This development, completed in December 2010, involved the construction of a new, 567,000-SF, 57-story (two levels below grade plus mechanical penthouse) mixed-use building with 372,000-SF of residential space, 195,000-SF for The Setai hotel, with restaurants, bars, a spa and fitness and movement studio completing the scope. The project site is on Fifth Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets, just steps away from the Empire State Building. Several existing low and mid-rise buildings to the west and to the north still remain as part of the original city block.

According to the architect, the project’s expressed podium establishes a sympathetic response to its immediate context of three designated landmark structures in terms of scale, rhythm, and materiality. The tower, set back from the street, respects its neighboring buildings with the use of the horizontally faceted window profile established within the podium. The exterior wall design consists of a window wall system.

Our project team installed a tower crane on East 36th Street (south elevation), after receiving a lane closure permit from the NYCDOT for the structural phase of the project.

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Due to the building’s size, two hoists loaded the project from the west elevation: A dual rack and pinion hoist for personnel and materials, and a four-pole hoist for materials. The team’s approach for the interior fit-out involved phased occupancy, enabling a “soft opening” for The Setai’s back-of-the-house and mechanical operations. The Grand Opening was held in November, 2010.

The award-winning Setai was recently featured as Project of the Month in the New York Real Estate Journal.