NEW YORK | New York by Gehry | 870 FT / 265 M | 76 FLOORS | T/O

[Thefigman]

I like it a lot. Especially that ripple effect.

[Lecom]

Despite that traditional-looking base, I hope the ripple facade will touch down at the street level in some parts at least. It would be a beauty up close like that.

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2090/2516211517_32e43e67cd_o.jpg

[Islander]

I was scared there for a while. Damn this building is going to be cool.

[Dac150]

I was scared there for a while. Damn this building is going to be cool.

Yes, I too am starting to warm up to the design. Keep in mind it'll be like having a TWT or Citigroup Center (heigh-wise) in that spot. That's what I'm more excited about.

[Swede]

Not much to add here for me other than that I like it, and have since we first saw this design. One touch I like is that the part above the last set-back is taller than the others. Makes it look both very New York and very vertical.

[koolkid]

Now if only it had some sort of crown. It'd be cool if it narrowed it's way up to the top like the esb or chrysler rather than have a flat top...

[CoolCzech]

I was scared there for a while. Damn this building is going to be cool.

The more I look at it, the more I like it. It helps that these new renderings aren't ghastly green like the original rendering of this design. The new rendings also have a crown of sorts, some sort of mechanical floor at the very top... a big improvement, too.

[NYguy]

Despite being only the 6th tallest new building Downtown, this one holds its own with the others...

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/2090/2516211517_32e43e67cd_o.jpg

We are very lucky to be getting these towers.

[Fabb]

After all the wait ... I'm happy with what I'm seeing.

[NYC4Life]

Just the height of this tower will be enough to make a big impact on the skyline, despite not being 1 of the tallest under construction. It'll also be far north enough from the WTC to have its own mark on Lower Manhattan.

[Stu]

Just the height of this tower will be enough to make a big impact on the skyline, despite not being 1 of the tallest under construction. It'll also be far north enough from the WTC to have its own mark on Lower Manhattan.

That's true.

Overall, I like this building, even not being much of a Gehry fan. I think that seems to be the general consensus on the board.

[NYguy]

It'll also be far north enough from the WTC to have its own mark on Lower Manhattan.

It will definitely have a mark of its own, but it'll be slightly south of Silverstein's 900 footer. What would really be cool is if there was lighting at the top of each setback.

[NYC4Life]

The slim Woolworth will have a tough time vying for attention in that spot of Lower Manhattan with Beekman and 99 Church Street.

[Patrick]

I'm glad to see some renders! Phew! I really hope this tower gets built, I'm not too fond of the location, as it will block Woolworth in a few views, but this tower is too awsome to pass up :yes:

[Lecom]

The slim Woolworth will have a tough time vying for attention in that spot of Lower Manhattan with Beekman and 99 Church Street.

It had a good run. 100 years in the spotlight - not bad at all. Compare it to its predecessor in importance, Singer, which took just 50 years to not simply be overshadowed, but outright demolished.

[NYguy]

It had a good run. 100 years in the spotlight - not bad at all.


And it will forever be on that elite list of "world's tallest". Still, there are bigger concerns for Woolworth as far as the spotlight goes...

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/2817/roughlyqo8.jpg

But none of these towers will directly front City Hall Park like the Woolworth does.

[Lecom]

Exactly. It will always be prominent not only in the history books, but also on the cityscape.

[NYC4Life]

Exactly. It will always be prominent not only in the history books, but also on the cityscape.


From Midtown, Woolworth was 1 of the few towers that was still visible from the smoke on 9/11.

[NYguy]

http://www.observer.com/2008/three-days-and-counting-reveal-first-frank-gehry-designed-manhattan-residential-tower

Forest City to Unveil Frank Gehry's First Manhattan Apartment Tower

by Dana Rubinstein
May 27, 2008

In an effort to gin up publicity for Frank Gehry's first Manhattan residential cloud-buster, the so-called Beekman Tower, developer Forest City Ratner will unveil the design in a ceremony on Friday afternoon.

The development will be Mr. Gehry's second in Manhattan, following his wildly succesful design for the IAC headquarters on 11th Avenue.

The Beekman Tower is slated to rise 76 stories between Spruce and Beekman streets, with 903 market-rate rental apartments inside.

The 1.1 million-square-foot building will also house a public school and an ambulatory care center for New York Downtown Hospital.

Could an iteration of Ms. Brooklyn--the scrapped design for the centerpiece of Mr. Gehry's and Bruce Ratner's Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn--be coming to Manhattan?

We'll find out soon.

[chex]

anything else we can expect from the presentation? something new?
could someone post a photo of the other tower by gehry in ny please?

[NYC4Life]

anything else we can expect from the presentation? something new?
could someone post a photo of the other tower by gehry in ny please?



By: kz1000ps (Wired New York)


http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7879/img8159ul7.jpg

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/6130/img8166gi9.jpg

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/7997/img8169eo0.jpg

http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/8232/img8181cu5.jpg

[colemonkee]

I'm not a big fan of the frosted glass facade, but those last two pictures are really flattering. This design looks really nice with a cloudy sky as a backdrop.

Let's hope the Beekman tower has a nice, shiny aluminum facade. That will make it stand out even more in the skyline.

[Kamatzu]

What an interesting building. Would be cool to see what it's like to look out the windows. Year-long winter much?

[CoolCzech]

That Gehry tower resembles this building in Prague:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Prague_-_Dancing_House.jpg/450px-Prague_-_Dancing_House.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Prague_-_Dancing_House.jpg/450px-Prague_-_Dancing_House.jpg

[JACKinBeantown]

I'm pretty sure that's a Gehry building from about 10 years ago.

[CGII]

It is.

[NYguy]

http://www.propertyweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=36&storycode=3114829&c=1

New York unveils tallest residential tower


With the rest of the country still reeling from the worst housing crisis since the Great Depression, New York will today unveil fresh plans for its tallest residential tower.

The Beekman Tower, a 76-storey, 867ft luxury apartment building designed by Frank Gehry that will loom over lower Manhattan, is a symbol of the unallayed appeal of the city and the continued ability of ambitious projects in the city to draw financing.

New York added 40,800 jobs in April compared with a year earlier, its economy grew by more than 3% in the first quarter, and house prices are largely holding up.

Rae Rosen, senior economist at the New York Fed, says the economy is still taking time to climb down from last year’s exuberant growth. 'What we see right now is a gradual decelerating in the pace of growth and we expect that to continue throughout the year, slower and slower,' she said. 'Eventually we will hit... a decline, but right now we are well above zero.'

However, she warns that a recession is possible next year. Observers fear that while things look relatively rosy now, the worst may be yet to come.

[spyguy]

From http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=1754

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/9008/beekman1hy9.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/4535/beekman2ro7.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8119/beekman3wg7.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/5513/beekman4my1.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6606/beekman5tw5.jpg

[StarScraperCity]

Not bad. Not bad at all. :)

[antinimby]

Wavy-licious.

[NYC4Life]

From the latest articles, only a few journalists attended the event.

[chex]

wow! lovely... and it will shine a lot! but nicely i think... very nice...

and thanx a lot NYC4life for the pix!!!
i like the building, not very sure of the glass, but what you have on the BoA tower looks really nice tho... i love in this building of gehry, in the last pic, how the building looks like invading the sidewalk, the glass to the floorm i dont know, but it looks very cool, like an iceberg in the middle of the sidewalk... cool

[NYonward]

Wow. Let's hear all the "glass tower complainers" try that one on Beekman. The north facade looks very elegant.

[Crawford]

It will only be the tallest residential tower for a very short time.

Will drop to #3 in short order.

[CoolCzech]

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/5513/beekman4my1.jpg


Now THIS is downright beautiful! What a difference a good rendering makes...

[philvia]

wow those new renders are great!

it reminds me of the aqua in chigaco, which i hated on paper but love in real life... i think this will be the same. i'm not amazed at it on paper but in real life i can imagine myself staring at it for 30 min

[Dac150]

Very nice, I have to say, very nice!

[lakegz]

wow he found a way to make an otherwise bland residential tower pretty damn interesting.

[Scruffy]

from hater to optimistic with one render. ok then

[scalziand]

Is anyone annoyed by how completely different the podium looks?

[Scruffy]

yeah, the podium looks like a factory to me

[scalziand]

I mean, I see how it could evoke a loft type building, but even lofts have more details. Still, i just glad the tower's finally a 'go' because the tower itself looks HOT.

[antinimby]

I particularly like the way it looks from this angle. Almost got a certain Dubai-like quality to it.

http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/Beekman4.jpg

I can't think of a better location than where it is right now (except perhaps the WTC).

That location just off the Brooklyn Bridge really could use a skyline defining tower and this one will fit the bill perfectly.

By the way, if my faulty memory serves me correctly, the base was deliberately made to look conservative because of the community's demands. This had to be from two or three years ago.

[Swede]

Must say, I too am amazed at this one. I also see that the rendering we looked at a few days ago didn't match. Close, but not the same. not sure which is better, but I know I really really like this new version.

From http://archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=1754
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/4535/beekman2ro7.jpg
Notice how the pic isn't centerd on the new awesome tower, but instead so that a certain building is cut of on the right? ;)

[Fabb]

With the setbacks, it pays a nice hommage to the Woolworth building.
Well done Franck !

[nygirl1]

^^ Yeah, I notice it. Good call.

[Manahata]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/arts/design/31beek.html?ref=arts

New York has never been very nice to the Los Angeles architect Frank Gehry.

Times Topics: Frank Gehry
Gehry Architects

A mock-up of part of the proposed exterior of the 76-story Beekman Tower, designed by Frank Gehry. The folds in the undulating walls will create bays inside the apartments.

Mr. Gehry first tried to break into the city’s architectural scene in the early 1980s, when he was hired to design a town house for the Upper East Side doyenne Christophe de Menil. The project ended in tears for Mr. Gehry when she fired him over a glass of Champagne.

Nearly 20 years later, his proposal for a mega-Guggenheim Museum on the East River was shelved for lack of funds. His plan for the colossal Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn remains a pet target of grass-roots activists. And his first major New York building, a headquarters for the media and Internet conglomerate IAC on the West Side Highway, was recently disfigured by an enormous logo.

So Mr. Gehry’s 76-story Beekman Tower, which is under construction just south of City Hall and whose latest design was released on Friday, should be considered long overdue.

Rising just south of the entry ramps to the Brooklyn Bridge, it will join an imposing cluster of landmarks around City Hall, including Cass Gilbert’s 1913 neo-Gothic Woolworth Building and McKim, Mead & White’s 1914 Municipal Building, early examples of the city’s deep romance with the sky. Draped over a classical shell, the tower’s crinkled steel skin is proof that the skyscraper has yet to exhaust itself as an urban art form.

Just as important, the design suggests that the city is slowly if hesitantly recovering from the trauma of 9/11. Only a few years ago, as plans were readied for a bunkerlike Freedom Tower downtown, it seemed as if the Manhattan skyline would be marred by jingoism and fear.

Mr. Gehry’s tower, by contrast, harks back to the euphoric aspirations of an earlier age without succumbing to nostalgia. Like Jean Nouvel’s recently unveiled design for a West 53rd Street tower, which suggests shards of glass tumbling from the sky, it signals that the city is finally emerging from a long period of creative exhaustion.

The design has evolved through an unusual public-private partnership. In an agreement with New York education officials, the tower’s developer, Forest City Ratner, agreed to incorporate a public elementary school into the project. Forest City was responsible for the construction of the school; the Department of Education then bought the building from the developer. (Forest City was also a development partner in the new Midtown headquarters of The New York Times Company.)

The Beekman Tower is thus a curious fusion of public and private zones. Clad in simple red brick, the school will occupy the first five floors of the building. Atop this base will be the elaborate stainless-steel form of the residential tower, which will have its own entrance along a covered porte-cochere between Beekman and Spruce Streets.

Only a few blocks from ground zero and Wall Street, the shimmering tower’s hypnotic pull will significantly reconfigure the downtown skyline.

A classical T-shaped plan and sharp corners give the building an unexpected heft. As the structure rises, its forms will step back slightly, subtly breaking down the scale and bringing to mind a series of stacked toy blocks. The pattern shifts at each break, setting the composition slightly off balance and injecting an appealing sense of vulnerability.

Yet what makes the tower so intoxicating is the exterior skin. Before dreaming up the design, Mr. Gehry checked into a room at the Four Seasons Hotel and spent days gazing out at the skyline. He experimented with dozens of configurations, from stoic to voluptuous, before opting for facades etched with a series of soft, irregular folds.

This pattern strikes a perfect note. The folds evoke rivulets of water, crinkled sheets of aluminum foil, melting ice; their effect will be heightened by light and shadow dancing across the surfaces over the course of a day.

Some of that emotion carries over to the interiors. The exterior folds are not merely decorative flourishes; they create a series of bays inside each of the apartments. The walls inside echo the dreamy, undulating pattern of the facade, as if the building were melting.

Mr. Gehry was not allowed to tinker with the layout of the actual apartments. But in today’s real estate climate, where brokers impose the most conservative limits on design to maximize profits, this detail should be considered a major victory.

If the project has a weakness, it is the disparate levels of creative energy invested in the building’s public and private spheres. Partly because of the budget constraints facing a typical public school, Mr. Gehry settled on a relatively straightforward design for the base. Its brick cladding, pierced by big industrial windows, verges on austere.

So far the school’s interiors, designed by the New York firm Swanke Hayden Connell, seem dully conventional. By contrast, the residential tower’s entrance is invested with all of Mr. Gehry’s characteristic flair. Wavy panels made of steel trelliswork hang from the entry’s ceiling; big squat columns frame views to a small public garden outside.

Such is the world we live in today. Under current circumstances the Beekman Tower is not a minor victory.

A lesser architect might have spoiled one of the most fabled views in the Manhattan skyline. Instead Mr. Gehry has designed a landmark that will hold its own against the greatest skyscrapers of New York. It may even surpass them.
More Articles in Arts »

[CoolCzech]

I like the way it'll be the object of attention when one crosses the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan... right now, the walk across promises all sorts of drama that kind of fizzles out when you get off the ramp in the middle of an architectural "nowhere." Coming out practically under this tall, spectacular tower will be a hell of visual payoff!

[gttx]

It has a certain Gaudi-esque quality to it. Love it.

[Fabb]

http://www.archpaper.com/uploads/Beekman4.jpg

^I want it to look exactly like that. Not an ounce different.
Its skin is like that of a living creature, like a reptile. I love it !

[ZZ-II]

agree totally, that's how that tower should look. definitely one of my favourite towers in NY when completed :)

[Dac150]

My hat is truly off to Gehry on this one. I didn't think he had it in him, but for once he has designed a quality building that will do great justice to the Lower Manhattan skyline. He really came through with this one.

[thrillbilly]

Am I the only one who thinks this tower is ugly? I don't know, maybe it will look better in reality.

[Lecom]

Notice how the pic isn't centerd on the new awesome tower, but instead so that a certain building is cut of on the right? ;)

Uhh... Southbridge Towers Block IV? ;)

[Scruffy]

im finally sold on this tower after these renders. (still hate Gehry) but this skeletal looking beast will be so badass in that spot. i can't wait now

[Trojan in NYC]

I like the latest renderings. I hope the building looks at least as good as those renderings when its finished.

[America 117]

wow i like it in lower manhatten
i really hope it gets built!

[NYC4Life]

wow i like it in lower manhatten
i really hope it gets built!

Beekman is already under construction. Has been for more than a year but only recently resumed after delays. It is at least 2 levels above street level right now.

[NYC4Life]

Now that Beekman has a winner here (at last), lets hope for better architecture over at Atlantic Yards.

[samoen313]

I have always been extremely critical of Gehry. The majority of his latest work is capricious and governed more by ego than anything else. But this is perhaps the most promising thing he has done since Bilbao.

It still has Gehry written all over it with the steel, crinkly skin, but the crinkles serve a purpose beyond pure icing on a square cake. It's the first building in a long while that shows a lot of restraint on Gehry's part (though I have a feeling he had enough people breathing down his neck to know he likely wouldn't get away with anything like Atlantic Yards). It's slim and elegant and the characteristic Gehry-esque wobbles don't scream for attention as they often do. For once I think they play an appropriate role in the overall building.

Between this and the Verre Tower, New York is 2 for 2 on the major star architect projects.

[CHAPINM1]

This reminds me of Aqua (822 feet/83 floors) under construction in Chicago. It makes me think of it as the Aqua of New York City, and I mean that in a good way, both kick ass!

[antinimby]

I am being totally objective here when I say that this Gehry tower is superior to the Aqua. The folds are actually part of its skin and you can still see them regardless of the angle in which you are viewing the building from.

Whereas on the Aqua, the wavy features are not part of the building's skin and are noticable only from below or above but not that apparent looking at it "head on."

Notice how pronouce the waves appear looking from below:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y150/wjcordier/aqua0513087.jpg

But the effect all but disappears when looking at it head on:
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/825/dsc0015kl7.jpg

[Swede]

I think that's part of the idea of Aqua. I like them both - far from the simple box.

But enough about Aqua... I think the Beekman tower will be one of those towers that doesn't get much media-hype (WTC takes all of that for Downtown) but the tower will get noticed alot when it is done.

[Antares41]

I'm really loving the new renderings of the Beekman Place.:tup: I am pleasantly surprise that they kept the undulating facade, got to be quite expensive.
I've got to redo my draw:yes: .

[antinimby]

^ These might help you see the details better for your drawing...

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_1_Beekman%201big.jpg

[antinimby]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_2_beekman%208big.jpg

[antinimby]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_3_Beekman4big.jpg

[antinimby]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_4_beekman%205big.jpg

[antinimby]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_5_Beekman%206%20big.jpg

[antinimby]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_6_Beekman%202big.jpg
worldarchitecturenews.com (http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=2369)

[aaron38]

From those latest renders, I have to say I like this far, far better than most of Gehry's work. It's subtle, the top of the tower isn't twisted off and hanging over the side or anything.

The folds are actually part of its skin and you can still see them regardless of the angle in which you are viewing the building from.
From that last render you posted I have to disagree. From a distance, head on, the waves are very subdued. It doesn't look nearly as radical as it does from the base looking up.
In that reguard I think it's similar to Aqua. I'm not going to argue which one is better, simply that they're similar. Both buildings are chameleons that look more or less normal from a distance and radical from the base.

[Scruffy]

Im quoting myself from the NYC Compilation thread

Curbed

36 story McSam Hotel with outside elevators planned for lot across the street from Beekman.

Sam Chang of the McSam Hotel Group has enlisted his buddy, Architect Gene Kaufman, to design what is being touted as a 4-Star hotel with OUTSIDE ELEVATORS. It will rise on what is now a nasty parking lot at 33 Beekman Street, just to the south of where Gehry's gang has been driving piles for months now.

While Mr. Gehry's 76-story tower teases us with undulous wonderment, Mr. Chang, according to Mr. Kaufman's website, has responded with something entirely different. Which is not exactly surprising given Mr. Chang's particular design sensibilities and Mr. Kaufman's various buildings around town.. This latest McSam is set to rise 26-stories 36-stories. And as one can see it's RED. And YELLOW. And has a white-striped-ziggy-zaggy thing up the front. Very POP. Very PEZ. Quite the vision for residents of Gehry's super-luxe condos going up across the street. Kaufman's excuse for this new vision seems to be "a complicated legal interrelationship with the adjacent loft building involving air rights and multiple easements." One might wonder if something else altogether is going on here.

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/mcsam1.jpg
curbed


http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z70/Scruffy66/mcsam2.jpg
curbed

http://curbed.com/archives/2007/07/11/downtown_towerwatch_mr_gehry_meet_mr_mcsam.php

[Scruffy]

Its not directly the beekman but close enough to be on topic

[STERNyc]

That project is dead. Chang sold the site.

[Scruffy]

Really? thats fantastic! On second thought Im not not going to edit the post so that it can be shown that we seriously dodged a bullet

[Dac150]

I too was happy to hear that project was thrown out. Pushing it a bit far if you ask me. We don't need another William.

[NYC4Life]

Construction Progress (June 2, 2008)


From: curbed.com

http://curbed.com/archives/2008/06/02/construction_watch_beekman_tower_while_its_short.php?o=7


http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3145/2545023308_57d97d8400_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3176/2545023430_10ee42527e_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3260/2544196927_8a6e4d9eb5_o.jpg

http://curbednetwork.com/cache/gallery/3134/2545024162_2123b00e4f_o.jpg

[Zerton]

Total turnaround for me. I really like it now.

[NYguy]

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_1_Beekman%201big.jpg

If not for the various WTC towers going up nearby, this would be the new Downtown icon...it's location helps make it one of the best additions to the city skyline...

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_6_Beekman%202big.jpg

[NYC2ATX]

SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've died and gone to Gehry heaven.

:worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: I BELIEVE!!!

[NYC4Life]

IMO this tower is just as good as Tower Verre and its location couldn't be better. This will dominate that part of the lower manhattan skyline just like Verre will dominate the southern midtown skyline, if only it gets built :rolleyes:

[DowntownCharlieBrown]

NOTICE:
We have an Iconic Masterpiece under-construction here, guys!


Am I the only one who thinks this tower is ugly? I don't know, maybe it will look better in reality.

I'm sure there's one, maybe two more of you out there, but the number is so small, it's irrelevant. The rendering is pretty realistic looking, so that's what NY is going to get, thankgod.

[NYguy]

I agree that this tower could be as good for Downtown as the Tower Verre will be for Midtown...

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_1_Beekman%201big.jpg


http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2369_6_Beekman%202big.jpg

It's also interesting that New York's two tallest residential towers will be constructed in an area of Manhattan not known for residential development (until recently).

[CGII]

I am being totally objective here when I say that this Gehry tower is superior to the Aqua. The folds are actually part of its skin and you can still see them regardless of the angle in which you are viewing the building from.

Whereas on the Aqua, the wavy features are not part of the building's skin and are noticable only from below or above but not that apparent looking at it "head on."

I think it's a perfect embodiment of difference between the NY and Chicago schools of architecture. Aqua's balconies take something functional and make them into a subtly sculptural element of the building, while Beekman's curves are purely ornamental and serve no function. Not to say, of course, it's not a stunning tower.

[NYguy]

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/080604gehry.asp

Gehry Designs NYC's Tallest Residential Tower

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/080604gehry/thumb.jpg


June 4, 2008
By David Sokol

Starchitect condos? Old news. Now real estate companies are tapping high-profile architects to design rental apartment buildings. In Lower Manhattan, Forest City Ratner Companies and Frank Gehry, FAIA—the team behind the controversial and recently downsized Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn—are erecting what will become New York City’s tallest residential dwelling, Beekman Tower. Tenants will start taking occupancy in fall 2010, distinguishing the project as Gehry’s first completed residential tower.

The 76-story skyscraper is rising a few blocks from Ground Zero, and near important historic structures such as City Hall (1811), the Brooklyn Bridge (1883), and the Woolworth Building (1913). While speaking at the construction site in late May, Gehry told reporters architectural pluralism is “chaotic, but should be treated as a virtue instead of a negative.” In that spirit, he has designed an exuberant skyscraper that will add flair to the respected downtown landscape.

At the foot of the tower is a highly contextual, 100-foot-tall podium clad in terracotta-colored brick that Gehry describes as “laidback, quiet, simple”; this base will be punctuated by a more sculptural porte-cochere canopy that also forms the ceiling of the building’s lobby. And whereas the 867-foot-tall building’s southern facade sits flush to the streetfront, its north elevation tapers upward in a series of terraced volumes in the style of classic New York zoning setbacks.

The tower’s skin is more characteristically Gehry, clad in 18-gauge stainless steel that ripples among the upper volumes as they step back. In an earlier statement, the architect cited, as inspiration, the drapery in marble sculptures by17th-century Baroque artist Gianlorenzo Bernini. The building’s folded surface, mapped by proprietary Gehry Technologies software called Digital Project, also impacts the interior experience. Each of the tower’s floors is configured differently, yielding unique shapes for all 903 market-rate apartments. Most notably, residents will enjoy bay windows where the stainless steel “bubbles out.”

Gehry, who also is designing the interior spaces, admits that rental-building budgets and consumer expectations yielded certain design limitations. The stainless steel is less expensive than more adventurous cladding, he says, and the building offers few premium green features other than low-VOC materials. Moreover, apartment interiors are largely conservative. “There’s more freedom with condos,” Gehry explains. “ People who rent apartments have certain requirements generally. If there’s not a place to put a couch or a picture of Grandma, they will feel awkward.”

In addition to the apartment units, Beekman Tower will contain a public school for 630 students designed by Swanke Hayden Connell Architects. The 100,000-square-foot facility, along with a 21,000-square-foot medical center, will be located in the building’s six-story podium. Lining the east and west sides of the building will be outdoor plazas, measuring 3,5000 square feet and 11,500 square feet, respectively. Designed by Field Operations and Piet Oudolf, the public spaces will feature illuminated planters, water fountains, and vine-covered sculptural elements that evoke Gehry’s architecture.


http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/080604gehry/3.jpg


http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/080604gehry/4.jpg


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[sfcity1]

Fantastic design and a real eye opener here. This one may become my favorite residential building under construction in the states. It is good to see some really exciting residential projects going on in NYC.

[antinimby]

Aqua's balconies take something functional and make them into a subtly sculptural element of the building, while Beekman's curves are purely ornamental and serve no function.Umm, actually it does serve a function:

Most notably, residents will enjoy bay windows where the stainless steel “bubbles out.”

[Patrick]

Oh man, cant wait to see this one rise :tup:

[ZZ-II]

this one is risign already ^^, and a few pages back there are pics where you can see the first floor UC

[NYguy]

http://downtownexpress.com/de_266/cranecollapse.html

Crane collapse ratchets fears over Beekman project

http://downtownexpress.com/de_266/beekman.gif

A newly released rendering of the Gehry-designed Beekman St. tower project, center. Located at the block-like base of the tower will be a new public school.


By Julie Shapiro
JUNE 6 - 12, 2008

Hours before Forest City Ratner planned to unveil Frank Gehry’s designs for the 76-story Beekman tower last Friday, a crane collapsed on the Upper East Side, killing two construction workers.

Ratner cancelled the celebratory unveiling and quietly released the images later that day. The final designs show an undulating tower of rippling stainless steel. Light spills down the sides of the tower like water, twisting from one side of the facade to the other. Beneath the tower sits a blocky brick structure that will house a new pre-K-to-8 school.

Residents got a sneak preview of the design the week before at a Community Board 1 meeting, but they were more concerned about the noise and safety of the construction than they were about the appearance of the final product.

The crane collapse on E. 91st St. added to the community’s concerns, especially because of the similarity between the projects. Just like the building that was under construction on the Upper East Side, the Beekman St. tower will have a school in its base and high-end apartments above.

“Every time there’s a crane accident, we worry,” said Suzanne Fass, who lives at 140 Nassau St. adjacent to the tower site. “Construction sites are dangerous places.”

Julie Hendricks, a Forest City spokesperson, would not say whether Forest City is looking at the Upper East Side accident to inform safety plans for the site.

“Our top priority is and remains to ensure the safety of our workers and residents in the area near the site,” Hendricks said.

During the presentation to C.B. 1, before the crane collapse, Joe Rechichi, senior vice president of construction for Forest City Ratner, played an animation that showed how construction will progress. As the building rose, the crane jumped higher and higher, ultimately towering well above the building’s 76 stories.

Rechichi detailed the construction schedule to give residents an idea of what to expect over the next three years. Forest City plans to build the concrete superstructure of the building between now and spring 2010 and finish enclosing it that summer. In July 2010, Forest City hopes to turn the school in the building’s base over to the School Construction Authority, so the S.C.A. can install fixtures and furniture in time for the projected September 2010 school opening.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver questioned that construction schedule.

“I am not as optimistic as Forest City Ratner,” Silver told residents and C.B. 1 members. “I think it wouldn’t be safe [to open the school] until later than September 2010.”

Silver and local parents would not want students attending the school while exterior work is still going on at the site. An exterior hoist used to transport building materials will be in place until spring 2011, Rechichi said, but it will be on the opposite side of the building as the school entrance.

The potential delay is unfortunate, Silver said, because the overcrowded district badly needs the new school’s 630 seats.

Susi Yu, vice president of development for Forest City Ratner, would not say whether it would be safe for the school to open in 2010.

“The community and Board of Education will decide if the school will open in 2010,” Yu said. “It’s not something we, the developers, can opine on.”

Rechichi added, “Our responsibility is the turnover. [The School Construction Authority] will be the ones to determine if it’s appropriate to open or not.”

But Margie Feinberg, spokesperson for the Department of Education, said it was premature to discuss whether it will be safe to open the school and would not say how D.O.E. will decide if the school is safe. Before the school opens, “we have to make sure it complies with all regulations,” she said. The July 2010 turnover would likely give D.O.E. enough time to furnish the school for a fall opening, she said.

The site stood at a standstill for much of the fall and winter, as Ratner fought to secure funding. After the money came through — a feat in this poor financial climate that required six banks to pitch in — work on the building resumed earlier this spring. Construction workers are framing and pouring concrete for the lower floors of the building, which will house the school.

As the work restarted, so did the noise.

MAK Mitchell, who lives at 150 Nassau St., complained that a crane on the site continues working well past dinnertime, until 8 or 8:30 at night. The crane’s engine is right outside her window and its loud, steady noise irritates her and her husband.

“We have the right to live in the building we purchased and just have quiet time as much as you have the right to build,” Mitchell told the Forest City representatives. “Loud, noisy equipment after 6 at night is inappropriate.”

Rechichi replied that Forest City can legally work between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., and then the company requests a variance from the Department of Buildings for any work after that. Rechichi added that much of the work done after 6 p.m. is to clean the site and keep it safe. Residents, though, pointed out that as long as the crane is moving, cleanup work is just as noisy as regular work.

Nassau St. residents sued Forest City Ratner several years ago when initial designs for the tower placed it right up against their buildings. The plaza they won in an agreement with Forest City pushes the new tower 60 to 70 feet from their windows. The Gehry-designed plaza features trees, furniture and flower-filled planters.

Forest City is building another public plaza on William St. that will lead into the school entrance.

The leasing office for the tower’s 904 apartments will open in spring 2010 and Forest City expects residents to begin moving in during fall 2010. The tower will also house an ambulatory-care center for New York Downtown Hospital, 175 below-grade parking spaces for the hospital and 1,300 square feet of retail.

[PhxSprawler]

I have mixed feelings on the design, but it is nice to see an update!

[STERNyc]

Nassau St. residents sued Forest City Ratner several years ago when initial designs for the tower placed it right up against their buildings. The plaza they won in an agreement with Forest City pushes the new tower 60 to 70 feet from their windows. The Gehry-designed plaza features trees, furniture and flower-filled planters.

As much as NIMBY's are annoying and selfish, they are inadvertently responsible for this building being 76 storeys. Before the plaza was added this building was only going to be 45 storeys. For once a thank you to the NIMBY's.

[Dac150]

It's amazing how an addition of a small plaza (that they'll never step foot in) will do to change the attitude of NIMBY. NIMBY’s are interesting creatures. They’re very unpredictable.

[STERNyc]

The issue isn't a space to step foot in. The plaza will ensure them some views out of their lot-line windows whereas if the tower was built against their building as was originally planned their view would be nothing more than a brick wall.

[Dac150]

Whatever works. As long as they're happy with the 867' tower, then I'm happy.

[CoolCzech]

http://downtownexpress.com/de_266/cranecollapse.html

Crane collapse ratchets fears over Beekman project

http://downtownexpress.com/de_266/beekman.gif

A newly released rendering of the Gehry-designed Beekman St. tower project, center. Located at the block-like base of the tower will be a new public school.


By Julie Shapiro
JUNE 6 - 12, 2008

Hours before Forest City Ratner planned to unveil Frank Gehry’s designs for the 76-story Beekman tower last Friday, a crane collapsed on the Upper East Side, killing two construction workers.

Ratner cancelled the celebratory unveiling and quietly released the images later that day. The final designs show an undulating tower of rippling stainless steel. Light spills down the sides of the tower like water, twisting from one side of the facade to the other. Beneath the tower sits a blocky brick structure that will house a new pre-K-to-8 school.



Maybe they shouldn't open the school until the tower is completed?

[NYguy]

Maybe they shouldn't open the school until the tower is completed?

That would make the most sense.

[NYC4Life]

We already had the one incident over at Goldman with the steel falling at the ballfield below, so it only makes peferct sense.

[Lecom]

The crane collapse on E. 91st St. added to the community’s concerns, especially because of the similarity between the projects. Just like the building that was under construction on the Upper East Side, the Beekman St. tower will have a school in its base and high-end apartments above.
Well, that makes perfect sense, since as we all know, the main reason cranes collapse are not because of incompetent contractors/workers, but because of schools in the base and high-end apartments :rolleyes:

[Lecom]

“We have the right to live in the building we purchased and just have quiet time as much as you have the right to build,” Mitchell told the Forest City representatives. “Loud, noisy equipment after 6 at night is inappropriate.”
A nimby that has a legitimate demand (no loud work during nighttime) instead of saying "don't build anything, anywhere, at any time?" Did hell freeze over?