Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

520 Fifth Avenue

KPF · Midtown · 2026

Southeast corner from Fifth Avenue.

Superstructure has topped out at Rabina’s 1,002-foot tall mixed-use tower 520 Fifth Avenue in Midtown. Designed by KPF, the 88-story tower’s massing features five tiers that contain 25 floors of boutique luxury office space with private residences above. Office floors range in size from 6,500 to 12,000 square feet and feature 12 foot tall ceilings, private terraces and loggias, and arched operable windows. The 100 residences in the floors above the office space will range in size from one- to four-bedrooms with ceilings up to 14 feet tall.

Looking up at the east facade.

The tower’s facade features a curtain wall with textured beige metal and arched windows. At the base of the tower, the facade elements are made of terra-cotta elements instead of the metal curtain wall. Installation of the facade has surpassed the two-thirds mark. Some additional height will be added with the tower’s crown element, serving as a screen wall for the mechanical equipment at the roof.

Looking up at the east facade.

Close-up of the curtain wall installed at the east facade.

Looking up at the south facade.

Close-up of the facade at the southwest corner.

Close-up of the terra-cotta facade at the lower floors.

Looking up at the north facade.

Close-up of the north facade.

Looking up at the east facade.

Looking up at the east facade.

Looking up at the east facade.

Looking up at the east facade.

Looking up at the southeast corner of the facade.

Close-up of the curtain wall facade.

Close-up of the curtain wall facade.

Looking north through a typical window.

Looking south towards Midtown and Lower Manhattan from the top floor.

Looking west towards Hudson Yards from the top floor.

Looking southeast towards Downtown Brooklyn from the top floor.

North facade of the tower.

Close-up of the top of the tower.

Close-up of the north facade of the tower.

Close-up of the facade at the southwest corner.

Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF); Interiors: Charles & Co.; Facade Consultant: Desimone Consulting Engineers; Structural Engineer: WSP; Construction Manager: Suffolk; Developer: Rabina; Program: Residential, Office, Retail; Location: Midtown, New York, NY; Completion: 2026.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Construction Update: Journal Squared Tower 3

Facade installation is nearing completion at the third and final tower of KRE Group and National Real Estate Advisors’ Journal Squared, a 2.3 million square feet mixed use development in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City. Designed by Handel Architects and HWKN, the 60-story tower is clad in the same grid of white metal panels and punched windows as the two adjacent towers from earlier phases. Also present is the alternating blue flagging at the windows and the signature vertical glazing strips that rip through the gridded tower facades.

When completed in the first quarter of 2024, the tower will offer 598 rental residences and an additional 18,000 square feet of amenities to the large collection already present in the first two towers.

Architects: Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) and Handel Architects; Developers: KRE (Kushner Real Estate Group) and National Real Estate Advisors, a division of NEBF; Structural Engineer: WSP; Mechanical Engineer: Barone Engineering Associates; Building Envelope Consultant: Israel Berger & Associates; Landscape Architect: Melillo + Bauer Associates, Inc.; Identity: Bruce Mau Design; Program: Residential, Retail, and Parking; Location: Jersey City, New Jersey; Completion: 2017 (Phase One), 2020 (Phase Two), 2024 (Phase Three).

 
Read More
Completed Field Condition Completed Field Condition

Tour: 25 Park Row

North facade.

Construction is wrapping up at L+M Development Partners Inc. and The Family Behind J&R Music World's 25 Park Row, a 50 story residential condo tower. The tower is part of a multi-building development that replaces the J&R Music and Computer World megastore. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the tower is clad in limestone colored panels that are likely concrete. Inside, the tower offers 110 residential condo units with views out onto City Hall Park and panoramic views of the New York skyline from large windows and spacious balconies.

Looking up at the northeast corner of 1 Beekman (left) and 25 Park Row (right).


Looking up at the north facade.

Northwest corner of the tower.

Residential Lobby

Residential lobby lounge.

Concierge desk.

Elevator lobby.

Elevator cab.

Tower Views

View west towards historic and present day iconic architecture from an upper floor.

View east from an upper floor.

View north towards Midtown from an upper floor.

A private loggia on the north facade.

View north towards City Hall Park from a private loggia.

Architect: COOKFOX Architects; Developers: L+M Development Partners and 23 Park Row Associates; Program: Residential Condominiums, Commercial; Location: Financial District, New York, NY; Completion: 2020.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Construction Tour: Central Park Tower

Southeast corner of the tower.

Facade installation is wrapping up at Extell’s Central Park Tower, a 1,550 foot residential tower on Billionaire’s Row in Midtown. The 131-story tower is designed by Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill, architects of the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai. With the topping out, Central Park Tower now stands as the second tallest tower in the United States, topped only by One World Trade Center’s spire. The tower is clad in a glass curtain wall with stainless steel fins that will reflect the sunlight to give the facade a sense of depth.

Nordstrom’s occupies the 7-story podium, while 179 condo units are on offer in the tower above.

Central Park Tower on the Midtown skyline.

Central Park Tower on the Midtown skyline.

Close-up of the southeast corner of the tower crown.

Close-up of the southeast corner of the tower.

South facade.

Close-up of the cantilever’s northeast corner.

South facade from Broadway.

Close-up of the tower’s crown.

Close-up of the south facade.

Close-up of the northwest corner of the tower.

Close-up of the stainless steel fins on the north facade.

Close-up of the southeast corner of the tower’s crown.

Architect: Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architects (Design Architect), Adamson Associates Architects (Architect of Record); Interiors: Rottet Studio; Structural Engineers: WSP; Construction Management: Lendlease; Developer: Extell Development Company; Equity Partners: Shanghai Municipal Investment; Program: Residential Condo, Retail; Location: Midtown, New York, NY; Completion: 2021.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Construction Tour: 53 West 53rd Street

West facade of the tower on the Midtown skyline.

Construction is nearing completion at Jean Nouvel's 53 West 53 tower in Midtown. Planning for the tower, from developers Hines and Pontiac Land Group with financing from Goldman Sachs, began in 2006 and was unveiled to the public in November of 2007. Work on the 1050' tower should wrap up later this year, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s expansion of MoMA that is set to open in October at the base. 

The tower's signature identity comes from its diagrid structure, the diagonally criss-crossing of normally vertical concrete columns at the tower's perimeter. Solid metal panels break up the glass of the curtain wall, expressing the diagrid on the tower's façade.

North facade from Central Park.

Views

The 82-story tower will include 145 residential condo units ranging from one- to five-bedrooms, the largest of which will be a 7,892-square-foot duplex penthouse. The tower's unique shape impacts the design of each unit, ensuring that each has a unique floor plan. Interiors for the apartments and amenites are designed by Thierry Despont.

View north towards 111 W 57 and Central Park from an upper floor apartment.

View northwest towards the West 57th Street towers and Central Park from an upper floor apartment.

View east towards Midtown and Queens from an upper floor apartment.

View southeast towards 30 Rockefeller Center and One Vanderbilt.

View southwest towards Hudson Yards.

View west towards Hell’s Kitchen and the New Jersey waterfront.

Architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Design Architect), AAI Architects, P.C. (Executive Architect); Interiors: Office of Thierry Despont; Developers: Hines, Pontiac Land Group, and Goldman Sachs; Program: Residential, Retail, Musuem; Location: Midtown, New York, NY; Completion: 2021.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Tour: 56 Leonard Street

One of the standout projects of New York’s recent construction boom is Alexico Group and Hines’ 56 Leonard, the 145-unit, 830 foot tall residential tower in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. Designed by Herzog & deMeuron, the tower is often affectionately referred to as the Jenga tower for its massing of stacked floor plates with a multitude of alternating balconies that resembles the stacked block game.

While the majority of the tower's floor plates alternate the balcony locations on every other floor in an A/B pattern, the upper floors of the tower are designed with a less homogeneous variation. Each of the final 11 floor plates are unique, creating variations in how each floor overhangs or recedes from the other.

Penthouse

The penthouses on the top 11 floors feature 14 foot floor-to-floor ceilings, a kitchen with a Herzog & de Meuron custom-designed grand piano-shaped island and a custom-sculpted range hood, a sculptural white enameled steel wood burning fireplace, a five-fixture master bathroom of travertine and Thassoss marble with radiant heated floors, and multiple terraces with panoramic views of the city.

Model Residence

Amentiy Floor

Residents have access to numerous amenities including a 75 foot lap pool with sundeck, gym, screening room, lounge, private dining room and playroom.

Architects: Herzog & de Meuron with Hill West Architects; Structural Engineers: WSP; Developers: Alexico Group, Hines; Program: Residential; Location: Tribeca, New York, NY; Completion: 2017.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Construction Tour: 15 Hudson Yards and The Shed

Northwest corner of 15 Hudson Yards.

Superstructure has topped out at 15 Hudson Yards, the 900-foot-tall residential tower at Related Companies and Oxford Development Group's Hudson Yards mega development on the Far West Side. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group, the 88-story tower will offer both condo and rental units. Sales for the 285 one- to four-bedroom condo units are underway and have already surpassed 50 percent sold. 

The view south towards Lower Manhattan from 15 Hudson Yards.

The tower will offer 40,000-square-feet of amenities spread across multiple floors. A fitness center, spa, and 75-foot pool occupy the 50th floor. On the 51st floor residents will have access to a club room, two corner private dining suites, screening and performance room, wine storage and tasting room, business center, and work spaces. At the top floor, residents will enjoy panoramic views from additional amenity spaces for relaxing and dining.  

The view east towards 10 Hudson Yards from 15 Hudson Yards.

The view north towards 35 Hudson Yards from 15 Hudson Yards.

Curtain wall installation at 15 Hudson Yards.

Looking up at the north facade of 15 Hudson Yards.

Looking up at 30 Hudson Yards (left), 15 Hudson Yards (center), 35 Hudson Yards (right), and 55 Hudson Yards (far right).

Looking north along 11th Avenue.

Hudson Yards rising on the Hudson River waterfront.

View of Hudson Yards from 12th Avenue.

Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group (Design Architects), Ismael Leyva Architects (Architect of Record); Developers: Related Companies, Oxford Properties Group; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards, New York, NY; Completion: 2018.

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

Columbia University Manhattanville Campus

Southeast corner of the Science Center.

Construction is wrapping up at Renzo Piano's Jerome L. Greene Science Center, the first building for Columbia University's Manhattanville Campus expansion. Set to open Spring 2017, the 9-story, 450,000 square-foot building will bring together researchers from across the University including the Columbia University Medical Center, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. The ground floor will house the Center for Education and Outreach, a public education center focused on brain science that will serve the general public and K-12 schools.

Looking east towards the Manhattanville Expansion campus.

Work is also wrapping up on the Lenfest Center for the Arts, the smaller structure located adjacent to the Science Center.  Also designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW), the Center for the Arts houses galleries, performance spaces, a screening room, and offices in an eight-story structure.  A unitized panel system of white metal and glass clads the exterior, a similar look to the firm's new Whitney Museum at the High Line.

Southeast corner of the Science Center.

The third RPBW building in Columbia University's master plan for the Manhattanville campus, the Academic Conference Center, has reached ground level. Located south of the Science Center, it will house a 400-seat auditorium and state-of-the-art seminar and meeting rooms inside a five-story structure.

The site of the Academic Conference Center (center) and the Science Center (right).

South facade of the Science Center(center) and Center for the Arts (left) from the 125th Street subway station.

Southeast corner of the Science Center at West 129th Street.

Ground floor façade of the Science Center.

Architects: Renzo Piano Building Workshop with Davis Brody Bond LLP (Science Center and Center for the Arts), RPBW with Dattner Architects (Academic Conference Center); Structure: WSP; MEP Engineer: Jaros, Baum & Bolles; Facade Consultant: IBA; Landscape Architect: James Corner Field Operations; Program: Education; Location: Manhattanville, New York, NY; Completion: 2017 (Science Center and Center for the Arts), 2018 (Academic Conference Center).

 
Read More
Construction Update Field Condition Construction Update Field Condition

400 West 113th Street - Enclave at the Cathedral

Structure has topped out at the residential towers adjacent to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Developed by the Brodsky Organization and designed by Handel Architects, the towers feature an exposed concrete structure with shaped concrete piers at the primary façade along West 113th Street. These piers reference the buttresses of the cathedral directly behind and animate the façade with their pattern of sloping from floor to floor. Installation of the black framed windows that occupy the space between the concrete piers has also made significant progress, with only a handful of floors left to be enclosed on each tower. When completed, the two towers will bring 428 residential rental units to the Morningside Heights neighborhood and a revenue stream to the church from the lease of the land.

A southeast view of the east tower (right) and the cathedral (left) from Morningside Park.

A view of the east tower from Morningside Park.

A view of the east tower from Morningside Drive.

The northeast corner of the towers from Morningside Drive.

Northwest corner of the east tower from West 113th Street.

A view of the cathedral between the two towers.

Northeast corner of the west tower from West 113th Street.

Facade detail.

North facade of the west tower from West 113th Street.

A view of the cathedral between the two towers.

A view of the cathedral between the two towers.

Southwest corner of the west tower from Amsterdam Avenue.

New site signage for the building identity.

ArchitectHandel ArchitectsDeveloperThe Brodsky OrganizationProgram: Residential; Location: Morningside Heights, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.

 
Read More