million

Talk about a selling point: This apartment, located in the Upper East Side co-op building 820 Park Avenue, has been personally redesigned by starchitect Robert A.M. Stern. He is well known for his project on the other side of the park, 15 Central Park West, where he designed a condo reminiscent of the historic co-op towers along the park. Here, he's taken a prewar co-op, which fills up the entire 12th floor, and added some modern luxury perks. The apartment itself has an interesting history; it was originally configured as a triplex for the building's owner, and was then owned by pharmaceutical giant Cheng Ching Wang, the late father of Vera Wang. Serena and David Steinberg (she's the daughter of Houston-based real estate mogul Gerald Hines, who's built projects designed by I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and, of course, Robert A.M. Stern) purchased this floor for $6.5 million in 2008, pre-reno, and subsequently brought on Stern. After such a grand renovation, the owners started seeking a hefty profit back in 2013, originally listing it for $16.5 million. Now, after several price chops, it's back for a much-reduced price of $9.5 million.
See the full renovation
August 20, 2015

New Board Game Lets You Raze and Rebuild NY; Citywide Ferry Service Plan to Be Presented Tonight

The de Blasio administration is renegotiating the terms of the redevelopment of Willets Point, Queens. [Crain’s] Why some billionaires are bad for growth. [Wonkblog] Billionaire Ken Griffin may be buying a 220 Central Park South pad. [NYP] The mysterious cottage atop an East Village building is now in contract. [Curbed] For a good time with friends and family try […]

August 5, 2015

First 1,000+ Foot Tower Outside Manhattan May Rise in Downtown Brooklyn

As the result of the $90 million acquisition of Brooklyn's landmarked Dime Savings Bank building by developers Michael Stern (111 West 57th) and Joe Chetrit, a new residential skyscraper in Brooklyn could nearly reach the height of the Empire State Building. The historic Neo-Roman building at 9 DeKalb Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn–next door to the famed Junior's Restaurant–comes with 300,000 square feet of development rights, which, combined with existing air rights next door at 340 Flatbush Avenue Extension (which the pair bought last summer for $43 million), could be used to build an adjacent tower of nearly 600,000 square feet. The likelihood of a tower that reaches between 1,000 and 1,200 feet has been mentioned by sources close to the deal.
find out more about the planned Brooklyn skyscraper
July 22, 2015

How You Can Live in a Billionaire’s Row Condo for Free AND Make Six Figures

Get a job as one of their building managers. As DNA Info reports, if you're just a regular Joe or Jane looking to take up residence in one of the city's priciest towers, you don't need to be a billionaire—or even a millionaire for that matter. The resident managers at four headline-stealing, ultra-luxury towers will live rent-free, in very large apartments, while also earning respectable six-figure salaries for their services.
Find out more here
July 13, 2015

West Chelsea’s Tallest Tower Rises and Finally Reveals Itself

Residential construction along the High Line continues at full steam as a rash of activity along the park's northern extents rises higher and larger than earlier developments farther south. To provide a gradual transition from mid-rise West Chelsea to the enormous skyscrapers planned for the Far West Side, the Bloomberg administration in 2005 allowed more generous zoning between West 28th and 30th streets along Tenth and Eleventh avenues. Earlier this week Curbed, via ILNY's Flickr photostream, gave us our first look at West Chelsea's future tallest structure, a 425-foot rental tower at 319 Tenth Avenue that is part of a trio of buildings being developed by Long Island-based Lalezarian Properties.
Take a look at this new tower and learn more about it