NEW YORK | Tower Fifth | 1,556 FT | 96 FLOORS

[NYC2ATX]

Originally Posted by chris08876

I can imagine future window washing for this tower will be a challenge, especially the upper portion.

I mean, I'm personally holding out for a window-washing technology that won't require a lurching, hulking wretch to creep out and perch on top of perfectly nice buildings every few weeks or so. Can we leap ahead to window washing by drone already?!

[jbermingham123]

Originally Posted by NYC2ATX

I mean, I'm personally holding out for a window-washing technology that won't require a lurching, hulking wretch to creep out and perch on top of perfectly nice buildings every few weeks or so. Can we leap ahead to window washing by drone already?!

RIGHT! ive always thought there should just be little inconspicuous tracks on the sides of buildings so that small, maybe even sleek-looking robots can crawl down every once in a while and spray the windows...

Even better would be to have small sprayers permanently hidden above (or beside, or below) every window; it would be a system with no moving parts at all (excluding valves)

[Busy Bee]

I'm pro-union as a principle and am strongly left-leaning.

I would bet my leftist legs inventors and architects have explored such a thing but most window washers are unionized and that has a strong influence on preventing such technology from being proposed. Few companies would want the controversy, even if seemingly minor, and the negative press that it would ensue. Also few large tower developers/bankrollers want to be the first to test an unproven technology on such a large scale. If you built a 60 story, half-billion dollar office tower and your new fancy robotic window washing contraption failed spectacularly?... well that would be seriously embarrassing... and likely wildly expensive to rectify... the ultimate worst case scenario being the abandonment of the multi-million dollar automatic system and construction after the fact of a human lift system. I can imagine such a mistake and solution costing upwards od 30..40..50 million. Who wants to take that risk?

[Amanita]

^Even at the WTC, which used a window washing machine, they still had human window washers do the windows of the observatory and restaurant, because human window washers do a better job than the machine. For office floors, that's not as much of an issue. But in places where people are paying for the view, it might well be.

[Visionist]

Until the issue is resolved you won't get private roof decks on top of residential skyscrapers. Nobody wants to pay nine figures to have a bunch of dudes clambering about in your private space.

There's a tower in LA with a private roof pool. I forgot its name. It's quite old. I wonder how they solved the issue there.

[faridnyc]

1451ft observation deck it will be awesome it will be at the same roof height of willis tower .

[Raysiri]

Anything new on this supertall Tower Fifth?

[Busy Bee]

Welcome to the forum. If you were going to commit the cardinal sin on SSP, you just did it with gusto... LOL

[Zapatan]

^^ Indeed, thread bumps should include useful information about the project.

When there is news you best believe the nerds of SSP will post it ASAP.

[chris08876]

Hopefully something stellar rises. Tower Fifth, in its current form, might be one of those "grow to love it" type of deals. It might be polarizing too.

Originally Posted by Raysiri

Anything new on this supertall Tower Fifth?

Nope, but it will be posted when it arrives.

[generalscarr]

Originally Posted by Visionist

All it's missing is a rooftop helipad. Shame the rules are set in stone. Sao Paulo has choppers flitting to & fro 24/7 ferrying the elite to penthouse nightclubs, and other places. When I peruse Google maps the acres of empty rooftops in New York are crying out for the same.

And that's a bummer about 30 Hudson's pinnacle space it would have made for some cool movie scenes.

I'd say the LAST thing NYC needs is rich douches being helicoptered to penthouse bars to consume $1200 bottles of champagne.
Midtown quite often gets very windy and turbulent up there, it'd generally be an unsafe idea to allow rooftop landings. No pilot wants to get close to tops of buildings at 1500' unless it's an emergency/rescue situation.

[gramsjdg]

Maybe its just me, but the Grand Hyatt makes this design look worse...

[Amanita]

Originally Posted by generalscarr

I'd say the LAST thing NYC needs is rich douches being helicoptered to penthouse bars to consume $1200 bottles of champagne.
Midtown quite often gets very windy and turbulent up there, it'd generally be an unsafe idea to allow rooftop landings. No pilot wants to get close to tops of buildings at 1500' unless it's an emergency/rescue situation.

Case in point- the "hard landing" atop 787 7th Avenue, which resulted in a fragmented and burned mess barely recognizable as a helicopter, a dead pilot, and some damage to the building's roof. The LAST thing Manhattan needs is more of that. Buildings in LA have helicopter landing pads on their roofs, but those are generally for emergency use.

[chris08876]

Originally Posted by Amanita

Case in point- the "hard landing" atop 787 7th Avenue, which resulted in a fragmented and burned mess barely recognizable as a helicopter, a dead pilot, and some damage to the building's roof. The LAST thing Manhattan needs is more of that. Buildings in LA have helicopter landing pads on their roofs, but those are generally for emergency use.

I can't see a helipad happening at all. There are specific flight patterns around Manhattan and after some of the past heli incidents, there's a signal to decrease the amount of helicopters period. Especially with tourist helicopters.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by gramsjdg

Maybe its just me, but the Grand Hyatt makes this design look worse...

Not just you. This building has been panned since Page 1.

[JMKeynes]

It is highly unlikely that this tower will be built. The "developer" doesn't even own all of the parcels. Something spectacular will eventually rise here, but this monstrosity will not.

[Crawford]

Macklowe owns all the parcels and air rights necessary to build this tower.

The helipad discussion is silly. Helipads were outlawed on Manhattan rooftops following the tragedy on the MetLife (former PanAm) tower helipad. There are a number of Manhattan helipads, but they're all on piers in the rivers.

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by Crawford

Macklowe owns all the parcels and air rights necessary to build this tower.

He doesn't own the Venezuelan Consulate. He owns two small townhouses.

Also, there is a lot of new space planned in iconic buildings by professional developers (e.g., 175 Park, 350 Park, 341-347 Madison, etc.). I don't think that Harry will be able to compete with that. His speculative tower will never get financed.

[Hudson11]

Cuozzo shares JMKeynes' sentiment

https://nypost.com/2021/02/15/manhattans-skyline-waiting-for-these-big-tower-projects/

Guessing game: Here’s when big office tower projects will break ground

Tower Fifth. Harry Macklowe has been gobbling up properties on East 51st Street between Fifth and Madison avenues for a 1,556-foot-tall tower. But it’s shrouded in mystery and uncertainty.

Groundbreaking guess: When Macklowe’s oligarch-friendly 432 Park Ave. is converted to affordable housing.

I think this still might get built, but it won't be as previously rendered down below. The base will certainly need to be adjusted. I couldn't say how the lack of the Venezuelan Consulate will affect the height and shape of the tower. The air rights must be more valuable than the consulate building itself. But land in Manhattan for an embassy close to the UN is probably priceless to a foreign government.

[JMKeynes]