CB Developers and Morris Adjmi Architects top out 15-story High Line Building at 450 West 14th St.

The Meatpacking District's signature luxury office tower, The High Line Building at 450 West 14th St., one of the only buildings to offer an office or retail tenant direct frontage and access to the High Line, has topped out above the elevated park. Developed by CB Developers and designed by Morris Adjmi Architects to LEED Gold standards, the building features 100,000 s/f of office space on 11 floors, as well as high-profile retail space at the base of the park's main entrance. Fashion tenant Helmut Lang has already leased two full floors of office and showroom space at the building, which is expected to be completed this fall, according to the developer. "Having been involved in the evolution of the Meatpacking District for 10 years now, it gives me great pleasure to have topped out on schedule and in concurrence with the opening of the High Line park. I believe the two will transform the Meatpacking District once again," said CB Developers founder Charles Blaichman, who was an early pioneer in the neighborhood, having developed 29-35 Ninth Ave., the home of Soho House and Spice Market; the Theory building at 40 Gansevoort St.; and 415 West 13th St., where Estee Lauder subsidiary Bumble and Bumble has its corporate headquarters. Office users at the building - which consists of a dramatic steel-framed glass tower atop an existing five-story Art Deco masonry building (a former meatpacking facility where beef was processed for consumption) - will enjoy soaring ceilings and world-class amenities, as well as state-of-the art technology, security and cooling systems. The offices on the upper floors offer panoramic views of the Hudson River and the historic Meatpacking District through its floor-to-ceiling windows, while its lower floors offer direct views of the High Line park, which also runs 103 feet through the building. "The High Line Building creates new workplace opportunities for businesses that wish to locate in a dynamic neighborhood, which has traditionally offered few opportunities for luxury office space of this kind," said Brian Waterman, an executive vice president at Newmark Knight Frank, which is exclusively marketing the office space at the building. "The building offers a variety of unique leasing opportunities for tenants looking to create an exciting office environment in the city's most cutting edge neighborhood. For the right tenant, the building naming rights might also be available." The base of the building offers 7,636 s/f of ground-level retail space with 70 feet of highly visible frontage on bustling West 14th St., and 4,308 s/f of lower level space. The space features soaring 23-foot ceilings, one-of-a-kind access to the High Line's main entrance, and the opportunity to neighbor the area's other high-profile retailers - Diane Von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney, La Perla, Ed Hardy, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Hugo Boss, Apple, Yohji Yamamoto and Theory. "The Meatpacking District continues to thrive as a retail destination for shoppers who enjoy unique designers and high fashion," said Kelly Gedinsky, an associate at Winick Realty Group, who is exclusively marketing the retail space with Winick executive vice president Lori Shabtai. "The neighborhood becomes even more exciting with the High Line's planned opening this summer, the opening of the Standard Hotel and the new Whitney Museum, just to name a few." This signature project is targeting USGBC LEED-CS Certification at the Gold Level. This green building rating system addresses sustainable design for new core and shell construction. The façade insulation and glazing systems at the building, for example, are designed to be more efficient than is required by the NYS Energy Conservation Code. In addition, the building's interiors will feature low-VOC and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified finishes, as well as energy efficient lighting, state-of-the-art ventilation and water efficient plumbing. The High Line is a 1930s elevated train track that is currently being converted into a 1.45 mile-long public promenade that winds through the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Midtown West.