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740 Eighth Avenue - The Torch

ODA · Midtown · 2028

Southwest corner from Eighth Avenue.

Superstructure is ongoing at Extell’s 52-story mixed-use supertall tower in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by ODA Architecture, the tower will feature ground floor retail and an 825-key hotel that wraps around three existing low-rise structures at the base and tapers skyward into a columnar structure that will be capped by a multi-tier public observation deck. The superstructure has surpassed the 20th floor in its rise towards 1,067 feet.

Looking up at the south facade from West 45th Street.

Looking up at the south facade from West 45th Street.

Looking up at the west facade from Eighth Avenue.

Northwest corner from Eighth Avenue.

Looking up at the north facade from West 46th Street.

Architect: ODA Architecture (Design Architect), SLCE Architects (Executive Architect); Developer: Extell Development; Program: Retail, Hotel, Observation Decks; Location: Midtown, New York, NY; Completion: 2027.

 
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Construction Update: 450 11th Avenue

Northwest corner from 11th Avenue.

Facade installation is nearing completion at Marx Development Group’s 51-story Aloft Hotel adjacent to Hudson Yards. Designed by DSM Design Group, the 642-foot tall tower is clad in a glass curtain wall from Custom Metalcrafters that is divided into alternately angled 2-story sections. When completed, the project will offer 379 guest rooms, a restaurant and bar, ballroom, and business center.

Closeup of the north facade.

Closeup of the tower crown.

West facade from 11th Avenue.

Closeup of the west facade.

Looking up at the northwest corner.

Closeup of the northwest corner.

Southwest corner from 11th Avenue.

Closeup of the west facade.

Architect: DSM Design Group, Moshe Zur Architects; Developer: Marx Development Group; Program: Hotel; Location: Hudson Yards, New York, NY; Completion: 2024.

 
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Construction Update: 2420 Amsterdam Avenue - Radio Tower and Hotel

Southeast corner from Amsterdam Avenue.

Facade installation is nearing completion at Youngwoo and Associates’ 22-story mixed use development the Radio Tower and Hotel in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Designed by Dutch architecture firm MVRDV, the 235,000 square foot project combines hotel and retail program at the base and an office tower above in an asymmetrical stack of boxes. This is the firm’s first major US project.

Each of the development’s program volumes are designed to reflect the scale of nearby buildings and feature a variety of window sizes that also draw on the variety of the surrounding context. Ceramic bricks clad the boxes, with a different color selected for each volume.

Looking up at the east facade from Amsterdam Avenue.

East facade from Amsterdam Avenue.

Northeast corner from the Washington Bridge.

Northeast corner from Amsterdam Avenue.

Northeast corner from Amsterdam Avenue.

Architect: MVRDV (Design Architect), Stonehill & Taylor Architects (Executive Architect); Interior Design: Workshop/APD; Structural Engineer: GACE Consulting Engineers; Building Systems: Cosentini Associates; Developer: YoungWoo & Associates; Program: Hotel, Offices, Cultural, Restaurant; Location: Washington Heights, New York, NY; Completion: 2022.

 
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Tour: Century Plaza

Southeast corner of the site from Avenue of the Stars.

Construction is wrapping up on Next Century Partners’ Century Plaza in the Century City neighborhood of Los Angeles. The development includes the restoration of Minoru Yamasaki’s Century Plaza hotel (originally opened in 1966) and two new 44-story towers designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners.

Northwest corner of the site from Constellation Boulevard.

Looking up at the south facade of the towers from Solar Way.

Restoration of the 400-room Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel has been overseen by Marmol Radziner with guestrooms and public space interiors by Yabu Pushelberg. The hotel will offer a gourmet café, an American brasserie, a rooftop bar, a 14,000-square-foot spa, and two ballrooms. Along with hotel guest rooms, the restored hotel structure will also offer 63 single-story and townhouse homes designed by Yabu Pushelberg.

Entry plaza with a sculpture by Jaume Plensa.

Restored entry canopy at the Century Plaza Hotel.

Century Plaza Hotel lobby.

Hotel restaurant.

Spa.

Rooftop terrace.

The two 535-foot tall residential towers feature facades of floor-to-ceiling bent glass and glass enclosed terraces. Residents will have access to a collection of amenities that include a pool, fitness center and spa, screening room, library, game room, wine cellars, party spaces, and concierges.

Looking up at the towers (center, right) and restored hotel (right).

Architect: Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Gensler; Interiors: Marmol Radziner (Century Plaza Hotel), Yabu Pushelberg (Tower Residences); Landscape Architect: Rios Clementi Hale Studio; Developer: Next Century Partners; Program: Hotel, Residential, Retail; Location: Century City, Los Angeles, CA; Completion: 2021.

 
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Cornell Tech Executive Education Center and Graduate Hotel

Snohetta · Roosevelt Island · 2021

West facade of the Graduate Hotel (center left) and the House at Cornell Tech (center right).

Construction has wrapped up at Cornell Tech’s Verizon Executive Education Center and Graduate Hotel. Designed by Snohetta with Stonehill Taylor, the project includes a 18-story hotel and an adjacent 4-story structure for academic conferences, executive programs and academic workshops.

The hotel is run by Graduate Hotels, a chain that operates in college towns throughout the United States. Graduate Roosevelt Island offers 196 rooms for visiting families, academics and visitors in town for campus conventions and events. Amenities include a restaurant, rooftop bar, and flexible event space.

Northwest corner from West Main Street.

Northwest corner from West Main Street.

Close-up of the north facade.

Looking up at the south facade of the hotel and the executive education center.

The executive education center is clad in floor to ceiling glass panels with wood and metal vertical fins for sun mitigation.

Southwest corner of the hotel (left), executive education center (center), and residential tower (right).

Hotel Lobby

Lobby with artist Hebru Brantley’s 13-foot statue Flyboy.

Hotel lobby lined with 5,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.

Hotel restaurant Anything At All.

Ballroom

Minnehanonck Ballroom on the third floor.

Executive education center (left) and the Bloomberg Center (right).

Rooftop Bar and Lounge

Rooftop bar and lounge Panorama Room.

Rooftop bar.

View to the south from the rooftop terrace.

View to the west towards Midtown Manhattan.

Rooftop terrace.

Guestrooms

Typical guestroom corridor.

Architects: Snohetta with Stonehill Taylor; Client: Cornell Tech with AJ Capital Partners; Program: Hotel, Conference and Meeting; Location: Roosevelt Island, New York, NY; Completion: 2020.

 
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Construction Update: The Grand LA

Southwest corner from South Grand Avenue.

Facade installation is nearing completion at the Related Companies and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.’s two-tower multi-use development The Grand LA in Downtown Los Angeles. Designed by Frank Gehry of Gehry Partners, the development sits across the street from Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall and includes two towers that rise to 45- and 28-stories. The project will offer 400 residences, including 89 units of affordable housing, and a 309-key luxury hotel. Retail will occupy the base of the two towers, with 176,000 square feet of shopping and restaurants on three levels of landscaped open terraces.

Looking up at the south facade of the residential tower.

Looking up at the southwest corner of the residential tower.

Southwest corner of the residential tower (right) and the hotel tower (left) from South Grand Avenue.

West facade of the residential tower.

Close-up of the residential tower.

Close-up of the residential tower.

Southwest corner of the hotel tower from South Grand Avenue.

Close-up of the hotel tower.

Close-up of the hotel tower.

West facades of the residential tower (right) and the hotel tower (left) from the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Northwest corner of the residential tower from South Grand Avenue.

Looking up at the southeast corner of the residential tower.

Southeast corner of the residential tower (left) and the hotel tower (right) from South Hill Street.

Architect: Gehry Partners, LLP (Design Architect), AECOM (Architect of Record); Interior Design: Ingrao Inc. (Residences), Tara Bernerd & Partners (Hotel), Rockwell Group (Restaurants); Landscape Designer: OJB Landscape Architecture; Developers: Related Companies with China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd.; Program: Residential, Hotel, Retail; Location: Downtown, Los Angeles, CA; Completion: 2022.

 
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Construction Update: The Wharf DC - Phase Two

Construction is ongoing at The Wharf’s phase two development at the Southwest Waterfront in Washington, DC. Developers Hoffman & Associates and Madison Marquette opened phase one in October 2016 with five buildings with residential, hotel, office, retail, and private event space. When completed in 2022, the second phase will offer 1.25 million square feet of mixed-use space in five additional buildings and two water buildings at the southern half of The Wharf.

Parcels 6 and 7

SHoP Architects is overseeing the design of Parcel 6 and 7’s 500,000 square feet of Class A office space and 33,000 square feet of retail space. The program is split among two buildings connected at the lower levels and clad in a glass curtain wall.

Parcel 6 and 7 facade detail.

North facade of Parcel 6.

Northeast corner of Parcel 6 from Maine Avenue SW.

East facade of Parcels 6 and 7 from Maine Avenue SW.

Water Building 1

Hollwich Kushner is overseeing the design of Water Building 1, a three-story hospitality structure built over a pier in the Potomac River. A steel ring truss of rectangular hollow sections and glass curtain wall clad the lower two floors of the concrete flat slab structure.

Parcel 8

ODA New York is leading the design on the mixed-use Parcel 8 building, which will offer 235 apartments and a 131-key hotel with 10,000 square feet of retail at the base.

Southwest facade of Parcel 8.

Northeast facade of Parcel 8 from Maine Avenue SW.

Southeast corner of Parcel 8 from Maine Avenue SW.

Southeast corner of Parcel 8 from Maine Avenue SW.

Parcel 9

Rafael Vinoly is leading the design of Parcel 9, which will offer 96 residential condo units and 18,000 square feet of retail.

East facade of Parcel 9 from Maine Avenue SW.

Northeast corner of Parcel 9 from Maine Avenue SW.

North facade of Parcel 9 from Maine Avenue SW.

Parcel 10

At the southern edge of the Wharf’s phase two, Morris Adjmi Architects is overseeing a five-story structure with 60,000 square feet of office space with 15,000 square feet of retail.

Southeast corner of Parcel 10 from Water Street SW.

Northeast corner of Parcel 10 from Water Street SW.

North facade of Parcel 10 from Water Street SW.

Phase two buildings.

 
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Construction Tour: 1568 Broadway - TSX Broadway

Northwest corner from West 47th Street.

Demolition is ongoing at 1568 Broadway, former home of a Double Tree Suites by Hilton, in Times Square. Led by developers L&L Holding Company in partnership with Fortress Investment Group, the previous structure will be replaced by a 46-story mixed use tower with a 699-room hotel, 75,000 square feet of experiential retail on 10 floors, and a $50 million renovation of The Palace Theater.

Northwest corner from West 47th Street.

At 105 years in operation, the Palace Theater is among the earliest surviving theaters in Times Square. As part of the new development, the theater will be lifted 30 feet up to the third floor and undergo a renovation that will refurbish the ornate plaster, historic preservation of the existing interior, acoustical isolation, technology modernization, new lobby with a bar and box office, new marquee, new grand entrance, and 10,000 square feet of additional back-of-house space.

Looking up at the north facade from West 47th Street.

West facade from Broadway.

Theater fly-space.

Theater box in preparation for the lift to the third floor.

Architects: Mancini Duffy (Lead Design), Perkins Eastman (Building Envelope), PBDW (Theater Box Design, Historic); Interior Design: Wimberley (Hotel); Developers: L&L Holding Company with Fortress Investment Group; Program: Hotel, Retail, Theater; Location: Times Square, New York, NY; Completion: 2022.

 
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Construction Update: Manhattan West

Southeast corner of Two Manhattan West (left) and One Manhattan West (right).

Superstructure is rising at Two Manhattan West, the second new office tower at Brookfield Properties' Manhattan West. The tower is part of the six building mixed use mega-development adjacent to the new Hudson Yards neighborhood. Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) led the design of the 58-story tower, which features a tapered massing with a glass curtain wall facade. One Manhattan West, an adjacent 67-story office tower of similar design opened last year at the northeast corner of the site.

Looking up at the east facade of One Manhattan West.

Lobby of One Manhattan West.

Northeast corner of the lobby at One Manhattan West.

Northeast corner of the lobby at One Manhattan West.

Looking up at the south facade of One Manhattan West.

Looking up at the south facade of One Manhattan West (right) and the Pendry Hotel (left).

Two Manhattan West

Northeast corner of Two Manhattan West.

Northeast corner of Two Manhattan West.

Looking up at the east facade of Two Manhattan West.

Looking up at the southeast corner of Two Manhattan West (left) and One Manhattan West (right).

Southeast corner of Two Manhattan West (left) and One Manhattan West (right).

Looking up at the south facade of Two Manhattan West.

Ground floor superstructure at Two Manhattan West.

Ground floor superstructure at Two Manhattan West.

Southwest corner of Two Manhattan West.

Looking up at the north facade of 401 West 31st Street.

Close-up of the retail podium at 401 West 31st Street.

Looking up at the north facade of 401 West 31st Street at dusk.

Southwest corner of One Manhattan West.

20200830-Manhattan West-DSC06447.jpg

Pendry Hotel

A 164-room luxury hotel operated by Pendry Hotels is currently rising on the northern boundary of the Manhattan West development. Also designed by SOM, the 281-foot-tall tower features a fluted glass curtain wall.

South facade of the Pendry Hotel and retail podium.

Close-up of the south facade of the Pendry Hotel.

Looking up at the southwest corner of the Pendry Hotel and One Manhattan West.

Southwest corner of the Pendry Hotel.

Northwest corner of the Pendry Hotel (center) and One Manhattan West (left).

Looking up at the north facade of the Pendry Hotel (center), One Manhattan West (left), and Five Manhattan West (right).

Architects: REX (Five Manhattan West), SLCE (401 West 31st Street [Architect of Record], SOM (401 West 31st Street [Design Architect], One Manhattan West, Two Manhattan West, Pendry Hotel, Master Plan Architect); Landscape Architects: James Corner Field Operations; Developer: Brookfield Properties; Program: Office, Residential, Hotel, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards District, New York, NY; Completion: 2017 (Five Manhattan West, 401 West 31st Street); 2019 (One Manhattan West); 2020 (Pendry Hotel), 2022 (Two Manhattan West).

 
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Construction Update: Manhattan West

North facade.

Facade installation is nearing completion at the Pendry Hotel at the norther boundary of the Manhattan West development. Designed by SOM, the same architects as the nearby One Manhattan West, the 281-foot-tall tower features a fluted glass curtain wall. Pendry Hotels will operate the 164-room luxury hotel.

Northwest corner facade detail.

Looking up at the north facade.

Architects: SOM [Design Architect]; Developer: Brookfield Properties; Program: Hotel, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards District, New York, NY; Completion: 2021.

 
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