TSX Broadway is a 550,000-sf 46-story mixed-use tower that’s been under construction in New York City’s Times Square since 2019. This $2.5 billion project—whose development partners include L&L Holding, Maefield Development, Fortress Investment, and The Nederlander Organization—has retained 25 percent of site’s existing structure that included 16 stories of what had been a DoubleTree hotel, and the iconic Palace Theater, which on January 7 began its journey from the ground floor of this site to being lifted and repositioned 30 ft above grade to make way for 75,000 sf of street-level retail.
The lift of the 7,000-plus-ton, 27,000-sf theater with landmark status was expected to take six to eight weeks, at which point the Palace Theater will undergo a $50 million renovation that includes a new entrance on 47th Street with an 80-ft marquee, the addition of 10,000 sf of front-of-house space with a new lobby, a new orchestra pit for the 1,700-seat theater, and more back-of-house space.
Last week, the project’s Building Team poured the 43rd floor of TSX Broadway, which along with the theater is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to Robert Israel, Executive Vice President of L&L Holding and the firm’s project manager, with whom BD+C spoke earlier this week.
Also see: An animation of the demolition, excavation, and theater lift
HEAVY LIFTING
This project, he said, required a new permanent foundation, a new subcellar level, and a lifting foundation. The lift itself is utilizing a mechanism, devised by Urban Foundation Engineering, that combines 34 structural lifting posts and 136 hydraulic jacks. Israel said that the developers hired the structural engineering consultant Howard Shapiro & Associates to ensure the security and stability of the structure and theater, which was originally built in 1913 and remodeled in 1988.
The 580-ft-tall tower, when completed, will also feature a 669-key hotel (Israel said the developers were close to signing a branding and property management deal, but could not disclose the hotelier).
RISING ABOVE THE NOISE
The building will also have several signage and lighting systems, all designed for marketing purposes: the exterior of floors three through nine will be distinguished by an 18,000-sf LED podium sign into which is integrated an indoor-outdoor stage with a 30x30-ft opening and a 35-ft depth that extends 10 ft outside beyond the LED lights. Israel suggested that this space could be used for New Year’s Eve events, and all manner of performances and broadcasts.
There will also be crown signage at the top of the building, and a full-tower lighting system, dubbed The Beacon, that will be able to project programmed messages and images.
Also see: How TSX Broadway will become the world’s largest billboard
TSX Broadway’s Building Team includes Mancini Duffy (AOR core and shell and hotel), PBDW Architects (AOR theater design and historic preservation), Jablonski Building Conservation (historic preservation consultant), Wise Janney Elsner Engineers & Architects (plaster structural support consultant), Cosentini (MEP), Langan (SOE/foundation engineering consultant), Severud (SE), and Perkins Eastman (lead design of building envelope).
Related Stories
| Dec 30, 2013
Calatrava facing legal action from his home town over crumbling cultural complex
Officials with the city of Valencia, Spain, are blaming Santiago Calatrava for the rapid deterioration of buildings within its City of Arts and Sciences complex.
| Dec 19, 2013
Mastering the art of crowd control and visitor flow in interpretive facilities
To say that visitor facility planning and design is challenging is an understatement. There are many factors that determine the success of a facility. Unfortunately, visitor flow, the way people move and how the facility accommodates those movements, isn’t always specifically considered.
| Dec 13, 2013
Safe and sound: 10 solutions for fire and life safety
From a dual fire-CO detector to an aspiration-sensing fire alarm, BD+C editors present a roundup of new fire and life safety products and technologies.
| Dec 10, 2013
16 great solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors
From a crowd-funded smart shovel to a why-didn’t-someone-do-this-sooner scheme for managing traffic in public restrooms, these ideas are noteworthy for creative problem-solving. Here are some of the most intriguing innovations the BD+C community has brought to our attention this year.
| Dec 6, 2013
French concert hall includes integrated musical elements [VIDEO]
La Métaphone, a concert hall in Ognies, France, is a 1,980-sm facility with the unique characteristic of being a structural musical instrument. The solar-powered building incorporates musical elements in its walls, which can be played by musicians inside or outside the facility.
| Dec 4, 2013
First look: Dubai's winning bid for World Expo 2020 [slideshow]
Dubai has been chosen as the site of the 2020 World Expo. HOK led the design team that developed the master plan for the Expo, which is expected to draw more than 25 million visitors from October 2020 through April 2021.
| Nov 27, 2013
BIG's 'oil and vinegar' design wins competition for the Museum of the Human Body [slideshow]
The winning submission by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and A+ Architecture mixes urban pavement and parkland in a flowing, organic plan, like oil and vinegar, explains Bjarke Ingels.
| Nov 27, 2013
Wonder walls: 13 choices for the building envelope
BD+C editors present a roundup of the latest technologies and applications in exterior wall systems, from a tapered metal wall installation in Oklahoma to a textured precast concrete solution in North Carolina.
| Nov 26, 2013
Construction costs rise for 22nd straight month in November
Construction costs in North America rose for the 22nd consecutive month in November as labor costs continued to increase, amid growing industry concern over the tight availability of skilled workers.
| Nov 25, 2013
Building Teams need to help owners avoid 'operational stray'
"Operational stray" occurs when a building’s MEP systems don’t work the way they should. Even the most well-designed and constructed building can stray from perfection—and that can cost the owner a ton in unnecessary utility costs. But help is on the way.