Slender Skyscraper

New West Side Tower is First Phase of 42nd Street Complex

The far West Side of Manhattan is getting a sleek addition in the 46-story Atelier rising a block from the Hudson River.

by Kyla Wilson and Tom Stabile

A new residential tower on Manhattan's West Side was close to a groundbreaking last year when it abruptly changed a major member of the project team: the owner.

The 46-story tower was nearly at full design, when the owner, a partnership of J.D. Carlisle, a New York developer, and CUBS 42nd Street LLC sold the site, concept, and plans to a similar joint venture. The buyers - the Moinian Group, also a New York developer, and San Francisco-based MacFarlane Partners, a real estate investment management firm running an urban-infill investment venture with California's public employees retirement system - hit the ground running.

Now, the $140 million tower slicing up the skyline on West 42nd Street near the Hudson River is nearing completion and is set to open the doors to its 478 condominiums in January.

Moinian purchased what was virtually a complete package in the design by New York-based Costas Kondylis and Partners and only had to make minor revisions, said Maria Rosenfeld, vice president for project management at the development firm.

However, the prior development team had made "changes and nuances" to the project that were never recorded on the design documents, which complicated the initial drafting of contracts and drawings, Rosenfeld added.

"It was an interesting experience," she said. "I wouldn't want to do it again."

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The 500,000-sq.-ft. building at 635 W. 42nd St. between 11th and 12th avenues is actually the initial phase in the mixed-use complex that will take up most of the city block on the street's north side. A future second phase would add a 900,000-sq.-ft. component that will include retail, rental apartments, and public parking.

The first-phase tower, dubbed the Atelier, will have studios and one and two-bedroom units with dramatic Hudson River and Manhattan skyline views. The 650- to 1,715-sq.-ft. units are selling for $665,000 to $1.5 million in a part of town still considered the frontier by most Manhattanites.

"The views are really incredible," Rosenfeld said.

Costas drew inspiration for the building design from the large ocean liners docked nearby along the Hudson River, only a block away from the slender, 510-ft.-tall structure. The mixed façade of curtain wall, window wall, inlaid windows, and punch windows still produces a sleek appearance.

"It has a very clean, sublime look," Rosenfeld said.

Meanwhile, Frank Ross Jr., senior vice president of HRH Construction of White Plains, N.Y., the project's construction manager, called the look "modern art deco."

The reinforced concrete structure offered plenty of construction challenges despite a hospitable site, said Jacob Grossman, president of Rosenwasser Grossman Consulting Engineers of New York, the structural engineer.

"Architecturally this was an ideal site but structurally there were many obstacles," he added.

The biggest task was accounting for the strong winds off the Hudson. After conducting a wind-tunnel study of the structure and cladding, the team designed a dual system of structural shear walls and column-slab frame interaction to combat the wind loads. "The tests used wind speeds of up to 120 mph, above average and New York City building code requirements," Grossman said. "Because of the structure's slenderness ratio [that compares its height to its width] of nearly 9 to 1, there was a large uplift at the base. To counter the uplift we called for rock anchors at the north and south sides of the shear wall."

Fortunately, the winds didn't hinder the construction effort, though it made for some challenging curtain wall installation, Ross said.

"Luckily, we've gone through the experience without any major injuries," he added.

The proximity to the river also created hurdles.

"The site also features a high water table, [which] influenced the design team to limit excavation to one cellar level," Grossman said. "With this level still extending below the water table, a pressure slab was used to resist the uplift."

The building will have a full slate of amenities, including an outdoor sports deck with basketball and volleyball courts, as well as a Sky Lounge with a billiards room, catering kitchen, and sun deck.

Residents will be able to use a 12,000-sq.-ft. fitness center and a skylighted indoor pool. The tower also features 15,700 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail space, a 100-space underground parking garage, restaurants, and an art gallery space.

The units will feature white oak flooring imported from Italy, luxury appliances, and master baths with marble floors and wall detailing. Other amenities include a concierge, crosstown shuttle service, and children's play area.

The as-yet-unnamed second phase currently calls for 400 more condominiums, 350 market-rate and affordable rental apartments, another 100,000 sq. ft. of retail, and more parking. Construction on that phase would begin in 2008 and wrap up the following year.

Key Players

Developer: Moinian Group, New York; MacFarlane Partners, San Francisco

Architect: Costas Kondylis and Partners, New York

Structural Engineer: Rosenwasser Grossman Consulting Engineers, New York

Construction Manager: HRH Construction, White Plains, N.Y.

Concrete-Foundation: Urban Foundation Engineering, New York

Concrete-Superstructure: Century Maxim Construction, Port Chester, N.Y.

Concrete Consultant: Re-Con Detailing, Elmsford, N.Y.