New York Times Building
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| The New York Times Building | |
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|
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 620 Eighth Avenue New York, New York 10018 USA |
| Status | Complete |
| Groundbreaking | 2003 |
| Constructed | 2003 - 2007 |
| Use | Retail (ground floor) and Office |
| Height | |
| Antenna/Spire | 1,046 ft (319 m) |
| Roof | 748 ft (228 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 52 floors |
| Floor area | 1,540,000 sq ft (143,000 m²) |
| Elevator count | 32 (24 passenger, 8 service) |
| Companies | |
| Architect | Renzo Piano Building Workshop, FXFOWLE Architects |
| Structural Engineer |
Thornton Tomasetti |
| Contractor | AMEC Construction Management |
| Developer | Forest City Ratner Companies |
| Owner | The New York Times Company (58% owner) and Forest City Ratner Companies (42% owner) |
| Management | Forest City Ratner Companies |
The New York Times Building is a skyscraper on the west side of Midtown Manhattan that was completed in 2007. Its chief tenant is The New York Times Company, publisher of the The New York Times, The Boston Globe, the International Herald Tribune, as well as other regional papers. Construction was a joint venture of The Times Company, Forest City Ratner Companies - the Cleveland-based real estate firm constructing redeveloping the Brooklyn Atlantic rail yards - and ING Real Estate.
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[edit] Planning and development
The project was announced on December 13, 2001, entailing the erection of a 52-story tower on the east side of Eighth Avenue between 40th and 41st Street across from the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Bus Terminal. The project was announced shortly after the Hearst Corporation was given approval to construct a tower over their landmark six-story headquarters along the west side of Eighth Avenue, between 56th and 57th Streets. In conjunction with the Hearst Tower, the site selection represents the further westward expansion of Midtown along Eighth Avenue; a corridor that had seen no construction following the completion in 1989 of One Worldwide Plaza.
In addition, the new location keeps the paper in the Times Square area, which was named after the paper following its move to 42nd Street in 1904. The Times Company had most recently been located at 229 West 43rd Street.
The site for the building was obtained by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) through eminent domain. With a mandate to acquire and redevelop blighted properties in Times Square, ten existing buildings were condemned by the ESDC and purchased from owners who in some cases did not want to sell, asserting that the area was no longer blighted (thanks in part to the earlier efforts of the ESDC). The ESDC though prevailed in the courts.[1][2]
Once the 80,000 square-foot site was assembled, it was leased to the New York Times Company and Forest City Ratner for $85.6 million over 99 years (considerably below market value). Additionally, the New York Times Company received $26.1 million in tax breaks.
[edit] Design
The tower was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFOWLE Architects, with Gensler providing interior design.
The tower rises 748 feet (228 m) from the street to its roof, with the exterior curtain wall extending 92 feet higher to 840 feet (256 m), and a mast rising to 1,046 feet (319 m). As of 2008, the building is tied with the Chrysler Building as the third tallest building in New York and the seventh tallest in the United States.
The steel-framed building, cruciform in plan, utilizes a screen of 15⁄8" (41.3 mm) ceramic rods mounted on the exterior of the glass curtain wall on the east, west and south facades. The rod spacing increases from the base to the top, providing greater transparency as the building rises. The steel framing and bracing is exposed at the four corner "notches" of the building.[3]
[edit] Sustainability
The building is promoted as a "Green" structure, though it is not LEED certified.
The design incorporates many features for increased energy efficiency. The curtain wall, fully glazed with low-e glass, maximizes natural light within the building while the ceramic-rod screen helps block direct sunlight and reduce cooling loads. Mechanized shades controlled by sensors reduce glare, while more than 18,000 individually-dimmable fluorescent fixtures supplement natural light, providing a real energy savings of 30 percent.[4][5]
A natural gas cogeneration plant provides 40 percent of the electrical power to the New York Times space within the building, with the waste heat used for heating and cooling. Floors occupied by the New York Times utilize a raised floor system which allows for underfloor air distribution, which requires less cooling than a conventional ducted system. The building also incorporated free-air cooling, bringing in outside air when it is cooler than the interior space, which saves additional energy.[4] In excess of 95% of the structural steel was recycled.
The building, like many in midtown Manhattan, has no on-site parking, with most employees arriving by public transit. Since December 2007, building management has provided an indoor parking area for 20 bicycles.[6]
The story of the tower's construction is showcased at the Liberty Science Center's exhibition "Skyscraper! Achievement and Impact".
[edit] Tenants
The New York Times Company owns about 800,000 square feet (74,300 square meters) on the second through the 27th floors. Forest City Ratner owns about 700,000 square feet (65,032 square meters) on floors 29 through 52, as well as 21,000 square feet (1,951 square meters) of street-level retail space. The lobby and floors 28 and 51 are jointly owned.[4]
Four law firms have their offices in the building: Covington & Burling LLP; Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP (36th floor); Pepper Hamilton LLP (37th floor); and Seyfarth Shaw LLP (31st-33rd floors).[4] In 2008, the law firms of Goodwin Procter LLP (leasing floors 23-27 from the New York Times and floors 29-30 from FCRC) and Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC will move into the building.
Other office tenants include: Barclays Center/New Jersey Nets, JAMS, Legg Mason, Markit Group Limited, The Resolution Experts, Samoo Architecture P.C., and SJP Properties. Retail tenants include: Inakaya, Dean & DeLuca, and MUJI.[4]
On the first floor is the Times Center, an event space comprised of a 378-seat auditorium, a 900 square foot (84 square meter) gallery for exhibits and receptions, and 5,000 square foot (464 square meter) hall for banquets and parties.[7]
Some types of tenants are prohibited under the terms of the lease of the property from the Empire State Development Corporation. These include medical offices, employment agencies, job training centers, and social-services offices.[8]
[edit] News
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This article or section may be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective. (June 2008) |
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On June 5, 2008 a stunt climber, Alain Robert, dubbed the "The French Spiderman," climbed the north side of the New York Times Building. He was able to scale the building from first floor all the way to the roof. He was met on the roof by the NYPD emergency service unit team where he was put in a harness to ensure he did not fall and placed under arrest. Alain Robert placed a fluorescent green neon sign during his climb. The sign read "Global warming kills more people than a 9/11 every week." Robert also wore a t-shirt promoting the website "The Solution is Simple". [9]
Later that day, a second climber[10] scaled the western face of the building. He also was arrested for climbing the building facade after reaching the roof. The man identified himself as Renaldo Clarke, 32, and was wearing a T-shirt with the words “Malaria No More” written on it.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The New York Times Building Official Building Web site
- Forest City Enterprises Developer's Corporate Web site
[edit] References
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (2001-10-25), “Blight to Some Is Home to Others; Concern Over Displacement by a New Times Building”, New York Times, <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E3D61231F936A15753C1A9679C8B63>
- ^ Moses, Paul (2002-06-17), “The Paper of Wreckage”, The Village Voice, <http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0225,moses,35773,1.html>
- ^ “A statement in steel: The New York Times Building”, GoStructural.com, 2004-06-15, <http://www.gostructural.com/article.asp?id=603>. Retrieved on 2007-11-29
- ^ a b c d e Fact Packet. The New York Times Company and Forest City Ratner (2007). Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ “The New York Times Building: Designing for Energy Efficiency Through Daylighting Research”, Science Beat, 2004-02-17, <http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/sb-EETD-NYT-building.html>. Retrieved on 2007-11-29
- ^ New York Times Employees Say Renzo Forgot the Bike Parking (2007-12-06). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ The Times Center, The New York Times Company, <http://thetimescenter.com/>
- ^ Moses, Paul (2005-08-16), “’Times’ to Commoners: Go Elsewhere”, The Village Voice, <http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0533,moses,66887,5.html>
- ^ Marcy Nicholson. "French "Spiderman" scales New York Times building", Reuters, 2008-06-05. Retrieved on 2008-06-05.
- ^ 2ND MAN CLIMBS WEST SIDE BUILDING IN COPYCAT STUNT
