At 32 stories, the B2 residential tower at Atlantic Yards near Brooklyn has been widely lauded as a bellwether for modular construction. But since construction started about 18 months ago, only five of the floors have been built—and developer Forest City Ratner Companies now has a Chinese partner that will move forward on the next three residential buildings, using conventional construction.
According to a report in the New York Times, Forest City Ratner's development partner, Greenland Holding Group, will now have a majority stake in the 22-acre Atlantic Yards mixed-use project. The Shanghai-based firm will oversee the next three residential tower projects, while Forest City Ratner continues to move forward with B2. Completion of the 348,000-sf modular tower, comprising 930 modules and 363 apartments, had been moved to late 2015, more than a year later than planned.
MaryAnne Gilmartin, Forest City Ratner's chief executive, says technical difficulties have been substantial, both at the nearby factory that's creating the modules and on the Atlantic Yards job site. “It’s been terribly frustrating," she told the New York Times. "But I don’t think this is a referendum on modular. The best way to prove that this works is to build B2.”
The Building Team for B2 includes Skanska, FC + Skanska Modular (a collaboration between Forest City Ratner and Skanska, which is building the components), SHoP, and Arup.
Related Stories
| Sep 11, 2012
McQuade appointed CEO of Tishman Construction
McQuade will focus on driving the growth of the company into new markets and expanding market share in its current areas of operation.
| Sep 11, 2012
Ecosystem Management & Associates joins HDR
EM&A staff will do business as part of HDR Engineering and HDR Environmental, Operations and Construction.
| Sep 10, 2012
Specialty door types—plenty of functional variety
In the MasterFormat section 08 30 00, Specialty Doors and Frames, a number of door types are listed for special functions, access locations, sliding and folding hardware, and even pressure-resistant types.
| Sep 7, 2012
7 Do's and Don'ts for PV roof rack installation
As PVs grow in popularity, nearly half of all installations require roof rack systems. Our expert tells how to do the job right and protect your client’s roof.
| Sep 7, 2012
Net-zero energy pioneers on the el-hi frontier
Getting to net-zero is not easy, but the promise of eliminating energy bills and using state-of-the-art technology as a learning lab can make a compelling case to reach for net-zero.
| Sep 7, 2012
Healthcare architects get a preview of tomorrow’s medical landscape
The topic on everyone’s mind was how the Affordable Care Act would impact healthcare design and construction––and whether the law would even make it past the coming election cycle.
| Sep 7, 2012
Goettsch Partners designs new tower in Abu Dhabi
Al Hilal Bank’s 24-story flagship development provides contemporary office space.
| Sep 7, 2012
Suffolk awarded One Channel Center project in Boston
Firm to manage $125 million, 525,000-sf office building project.
| Sep 7, 2012
Duffy joins Thornton Tomasetti
At Hardesty & Hanover, Duffy partnered with Thornton Tomasetti on a number of projects.
| Sep 7, 2012
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital breaks ground on expansion
Sustainability and nature at the heart of the new addition at the Stanford University Medical Center designed by Perkins+Will.