January 8, 2019
In 2018, DeSimone served as structural engineer for four of the tallest buildings to reach full-completion in the United States. Located in New York City and Miami, these projects represent the firm’s leadership in the design of tall structures.
According to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), the global authority on tall building trends and insights, 143 buildings measuring at least 200 meters (656 feet) were completed in 2018. Thirteen of these buildings are located in the United States, including Panorama Tower in Miami, along with 111 Murray, ARO at 242 West 53rd Street, and 100 East 53rd Street, all located in Manhattan. For each of these projects, DeSimone had the privilege to collaborate with some of the most renowned developers and architects responsible for shaping cities around the world.
Aerial view of Panorama Tower (Photo: Florida East Coast Realty)
#5 Panorama Tower – Miami, Florida
Developer – Florida East Coast Realty
Architect – Moshe Cosicher, AIA
At 868-feet-tall, Panorama Tower is the tallest building in Florida and tallest residential structure south of New York City. The tower includes 50,000 square feet of high-end retail space, a 208-room hotel, over 100,000 square feet of office space, parking accommodations for 2,000 vehicles, and 821 luxury apartments from podium to pinnacle. Today, the development is equipped to support a community of over 3,000 people representing one of the best examples of high-rise, urban living in Miami.
111 Murray Street exterior (Photo: © DBOX)
#7 111 Murray – New York, New York
Developer – Fisher Brothers; The Witkoff Group
Architect – Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF); Hill West Architects
111 Murray, a new, high-rise condominium development, towers nearly 800 feet above TriBeCa, Manhattan. Designed by architects Kohn Pedersen Fox and Hill West, the 59-story building incorporates a gently flared silhouette that splays outward from the 40th floor to pinnacle. The ultra-luxury building comprises 415,000 square feet and contains 157 luxury residences with over 20,000 square feet of resort style amenities. Following a series of wind-tunnel analyses, DeSimone’s structural team implemented a 570-ton tuned mass damper (TMD) to adequately withstand high-wind accelerations and to ensure the comfort of future occupants. DeSimone also implemented high-strength concrete to further reduce building movement and to support sweeping column-free interiors.
ARO at 242 West 53rd Street (Photo: DeSimone Consulting Engineers)
#11 ARO at 242 West 53rd Street – New York, New York
Developer – Algin Management
Architect – CetraRuddy Architecture
ARO at 242 West 53rd Street is a new, luxury residential tower located in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The 62-story structure measures approximately 540,000 square feet and contains 426 residential units, 40,000 square feet of resort-style amenities, ground-floor retail, and cellar-level parking. The building’s façade artfully incorporates shifting floor plates and outdoor balconies to accomplish an undulating, cubic form. Designed by architect CetraRuddy, the tower stands 720-feet-tall and only 75-feet-wide for an aspect ratio of 9.5:1. The structural system is comprised of reinforced concrete shear walls with flat plate concrete floor slabs and concrete columns.
Exterior rendering of 100 East 53rd Street
#12 100 East 53rd Street – New York, New York
Developer – RFR Realty
Architect – Foster+Partners
100 East 53rd Street is a 711-foot condominium tower located in Midtown, Manhattan. The 330,000-square-foot building contains three below-grade levels, a 10-story podium, and a 61-story tower. With a slenderness ratio of 16:1, the design of a robust lateral system in conjunction with supplementary external damping was necessary to contain the building’s movement and acceleration within a comfortable range. A 450-ton TMD was also implemented to control the building’s dynamic response during high-wind events.