Cielo Foundation Complete

J.D. Carlisle Development Corp. has brought back parts of the team from its $200 million Morton Square project in the West Village to construct Cielo, a 28-story condominium tower at E. 83rd Street and York Avenue in Manhattan. The developer's sister firm, M.D. Carlisle Construction Corp., is contractor and Philip Koether is interior architect on the new $65 million project, both repeating their roles from the earlier job.

The team recently completed excavation and laying the foundation for the new 250,000-sq.ft. tower. Superstructure work should continue through April with exterior framing through the end of the year

The lead architect is Perkins Eastman Architects PC, which has created a layout for 128 studio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom luxury apartments that range in size from 626 sq. ft. to 3,221 sq. ft. The units, priced from $700,000 to $5,000,000, will be ready for occupancy in early 2006.

Koether has furnished the lobby with elegant details such as contrasting woods, Terrazzo flooring, and backlit walls. The apartments will have high ceilings, ranging from 10 ft. to 11 ft., as well as oversized windows to maximize the natural light. No floor has more than four units, giving all tenants a corner apartment.

Steel Up on 7 World Trade

The first new office building at the former World Trade Center site had a celebratory topping out with Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg joining Larry Silverstein, president of Silverstein Properties, and 500 construction workers, dignitaries, and guests for the ceremony. The new 7 World Trade Center is replacing the building of the same name destroyed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The last steel beam, adorned with the same American flag used in the topping out ceremony for the original structure, capped steel erection on the 750-sq.-ft. building, which is slated for completion at the end of the year. It will have 52 stories, taller and sleeker than its 640-ft., 47-story predecessor. Like the original, Tishman Construction Corporation is erecting the new building.

This more economical use of space by architect David Childs, consulting design partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, allows for the re-introduction of Greenwich Street through the World Trade Center site and for the creation of a new neighborhood park designed by landscape architect Ken Smith on a third of an acre - a "jewel," in Silverstein's words. The first ten floors already house a Consolidated Edison substation that supplies electrical service to Lower Manhattan.

Silverstein intends the 1.7-million-sq.-ft. building, which has a host of life-safety and environmental enhancements, to be the prototype for his other properties at the site, including the 1,776-ft. Freedom Tower already under construction and four other buildings he will develop there.

Two New Bronx Properties Start

The Arker Companies of Woodmere, N.Y., is developing two apartment houses at Ogden and Nagle Avenues in the Bronx. One of the buildings will have 100,000 sq. ft. and contain 100 units, while the other will be 125,000 sq. ft. with 130 units.

The two buildings, designed by Hugo Subotovsky of Suffern, N.Y., will each have eight stories, the smaller on a 25,000-sq.ft. site, the larger on a 40,000-sq.-ft. one. They will have concrete foundations, loadbearing block and brick frames, and prestressed concrete floors. The buildings will feature individual heating and cooling units in each apartment and full sprinkler coverage.

Construction on the buildings, together costing $25 million to develop, was slated to begin this month.

New Brooklyn Lofts Underway

Construction is underway on the Casa, three contiguous condominium loft-style buildings at the intersection of Conselyea and Leonard streets in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Scarano & Associates Architects designed the structures, and Superior Construction is contractor with S. Schwartz & Associates Engineers also on the job.

Each of the two-and-a-half story buildings includes eight units, comprising two duplexes and six lofts. The majority of the units are configured as one-bedroom apartments with partially open loft mezzanines. Among the more distinct features are ceiling heights from 16 ft. to 25 ft. The exteriors are masonry with red brick veneer, aluminum detailing around the windows, and gray stucco accents. Other details include tall, cathedral-style floor-to-ceiling windows, rooftop terraces, private gardens, and separate entrances to each of the three buildings. Completion is expected in April.

Trump Project Targets June Finish

Construction on the Heritage, also known as 240 Riverside Boulevard at Trump Place, is nearing completion. Donald Trump is developing the 31-story residential tower on Manhattan's West Side.

HRH Construction of New York, the general contractor, expects to complete the 368,150-sq.-ft. building by this June. It is finishing work on the pre-cast stone façade, which has a limestone finish.

Siena College Opens Redone Hall

Siena College in Loudonville, N.Y., recently unveiled its fully renovated Siena Hall. The building, the college's first, dates to 1940 and required upgrade or replacement of heating, electrical, and plumbing systems.

In addition to the infrastructure improvements, the college has also added the Hickey Financial Technology Center on the third floor. The center includes an accounting lab and a "trading room" equipped with stock market tickers and Bloomberg terminals. The building's first three floors have 15,000 s.f. to 16,000 s.f., while a fourth has 12,800 sq. ft.

The architect for the $8 million project was Design Partnership of Cambridge, based in Charlestown, Mass. and Garfield, N.J., while the interior designer was Grazyna Szymborski of Design Network in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The contractor was BBL Construction Services of Albany.

Harlem Condos Open

1400 on Fifth, an eight-story affordable residential complex in Harlem, recently celebrated its grand opening. The building is the first of its kind to qualify for the New York State Green Tax Credit, because of its environmentally sustainable construction practices. Seventy percent of the 225,000-sq.-ft. structure consists of recycled or renewable materials. It used 800 tons of structural steel.

HRH Construction of New York was general contractor on the $40 million project developed by Full Spectrum Building & Development of New York. The condominium building also has ground-floor retail tenants.

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