Press Release

Construction Begins on SOM’s Manhattan West

New York, NY: Construction commenced last week on Brookfield Office Properties’ Manhattan West, a new five-million-square-foot development bounded by Ninth Avenue and Dyer Avenue and West 31st and West 33rd Streets on the West Side of Manhattan. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the project consists of two 60-story, two-million-square-foot office towers, a residential tower, retail and dining amenities, and 1.5 acres of open park space. Manhattan West will be a vital link between the new Moynihan Station and the planned Hudson Yards district and symbolizes the renewal of the previously undeveloped Far West Side.

“SOM is thrilled to be designing a whole new piece of Manhattan that will serve as an urban portal to the West Side development,” states Gary Haney, AIA, RIBA, Design Partner for this project. “The three towers will be a significant architectural icon for the West Side, and the street-level amenities and open space will create a vibrant new neighborhood for the benefit of New York City residents and businesses.”

The project kicks off with the construction of a 120,000-square-foot platform over the exposed active rail yards that connect Penn Station to New Jersey. 16 post-tension pre-cast segmental bridges complete the surface upon which the entirety of the five-acre development will rise. The cores of the towers will be constructed on bedrock to the north and south of the platform. Construction of the platform, which will not interrupt train operations, will be complete in 2014, positioning the project to receive tenants in 2016.

“Manhattan West will serve as the bridge between Chelsea and the Midtown central business district, providing a pedestrian-friendly way to get from Penn Station to the High Line and to the Hudson River,” stated Dennis Friedrich, CEO of Brookfield Office Properties. “The open space will be a recreated grand 32nd Street, 100 feet wide, leading from Ninth Avenue to Dyer Avenue then south toward the spur of the High Line. It will be an amenity for the neighborhood — and for the city.”

SOM designed the master plan for the project and is the architect for all three towers, collaborating with SLCE Architects on the residential component of the project. James Corner of Field Operations is the landscape architect. The office towers are targeting USGBC LEED® Gold certification.

About Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM) is one of the leading architecture, interior design, engineering, and urban-planning firms in the world, with a 75-year reputation for design excellence and a portfolio that includes some of the most important architectural accomplishments of the 20th and 21st centuries. Since its inception, SOM has been a leader in the research and development of specialized technologies, new processes and innovative ideas, many of which have had a palpable and lasting impact on the design profession and the physical environment. The firm’s longstanding leadership in design and building technology has been honored with more than 1,600 awards for quality, innovation, and management. The American Institute of Architects has recognized SOM twice with its highest honor, the Architecture Firm Award—in 1962 and again in 1996. The firm maintains offices in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Mumbai, and Abu Dhabi.