Gotham's 200 West: Manhattan's most anticipated new rental building nearing completion

The neighborhood-defining 20-story glass tower that has been rising at 72nd St. and Broadway on the Southwest corner is now over 75% complete. Known as 200 West, the property will feature 196 luxury rental residential units and also boast 5 floors of prime retail space. Built by Gotham Construction Company, LLC and developed by Gotham Real Estate Developers, LLC, 200 West is scheduled for completion by early 2010. The visionary project broke ground in July of 2008. Gotham is working with Viridian Energy & Environmental, in conjunction with Handel Architects and MG Engineering to deliver this environmentally responsible building to the Upper West Side of Manhattan "The structure and exterior facade, including the brick work and windows, are essentially finished," said Gotham Construction president John Giammarella. "What we are now focusing on are the interiors - the tiles, kitchens and wood flooring in the apartments." Giammarella added that the construction process has been "seamless since the project's inception," and that they are ahead of schedule. 200 West was built at an open, 118 degree angle, which allows for two facades to present themselves simultaneously and then wrap together, creating one continuous wave-like facade with a curved corner rather than an angular one. "The obtuse angle at the intersection of West 72nd St. and Broadway presented an interesting opportunity, giving great presence to the structure and opening the building's facade," said Gary Handel AIA, Handel Architects. "Rather than reading as two distinct façades fronting on their individual streets, the intersection reads as an out folded plane. By manipulating this we have created one continuous facade." The glass tower building is 210 feet tall and the set-back is 150 feet - dormers were used to fill 60 feet of set-back. Metal fins that project off the façade create a more solid appearance from the front and a sense of opening from the side perspective. Individual homes that incorporate a terrace have an even greater extended view than a traditional building would provide. The "box" is made up of high performance, insulated glass windows, aluminum panels, Norman Brick, and Prairie Stone. 48,000 s/f of retail space on the first 5 floors of the building includes 9,300 s/f on the ground floor, 2,725 s/f on the mezzanine level, 11,600 s/f on the second level, 12,865 s/f on the lower level and 10,420 s/f on the sub-lower level. Retail tenants will benefit from 22-foot high ground floor glass storefronts and 200 feet of wraparound frontage. The apartments - studios, one, two, and three bedroom apartments that range in size from 418-1600 s/f - will feature wood floors, floor-to-ceiling windows and ceilings ranging from 8 feet 10 inches to 10 feet. Residents will also have access to a host of amenity spaces including a 10,000 s/f landscaped rooftop featuring a 12-foot-long mist wall, barbeque area, bar, sundeck and movie theatre screen. There will also be an 8 by 6-foot glass fireplace. 200 West is being constructed with numerous environmentally friendly or green features that are projected to result in a silver certification upon completion by the U.S. Green Building Council. The exterior envelope of the building takes advantage of the use of Low E insulated glass which has extremely low reflectivity and limits the loss of energy through it. Each apartment is completely isolated and pressure sealed from adjacent units and public corridors to prevent drafts and energy leaks in the apartments. Additional green building features include Energy Star appliances, plumbing fixtures with water-savings at 20% below the EP Act of 1992 baseline and landscaping that utilizes plantings that require 54% less potable water.