The business publication identifies One Madison Avenue, 60 Wall Street, and 660 Fifth Avenue as exemplary reuse projects that overhauled aging assets during the work-from-home era.
While New Yorkers were working from home, many of the city’s aging office buildings got a facelift—so argues a recent article in Bloomberg that identifies over 100 prominent Manhattan redevelopment projects that included façade work, revamped lobbies and entrances, and additional stories since 2020. Among the drivers of this burst in redevelopment were the desire to reposition aging buildings in the face of the pandemic-era “flight to quality” along with strict new energy efficiency regulations.
As an example of a successful recladding, the article cites 660 Fifth Avenue, where KPF replaced an out-of-date aluminum façade with the largest single-pane windows ever used in a New York skyscraper. Removing extra columns and outdated induction units also tripled natural light inside the office spaces. According to the article, “all but five floors are occupied, and rent per square foot has doubled since renovation.”
At 60 Wall Street, in the financial district, KPF is redesigning the base of the former Deutsche Bank headquarters with a new glass façade, a refreshed lobby, and an updated atrium that will feature a skylight and a 100-foot-tall green wall.
One Madison Avenue represents a different overhaul strategy. By inserting an 18-story glass tower with a continuous curtain wall atop an existing nine-story structure, KPF created additional density and new Class-A office space while obviating the need for wasteful demolition. The article also cites the building’s 11,200-square-foot roof deck, 7,000 square feet of amenity space, and steakhouse by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud as examples of the new post-pandemic importance of amenities to attract workers back to the office.
Read the full article here.