Urban Land Institute : ULI New York Also to Present Kirk Goodrich, President of Monadnock Development, with the 2021 Visionary Leadership in Land Use Award at the Gala
The Urban Land Institute New York is proud to announce the 2021 finalists for this year’s annual Awards for Excellence in Development Gala. The 6th Annual Awards Gala will take place on November 3, 2021 at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
All development team finalists for this prestigious award have demonstrated innovation, responsible land use and beneficial community impact through their groundbreaking work and projects across New York.
“Urban Land Institute New York’s Awards for Excellence honor the projects that have moved the entire industry forward, not only by responding to the challenges of the day but by driving new ways of thinking and anticipating the needs of tomorrow, and firms that are committed to sustainability, as well as greater diversity, equity and inclusion.”
Brian Collins, Chair, Urban Land Institute NY, and EVP, Director of Development, Silverstein Properties, Inc.
“The past year has presented a unique and particularly challenging set of circumstance that have changed many of the ways people think about built environments. This year’s finalists have demonstrated a truly impressive commitment to creating and sustaining thriving local communities.”
Amy Rose, Awards for Excellence Co-Chair, Urban Land Institute NY, and President and CEO, Rose Associates
“We are incredibly excited to gather safely in person once again to celebrate the most important and influential projects changing our assumptions about what buildings can do for urban communities. This year’s finalists inspire us and are pushing the industry to continue to reach new levels of innovation.”
Richard Kessler, Awards for Excellence Co-Chair, Urban Land Institute NY, and COO, Benenson Capital Partners
ULI NY has also announced that Kirk Goodrich, President, Monadnock Development, will receive this year’s Visionary Leadership in Land Use Award. The award recognizes a leader in New York’s real estate community whose body of work exemplifies the mission and values of ULI, and who has had a transformational impact on the region and the industry. The recipient must also have demonstrated an enduring commitment—through civic engagement—to industry associations, causes and initiatives.
FINALISTS FOR THE 2021 URBAN LAND INSTITUTE NEW YORK AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN DEVELOPMENT BY CATEGORY:
Excellence in Market-Rate Housing Development:
- Halletts Point – Queens, NY
- VIA 57 – New York, NY
- Waterline Square – New York, NY
Excellence in Affordable Housing Development:
- Beach Green Dunes II – Queens, NY
- Energy Square – Kingston, NY
- Stonewall House – Brooklyn, NY
Excellence in Repositioning or Redevelopment:
- 1271 Avenue of the Americas – New York, NY
- Baychester & Murphy House Preservation – Bronx, NY
- Industry City – Brooklyn, NY
Excellence in Institutional Development:
- National Veterans Resource Center – Syracuse, NY
- The Stavros Niarchos Foundation-David Rockefeller River Campus at The Rockefeller University – New York, NY
Excellence in Civic Development:
- Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pier 2 Uplands – Brooklyn, NY
- Moynihan Train Hall – New York, NY
Excellence in Office Development:
- 10 Jay Street – Brooklyn, NY
- One Vanderbilt – New York, NY
Excellence in Hotel Development:
- Mr. C Seaport Hotel – New York, NY
- Moxy Times Square – New York, NY
For more information about the Awards, see below and visit http://nygala.uli.org/home/.
To view the Visionary Leadership in Land Use Award video honoring Kirk Goodrich, visit http://nygala.uli.org/visionary-leadership-award/.
About the Urban Land Institute New York
Urban Land Institute New York provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in the creation of sustainable, thriving, and equitable communities. ULI New York promotes an open exchange of ideas, information, and experience among industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better neighborhoods. ULI offers in-depth analysis of current land use issues and educates real estate professionals on the impact of land use policies on the state’s future. The organization also invests in the professional and personal development of the next generation of community and real estate industry leaders. Urban Land Institute New York carries out, at the local level, the mission of Urban Land Institute, a global non-profit headquartered in Washington D.C with more than 45,000 members worldwide. For more information, visit https://newyork.uli.org/.
PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS
Excellence in Hotel Development
Moxy Times Square – New York, NY
Developer: Lightstone
Architect: Stonehill & Taylor
Moxy Times Square was originally constructed as the landmarked Mills Hotel, a 1,900-key Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotel dating back to 1907. Upon acquisition in 2014, the building operated as a Class B office. As the developer, Lightstone seized the opportunity to convert the property into the flexible, innovative flagship for Marriott’s Moxy hotel brand. The community board and Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) unanimously approved the property as being enlisted as a landmark as well as the proposed hotel redevelopment. The project brought together a team of collaborators that are unexpected for an affordable hotel but critical to its success: Yabu Pushelberg to design the guestrooms and lobby, Tao Group to cultivate the food and beverage program, and Rockwell Group to design the restaurants and bars. Upon arrival, today’s guests check in at a kiosk, self-check-in terminal (the first in the Marriott system), or mobile check-in, catering to the self-service mentality of today’s travelers. The second-floor lobby serves as the social heart of the hotel, anchored by Bar Moxy; unlike the traditional hotel lobby, the area is designed to be accommodating to locals and guests throughout their day – as are all the hotel’s restaurants, bars, and coworking spaces. Three meeting studios with retractable glass walls and modular furniture seamlessly transition from coworking during the day to cocktail lounge in the evening. One of the studios transforms each night to serve as a workshop for celebrity tattoo artist JonBoy. The rooftop bar Magic Hour (the largest indoor/outdoor hotel bar in NYC) is a carnivalesque terrace overlooking the Empire State Building and includes a rotating carousel seating area and a miniature golf course with colossal-size animals in flirty, witty poses. Guestrooms are inspired by the elegant yet functional simplicity of traditional Japanese ryokans, in which the room is designed to change throughout the day as its function changes. The approach results in accommodations such as furniture that is cleverly designed to hang on peg walls when not in use, as well as luxurious amenities like walk-in rain showers and plush beds. In recognition of sustainability, energy-efficient LED lighting design is utilized throughout hotel, as well water source heat pump design for energy-efficient HVAC. In its first two years of operations prior to COVID, the 612-key hotel achieved over 90 percent occupancy and nearly a $230 ADR, indexing over 100 percent against its competitive set. Moxy Times Square stands poised to welcome back New York City’s visitors and local revelers alike.
Mr. C Seaport Hotel – New York, NY
Developer: Babak and Ali Ghassemieh
Architect: MLG Architects
Others: Ignazio and Maggio Cipriani
Mr. C Seaport is a luxury 66-room boutique hotel located in the South Street Seaport district of Manhattan. Surrounded by breathtaking views of the nearby Brooklyn Bridge and New York Skyline, a two-year renovation transformed a once three-star chain hotel into one of the most recognized boutique hotels in downtown Manhattan. Designed and run by the legendary Cipriani Family, the project vision was for Mr. C Seaport to blend seamlessly into the charming cobblestone streets and local family-owned businesses of the Seaport – a neighborhood devastated by Superstorm Sandy in 2012 that has been rebuilt stronger and greater than before. The project consists of approximately 42,000 square feet contained within five historic buildings dating back to the 1850s. Zoning did not allow for a building expansion, thus ownership decided to reduce the number of rooms from 74 to 66, which allowed an average guestroom size of 325 square feet – far greater than most Manhattan hotel rooms. The ground floor was completely changed from its previous use as office space into the new Cipriani restaurant concept named Bellini. The hotel was the first property in the world to be part of the Fine Hotel and Resorts preview program by American Express and is also a member of Virtuoso; it is also considered the youngest property to be ever admitted to the two most prominent Consortia programs. Since its inception (barring 2020), the property achieved an average occupancy of 79 percent with a 2019 ADR of $349 – much above the market primary comp set. Mr. C Seaport has certainly raised its sails and set its sights high in dynamic Lower Manhattan!
Excellence in Affordable Housing
Energy Square – Kingston, NY
Developer: RUPCO, Inc.
Owners: Cedar and Greenkill Limited Partnership, RUPCO is the General Partner
Architect and Designer: Dutton Architecture, PLLC
Energy Square (E2) is a single five-story net-zero-for-living development providing 57 rental apartments in Kingston, Ulster County, New York. In addition to the 57 affordable homes E2 provides for its residents, the building has non-residential spaces that are helping to revitalize the neighborhood of Midtown Kingston. These include a community service facility operated by the Center for Creative Education, a non-profit arts program that provides services for children and adults through arts, music and dance; a Caribbean restaurant and retail store that supports women-owned businesses called Seasoned Delicious; and D.R.A.W., Department of Regional Art Workers, an arts education program for children to adults. Residential property amenities include a community room, laundry facility, storage areas and more than 6,700 square feet of exterior greenspace on a raised platform above parking. Energy Square opened in June 2020 and has been fully occupied since November 2020. The mixed-income development achieves a wide range of affordability with significant rent advantage over competing market units. More than half of the units serve households that are at or below 50 percent Area Median Income (AMI). There are also nine units serving those with special needs, seven for homeless young adults (18-25) and two for homeless persons (of any age) with rents set at 30 percent AMI. Energy Square is EPA ENERGY-STAR Homes certified; EPA Indoor airPLUS certified; DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes certified; and received the LEED v4 Homes Platinum Certification. RUPCO master metered the residential portion of the building and covers the cost of electric for the landlord and all residential units. As a result, utility allowances are factored at zero in the rent calculations. The project was financed with a commercial bank loan, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, State Low Income Housing Credits, Solar Tax Credits, Geothermal Tax Credits, and New York State Homes and Community Renewal subsidies. Energy Square is a catalyst for equitable redevelopment in Midtown Kingston and serves as an innovative model of smart growth.
Beach Green Dunes II – Queens, NY
Developer: L+M Development Partners
Owners: BGN II Owners LLC and BGNII Housing Development Fund Corporation
Architect: Curtis + Ginsberg Architects LLP
Beach Green Dunes II is a mixed-use affordable rental housing project located in the Edgemere neighborhood of Far Rockaway, Queens. The eight-story building measures approximately 121,000 square feet and includes 127 fully occupied residential units that are affordable to low- and moderate-income households whose income does not exceed 100 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). The property also includes 49 residential parking spaces (covered and uncovered) on the ground floor; approximately 2,590 square feet of dry floodproofed commercial space – which will soon welcome a healthy cafe and market run by the non-profit The Campaign Against Hunger; secure bicycle storage; and a plaza and landscaped yard for passive recreational use. The 100 percent affordable housing development transformed a vacant city-owned beach-front property into a modern, resilient housing development. Located two blocks away from the Rockaway Beach Boardwalk, the building is designed to integrate resilient and sustainable features to protect against flood risk, optimize energy efficiency, and reduce residents’ utility costs. The building is located in a NYC Flood Zone 1 and thus is raised to exceed flood requirements – including wet and dry floodproofing to prevent flooding and promote quick recovery should it occur. The project employs a closed loop geothermal system for heating and cooling in addition to solar photovoltaic arrays to power common areas. Beach Green Dunes II is certified by the Passive Housing Institute for US standards and exceeds the 2015 Enterprise Green Communities standards. Construction was made possible through the Extremely Low & Low-Income Affordability (ELLA) program of the NYC Housing Development Corporation and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Beach Green Dunes II truly stands as a testament to the successful integration of sustainable construction practices and community-based design.
Stonewall House – Brookyln, NY
Developer: BFC Partners Development LLC
Owner: Ingersoll Senior Partners LLC
Architect: Marvel Architects
Stonewall House is proudly the largest LGBTQ-welcoming elder housing development in the country. Occupying the prominent corner of Myrtle Avenue and St. Edwards Street in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, the 17-story mixed-use development consists of 124,000 square feet containing 145 apartments – all of which are reserved for households earning up to 60 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI). The 95 percent occupied project also set aside 30 percent of units for formerly homeless individuals, community district 2 residents, and NYC Housing Authority residents. In addition to 145 affordable apartments for seniors, Stonewall House features a 6,800-square-foot senior center on the ground floor. The senior center is not only a resource to building residents, but to seniors in the surrounding public housing developments and the larger Fort Greene neighborhood as well. The center, operated by Services & Advocacy for LGBTQ Elders (SAGE), the country’s largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ older adults, will mirror other locations SAGE operates across New York City. It features a dining space to provide 100 meals a day, a small kitchen, community space, medical offices, and administrative and program support. The development was designed to meet Enterprise Green Communities standards and includes green roofs, efficient building systems, efficient façade elements, high efficiency and low usage fixtures, a backup power generator, and a water retention system. Stonewall House effortlessly fosters a sense of home for the community it serves while simultaneously providing a vibrant place to connect and thrive with others.
Excellence in Market-Rate Housing
Waterline Square – New York, NY
Developer and Owner: GID Development Group
Architects: Hill West Architects, Richard Meier & Partners Architects, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC, Rafael Viñoly Architects, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects PC, Rockwell Group
Waterline Square is a 2.1 million-square-foot, three-tower mixed-use residential development on Manhattan’s West Side that completes the City’s vision of the Riverside South master plan. The $2.4 billion, 1,132-unit development transforms the once-highly polluted and underutilized rail yards and vacant land between West 59th and 61st Streets along the Hudson River into a shining example of environmental remediation and community development in New York City. Its three mixed-use towers include condominium units, luxury rentals, mixed-income units over a mix of commercial including retail, restaurants, and market spaces. The buildings are set upon the 2.6-acre Waterline Square Park with its stunning landscape, tree-lined groves, open grass areas, walking paths, a playground, and fountains. Beneath the park, stretching three stories below-grade and connecting all three buildings is The Waterline Club, offering 100,000 square feet of sport, fitness, wellness, spa, leisure, entertainment, creative, work, and children and pet spaces designed by the Rockwell Group. Waterline Square is targeting a LEED for New Construction Silver rating and provides seamless connections to public transit and green infrastructure, connection to the extensive Hudson Greenway bike path, and a dedicated shuttle for ease and equitable transport to and from Columbus Circle. Waterline Square is also programmed with over 400 events, seminars and classes per year, including outdoor fitness and yoga classes, gardening and healthy cooking classes, various art and creative tutorials, as well as live music and art performances. By creating the area’s first truly mixed-use environment, with world-class architecture set in a nearly three-acre public park, the project has recast Manhattan’s entire Riverside sub-market and has created one of the most innovative, comprehensive, and cohesive urban residential experiences in New York City.
Via 57 West – New York, NY
Owner: The Durst Organization
Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group (Design) and SLCE Architects (AoR)
An architecturally distinct residential building in West Midtown, VIA 57 West’s form creates what the developer deems a new typology – the “courtscraper” – combining the compactness, density, and intimacy of a classic courtyard building, with the airiness and the expansive views of a skyscraper. The most prominent feature of the tetrahedron structure is its courtyard that opens to the Hudson River, with residential unit balconies oriented toward the courtyard in an effort to foster a community and a “vertical neighborhood.” VIA includes 709 residential units, 42,000 square feet of amenities, 48,800 square feet of retail, a 285-car garage, and parking for 290 bicycles. Building amenities include a pool, fitness center, half-basketball court, game room, two lounges, a theatre, and a golf-simulation room. VIA committed to a higher standard of environmental sustainability, both in its design and throughout its construction, by ensuring the selection and handling of materials were respectful of environmental impacts in extraction, manufacture, shipping, installation, use, maintenance, and material afterlife. A trailblazer in the architectural rejuvenation of Manhattan’s West Side, Via 57 West still shines bright amongst its peers.
Halletts Point, Phase One – Queens, NY
Developer: The Durst Organization
Architects: Dattner Architects and Handel Architects
10 Halletts Point is a 405-unit mixed-use waterfront property with spacious townhouses, studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments designed to maximize panoramic views and encourage natural light. The building is a part of the first phase of the Durst Organization’s Hallets Point project, a multi-building, phased development on the Astoria Waterfront in Queens. Completed in 2019, the first phase demonstrates the application of the Halletts Point masterplan’s aspirations and serves as a prototype for future phases of the development. The first phase introduced the first supermarket to the neighborhood, and new and enhanced public transportation links that include additional bus stops, improved street circulation, and new ferry routes direct to the Upper East Side. The residences include extensive onsite amenities to enrich residents’ lifestyles, offering modern conveniences without leaving home. The 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities include outdoor terraces, barbecue areas, a fitness center, children’s playroom, party room, and 24-hour attended garage, to ensure carefree living, effortless entertaining, and enhanced wellbeing. In support of the burgeoning local art scene, the lobby at 10 Halletts Point features a captivating art exhibit by Jason Middlebrook. Thoughtful integration of the critical elements of earth, water, air, and energy brings to life a sustainable community where residents thrive. Achieving LEED Gold certification, 10 Halletts Point redefines green living and elevates resident comfort through state-of-the-art energy and water conservation, enhanced air quality, innovative design, and careful materials selection. The development has also activated a previously unused waterfront site, creating green space and a temporary community event area currently operating as a drive-in theater. Future phases of Halletts Point will implement the construction of a new waterfront public park and develop an active and lively neighborhood streetscape with new retail, pedestrian-friendly streets, and further improvements to public transportation. The activation of the waterfront, which was long restricted by the physical and psychological barrier of the East River, represents a historical milestone that now connects the community to the natural landscape.
Excellence in Institutional Development
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation-David Rockefeller River Campus at The Rockefeller University – New York, NY
Developer: The Rockefeller University
Architect: Rafael Viñoly Architects
In 2011, confronted with the challenge of an aging building stock and outdated laboratory facilities that limited the recruitment of talented scientists, the leadership of The Rockefeller University commissioned Rafael Viñoly Architects to develop a space plan and master plan that would accommodate future growth for the campus. The resulting River Campus plan preserves the campus’ beloved garden designed by renowned landscape architect Dan Kiley, promotes the historic character of the buildings bordering it, and provides broad, open floor plates for scientific research that maximize flexibility to modify each lab over time for greater ease in the expansion and contraction of research groups. By utilizing its air rights over the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive (FDR Drive), the University was able to preserve the character of the campus by expanding horizontally rather than vertically, and by creating a new site over the FDR Drive that facilitated the development of the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Research Building, a three-story building with flexible and forward-oriented large research floor plates concentrated in two floors. The University’s decision to maintain a low building profile enhances and preserves the integrity of the original landscape, by extending it out over the rooftop of the new laboratory building. The resultant low-rise Research Building, which is pursuing LEED Gold certification, unifies the campus architecturally from the east, minimizes intervention in the historic garden, and expands both campus and community amenities and green space. More than a research facility, the expansion represents a holistic expansion of the University’s campus with collaborative, convening, recreation, and dining amenities enjoyed by the full University population and also by the surrounding community. Additionally, a failed seawall along the East River was repaired, and the public esplanade between the building and the East River is enhanced with new landscaping, furnishings, lighting, and a sound barrier between the highway to provide a secure, safe, and resilient environment for the public realm. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation–David Rockefeller River Campus enhances scientific research, manages institutional growth, and the recruitment and retention of world class researchers, while simultaneously contributing to New York City’s leadership in fields of biomedical research and clinical care.
National Veterans Resource Center – Syracuse, NY
Owner: Syracuse University
Architect: SHoP Architects
Syracuse has a long and storied legacy of serving and welcoming America’s military veterans. Syracuse University also has one of the nation’s largest campus veteran communities and best developed veteran research and support networks. The National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC), a first-of-its-kind facility in higher education, is bringing those groups and functions together for the first time under one roof, with appropriately scaled facilities suitable for a wide spectrum of expected uses, from ceremonial events and exercises on the rooftop parade grounds to facilitating programs, trainings and initiatives. The NVRC provides innovative programming to serve more than 40,000 military veterans and their families, hosted in a thoughtfully designed range of meeting and social areas and classrooms built for the ongoing education, advancement and respect for the nation’s veterans. The facility offers dedicated workspaces for a variety of research groups, campus Army and Air Force ROTC, and serves as the headquarters of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families. A LEED Gold certified facility, the NVRC functions as a campus gateway, an inspirational research hub and is consciously designed as a welcoming and accommodating place for veterans and others with disabilities. The building exceeds all accessibility-related requirements and incorporates a warm and soothing signature Douglas Fir feature wall, in recognition that many of the building’s occupants and visitors will be survivors of trauma. On a critical site between a busy student neighborhood and the historic core of the Syracuse campus, the NVRC introduces a major new gateway to the university—addressing the needs of the entire Syracuse community as a flexible, inclusive learning environment.
Excellence in Civic Development
Moynihan Train Hall – New York, NY
Owner & Partners: NYS Empire State Development in a public-private partnership with: Vornado Realty Trust, The Related Companies, Skanska, the MTA, the Long Island Railroad, Amtrak, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Architect: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
The Moynihan Train Hall project expands Penn Station, the nation’s busiest train station, into the landmarked James A. Farley Post Office building to relieve crowding and improve passenger comfort and security. The $1.6 billion project restores the civic grandeur and dignified sense of arrival lost with the demolition of the original Penn Station in the 1960s and transforms the Farley Building into a modern, world-class transit hub with state-of-the-art technologies and customer amenities – an idea first proposed by the late United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan more than a quarter-century ago. The Train Hall expands Penn Station’s concourse space by 50 percent, adds 25,000 square feet of passenger waiting areas and increases Penn Station’s platform circulation by 37 percent. It reverses the dark, overcrowded experience of Penn Station through the introduction of a soaring, 92-foot high sky-lit atrium traversing the main boarding concourse for Amtrak and MTA Long Island Rail Road passengers, reminiscent of the original, sky-lit Penn Station. The Farley Building’s 200,000-square-foot stone facade, 700 windows, copper roof, steel trusses, and many other unique details have been fully restored all while the project is targeting LEED Silver certification in a new LEED for Transit category. The project’s innovative public-private partnership design-build delivery model helped ensure the project’s completion on time and on budget. In addition to improving Penn Station, Moynihan Train Hall also creates an important connection between Penn Station and the ongoing revitalization of Manhattan’s Far West Side, through its generous public spaces, inspiring public artwork, 730,000 square feet of new commercial office space (the future home to Facebook), and 120,000 square feet of planned shops and restaurants. Moynihan Train Hall triumphantly embraces its architectural history and reimagines the future of rail travel in one of the world’s greatest cities.
Pier 2 Uplands, Brooklyn Bridge Park – Brooklyn, NY
Owner: Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation
Architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
Brooklyn Bridge Park, one of the largest and most significant public projects built in New York City in a generation, has transformed a once dilapidated industrial waterfront into a vibrant and thriving 85-acre civic landscape that welcomes more than five million annual visitors. The Pier 2 Uplands, which opened in July 2020, adds an additional 3.1 acres of green space to the Park and introduces new assets for the community and park visitors, while demonstrating how the Park has implemented innovative design techniques that meet its sustainable mandate. Some of the sustainable design features on display include: a 25-foot sound-attenuating berm, with biodiverse plantings and native grass mixes, that reduces noise pollution from the adjacent Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) by up to 70 percent; a water play area, created by repurposing pier pile caps cut away during the construction of Pier 3 into user-activated water spray features, that captures water run-off in underground tanks and repurposes it to provide the required irrigation for the site; and, salvaged materials from the Brooklyn Bridge façade rehabilitation and an area of Pier 3 where deck and piles were removed, that were used to create unique play areas for kids and seating for parents. The Park has been able to complete this waterfront development because of its unique mandate to be financially self-sufficient, which it achieves through concession and permit revenue and revenue retained on site from a handful of development projects in the Park that pay both their property taxes and annual ground leases directly to the Park. With its engaging water play features, elevated lawns with stunning views of Lower Manhattan, and connections to some of the Park’s most popular destinations, the Pier 2 Uplands complete the vision for this major section of Park: providing something for everyone in the community while also dazzling visitors from around the world.
Excellence in Office Development
One Vanderbilt – New York, NY
Developer: SL Green Realty Corp.
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
Standing at 1,401 feet tall and spanning 1.7 million square feet, One Vanderbilt is the tallest office tower in Midtown Manhattan and the second tallest office tower in New York City. The tower’s developer, SL Green Realty Corp., worked with the City of New York and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to realize $220 million in public open space and transit infrastructure improvements in and around Grand Central Terminal—a transit hub that is one of the busiest, most crowded commuter and rail hubs along the eastern United States. One Vanderbilt fits into the city’s network of public transport perhaps more than any other building in the city, blending private enterprise and the public realm. The base of the building becomes part of the spatial sequence of Grand Central and a doorstep to the city, greeting thousands of commuters daily. Together, the integrated complex of below grade conditions offering connections to the terminal, the new East Side Access, and an active urban base, makes the project a 21st century successor to the Rockefeller Center. The building’s iconic design was created by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and follows the layered language of great New York towers such as the Chrysler and Empire State buildings. With 1.5 million square feet of Class A office space, the design accommodates a variety of floorplates (40,900 square feet to 16,150 square feet), including long-span podium floors and a 20-foot minimum planning dimension to respond to today’s market needs. One Vanderbilt also offers a 30,000-square-foot tenant-only amenity floor and will include an 11,000-square-foot restaurant. The building is topped with a 28,000-square-foot observatory with the second-highest outdoor deck in New York City. SL Green also prioritized sustainability with a $17 million investment in features to ensure the building maintains one of the lowest carbon footprints across similarly scaled buildings in the City. One Vanderbilt was built using steel rebar made of 90% recycled content, features cutting-edge technologies such as 1.2-MW cogeneration system, 50,000-gallon rainwater collection system and regulated insulation for heating and cooling through high-performance glazing. One Vanderbilt has received both LEED and WELL Platinum certifications. Nearly 20 years in the making, One Vanderbilt redefines the Manhattan skyline, transforms the modern workplace and reaffirms the future of New York City.
10 Jay Street – Brooklyn, NY
Developer: Triangle Assets
Architect: ODA
Located in the waterfront neighborhood of DUMBO in Brooklyn, 10 Jay Street sits at an ideal location, flanked by the Manhattan Bridge and flush with waterfront views. The property was originally built in 1898 to house the Arbuckle Brothers sugar refinery and was composed of two buildings with a shared, piecemeal interior façade. A demolition during the 1950s left only three of the original façades intact. After remaining vacant and abandoned for 50 years, Triangle Assets purchased the property and called upon ODA Architecture to revive the property. ODA’s design restored the three original brickwork facades and added a crystalline glass front to replace the lost western facade, which honors the history of the building by evoking sugar crystals while also reflecting the nearby park and waterfront. A delicate balance of glass, steel, brick, and spandrels gives the building gravitas without compromising its industrial heritage. The transformed building now serves as creative office space, with 10 stories of open floor plates that include original detailing, vaulted ceilings, exposed brick and stunning waterfront views. As an adaptive reuse of a historical building, 10 Jay is uniquely sustainable—using as much of the existing structure as possible, avoiding unnecessary material waste and saving approximately 80 percent of the embedded carbon that goes into a new building. The design dares to challenge the way landmark buildings are seen and, in doing so, creates unique threads to link old with new; the industrial age with the digital era; distinction and synthesis. At 10 Jay, a vanished wall has prompted a reflection on the present and a look back to industrial history. 10 Jay Street is a prime example of how cities around the world can recover and adapt buildings rather than create new ones.
Excellence in Repositioning or Redevelopment
1271 Avenue of the Americas – New York, NY
Developer: Rockefeller Group
Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
The repositioning of the former Time & Life Building is one of the largest redevelopments ever of an existing office building, at 2.1 million square feet. This extensive top-to-bottom renovation honors the building as an iconic mid-century modern skyscraper while preparing it for its next chapter through a carefully considered program of restoration, modernization and improvement. The project team embraced the original design intent, seamlessly re-cladding the 48-story façade, renovating the interior landmark-designated lobby, enhancing the outdoor public plaza and upgrading the building systems. The most significant portion of the project is the replacement of the building envelope. The new tower curtain helps to decrease overall building energy use, improve building mechanics and create an enhanced workplace with an increased sense of light and enhanced views. The lobby restoration and upgrade returns much of the landmarked space to its original condition while also clarifying circulation and creating a multi-tenant lobby. Substantial upgrades to building systems have improved energy efficiency to create a brighter, healthier, more pleasant work environment. The project achieved LEED Gold certification for New Buildings and Major Renovations. The redevelopment work extends to the civic realm through a revitalization of the surrounding plaza, where a new gathering space re-centers activity and creates opportunities for other uses. The redesigned plaza includes new trees, curbs, lighting and a significant stepped landscape feature along Sixth Avenue, which activates the space with greenery, the sound of water, and abundant public seating. A renovated subway entrance providing direct access to the public transportation and a new public passageway directly connects to 51st Street, providing additional retail frontage and a shortcut through a busy part of town.
Industry City – Brooklyn, NY
Developer: Industry City is a private entity that is a joint venture between Belvedere Capital, Jamestown and Angelo Gordon
Architect: S9 Architects
Industry City is a 35-acre, 16-building, six million-square-foot site located on the waterfront of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Originally built between 1890-1910, Bush Terminal, now known as Industry City, was once a thriving intermodal warehouse distribution and manufacturing hub. In 2013, an ownership group consisting of Belvedere Capital, Jamestown and Angelo Gordon joined forces to begin the redevelopment of this massive site, which had suffered through 50 years of neglect and decay. Over the last seven years, the ownership group has invested over $400 million in deferred maintenance and tenant build outs, bringing the property back to life. Industry City is divided into two building clusters, the Finger Buildings (ten buildings totaling three million square feet) and the Waterfront Buildings (six buildings totaling three million square feet). The narrow dimensions of the Finger Buildings are ideal for small creative workshops and businesses that have helped create an ecosystem that has attracted larger tenants such as AECOM, Conde Nast, West Elm, WhatIf, Buck Design, and the Vera Institute. The waterfront buildings have significantly larger footprints allowing for tenants like Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment (180,000 square feet, including the Brooklyn Nets practice facility), Union Square Hospitality Group (70,000 square feet, including commissary kitchens and office) and Amazon/Wholefoods (25,000-square-foot grocery fulfillment center). The site also includes five acres of uniquely designed and landscaped courtyards that serve as open space available to the public. Today, Industry City is home to 550 businesses with 8,000 jobs and welcomes over 15,000 visitors every weekend to shop and experience a broad range of entertainment and beautifully landscaped green space. As the largest commercial-industrial redevelopment of its kind in the United States, Industry City is now an international model for privately financed urban adaptive reuse.
Baychester and Murphy Houses – Bronx, NY
Developers: New York City Housing Authority, Camber Property Group, L+M Development Partners, MBD Community Development Corporation
Architect: Curtis + Ginsberg Architects
Originally constructed in 1963 and 1964, Baychester and Murphy Houses consist of 722 units across 14 buildings located at two New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)-owned properties in the East Tremont and Edenwald neighborhoods of the Bronx. After suffering from decades of lack of federal investment for renovations or upkeep, the properties were in need of substantial capital improvements. To finance these improvements, NYCHA utilized its Permanent Affordability Commitment To¬gether (PACT) program, an innovative public-private partnership approach that enables NYCHA to unlock the funds required to make capital repairs, while ensuring public control of NYCHA buildings and maintaining residents’ rights. Through PACT, Baychester and Murphy Houses were converted to more stable, project-based Federal Section 8 funding and then the land and buildings were leased by NYCHA to the selected development partners, Camber Property Group, L+M Development Partners, and MBD Community Development Corporation. The project was among the first to be completed using the PACT program, and the first to receive financing from the New York City Housing Development Corporation. The campus-wide exterior and interior renovations include façade over-cladding, an overhaul of the existing grounds, residential public space and unit upgrades, building system upgrades, and implementation of comprehensive accessibility and security improvements. Based on a detailed energy audit by energy consul¬tants at Bright Power, and guided by NYCHA’s 2016 Sustainability Agenda, improvements to existing building materials and systems were incorporated into a Comprehensive Energy Retrofit that also included changes to the way the buildings are operated and managed. Community, daycare and senior centers have also been enhanced, improving the services provided for residents and the surrounding community. Overall, the project serves as an exemplary and replicable model to address the tremendous needs of New York City’s public housing and enhance the quality of life for residents.
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