The so-called Solar Carve Tower office building at 40 Tenth Ave. in the Meatpacking District is ready for the light of day.
Developers Aurora Capital and William Gottlieb Real Estate have hired Bruce Mosler to lead a Cushman & Wakefield team to lease the 139,000-square-foot boutique building that should open in the first quarter of 2019.
Jeanne Gang’s Studio Gang architects designed the structure with chiseled edges, most notably on the southwestern facade, to provide light and air to the neighboring High Line park as well as to the office project at 860 Washington St. to its east.
“It won’t be like our views, but they will still have views,” explained Jared Epstein of Aurora. Marketing is now beginning for the new building, which is being developed entirely on spec.
The building is almost directly opposite the upcoming Barry Diller Pier with Pier 57 (aka SuperPier) a block north. “All of our floors have unparalleled views of the Hudson River,” added Epstein.
Tenant amenities will include a 10,000-square-foot planted rooftop as well as an 8,000-square-foot terrace on the second floor at High Line height.
Light will pour into the lobby from a glass floor and stairwell that connect directly with the second-floor terrace. Except for the seventh floor, all the office floors will have private terraces.
The targeted LEED Silver project will have backup generation as well as a bike room and locker room with showers for those who want to commute or simply take a run or a ride before or after work.
“There is nothing like this building,” said Mosler, whose company was also in charge of leasing 860 Washington. He expects it to appeal to a variety of firms, including tech, boutique financial, entertainment and fashion or those that may simply want to combine a store with offices upstairs. “We are excited not just about the location but the product we deliver,” said Mosler. “It will be unique to the Meatpacking, which is exploding with excitement.”
The narrow, rectangular office floors will range in size from 13,700 to 14,200 square feet, with windows running from the floor to the 16-foot-high ceiling — all to provide abundant light, views and a connectivity to the natural environment.
“Each floor is slightly different because of the carve of the building,” added Epstein.
Studio Gang’s design follows the sun throughout the year, allowing it to pour around the “carves” that now create an hourglass of diamond-shaped facets as it turns inward from the middle.
Explaining the building is more like a “club” and, hedging the answer, Mosler confirmed the first leases will be around $150 to $170 per square foot, depending on the floor.
The retail encompasses 17,000 square feet on the ground floor. It will have 17½-foot ceilings and 13,000 square feet on the lower level. A full 300 feet of glass frontage wraps from West 14th Street along Tenth Avenue and onto West 13th; it will be adjacent to a Tesla showroom in 860 Washington.
Aurora will handle the retail leasing. It recently leased 10,000 square feet at its nearby Gansevoort Street project for a new Hermès store, and is partners with Vornado Realty Trust on a boutique office building at 61 Ninth Ave., next to Apple.