![]() ![]() Many Americans, especially lonely Gen Zers, are spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on gym memberships, social clubs, and dinners out to socialize. It's again reminiscent of an exclusive club, amenities and all. Residents will have access to a wraparound terrace, an outdoor grill, a fire pit, reservable party spaces (equipped with kitchens), and a large bar area that will partner with local restaurants and drink spots for pop-ups. The 28th floor of 160 Water is completely devoted to amenities - which will include coworking spaces. And things like bowling alleys or spas don't need natural light filtering in from outside. In total, the building's developers added six new floors, which helped create more space after developers had to cut out void "blind shafts" around the building, as Insider previously reported. The extra-tall 14th floor used to host mechanical equipment that got divided into two floors. Part of the renovation from office building to apartments was literally growing the building and getting creative about where to tuck in amenity spaces. "The whole social aspect of it, I think, has become a big deal." "It almost turns the building into a club, and the club gives you all of these amenities, and part of membership in the club includes an apartment," Cetra previously said. It's part of the "amenity war," as the Manhattan-based architect John Cetra previously told Insider: The newly developed apartments aren't just competing to be homes but social spaces populated by people who can swing downstairs to paint, bowl, and then take a cold plunge. The building will hold a two-lane bowling alley, a sports-simulation room, a game room, a kids' room, and a DIY room. The spaces at 160 Water mean residents can feel like they're comingling outside of work and their apartments but don't actually have to leave their houses - a first-and-a-half space. The need for those spaces has become even more pronounced as the plunge into remote and hybrid work has left white-collar workers lonely during the workday. They also speak to Americans' growing desire for third places: places that aren't their houses or the office, but somewhere they can congregate. All of those are meant to help cultivate a hospitality-like vibe, the developers said. ![]() The lobby will include a concierge desk, a fireplace, and a coffee bar - as well as a new public plaza right outside, a big redesign for a tucked-away side street. The office floor plan was most evident in the new apartment building's lobby, although the space has literally been cracked open: Developers added a new grand staircase that residents can take down to a suite of amenities. I got the opportunity to tour the building and saw just how much the rise of remote work is shaping how we use our spaces. The building, which is being developed by the architecture firm Gensler and the development-and-investment firm Vanbarton Group, will have 588 units. It's scheduled to be fully completed by spring or summer of next year. Standing next to 180 Water Street - an office building that was converted into units back in 2017 - 160 Water Street is preparing to welcome tenants by the end of the year. "What we are hearing from business owners is that hybrid work is here to stay, and we're trying to plan for a future that recognizes it," Dan Garodnick, the director of New York City's Department of City Planning, told Insider. That's led the city to pivot from a push for RTO to a new plan: freeing up more of those vacant office buildings to become apartment buildings. ![]() In New York City, that's led to a nearly 18% office-vacancy rate in June and July - a record high, the real-estate firm Colliers says. In the battle over remote work, things have pretty much settled - the people who are going in are going in, and the people who are staying remote or hybrid will do pretty much anything to keep it that way. It's the next big bet that cities like New York are making. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |