The Waves Building

California turned to the door when the last «normal» customer was gone, observed a moment the outside, all was quiet, and then closed the main entrance of the restaurant. Returned to the inside, where the others four members of the group were waiting in their chairs (scattered in the enclosure), they had decided put pseudonyms of the United States of America, thus, in front of her, were Washington, Maine, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

Washington spoke, he was the boss, the «brain« of the operation, presented to the group to Maine, who did not know the rest, and the suspicions were soon appear, perhaps, she was police. But the boss answered for her, the discussion was closed… for the moment. So, he invited to show the information gathered by the rest of the team, Oklahoma, Nebraska and California.

Nebraska get up then as a spring, «the building that have gather here not going to be easy of assault, is a skyscraper of mixed use designed by Frank Gehry at the beginning of century and built between 2006 and 2011. A tower of 267 meters of height that houses, in its 76 plants, a not negligible figure of 96.703 meters square built, although it is remarkable that was in the year 2011 (when finished its construction) the tallest residential building in the Occident.

The promoters, the public company Forest City Ratner, view the need to integrate in the same complex an unusual sort of uses, so the building allocate four floors to a school, a plant to a hospital, two-story of parking, a retail and commercial area, and another to 900 luxury apartments, attention! Only for rent! curiously, in this building, in the number 8 of Spruce Street, only you can live in rental… 

Its magnificent silhouette rises above the buildings surrounding thanks to an intense negotiation of the company with the neighbors and the Town Hall of New York, although also it rise, clear, thanks to the 850 million of dollars of cost gross (756 of euros), of which 607 went to the construction (540 of euros) and the rest to the project, marketing, rates municipal and other concepts (as often said) eye! All funded through various banks and to a partial bonus sponsored by the Federal Government after the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, bonuses whose purpose was to help revitalize lower Manhattan.» 

Washington seemed distracted, thoughtful. Oklahoma made a gesture to Nebraska that, solicitous, gave step to her partner in the narration, although he, unlike that she, not get up of the chair. «We love the building and it is a challenge for our work, I can’t imagine nothing more incredible to be in one of the thirteen terraces enjoying the view of the most populous city in the world: Brooklyn, New Jersey, the Hudson River, the East River, the port of New York, not to mention seeing face to face the One World Trade Center.»

The tower rise in form of «T», creating six corners, which offers much game at the time of distributing the interior of the apartments. The structure, of concrete reinforced, is staggered in several amounts, forming terraces in the plants 7th, 24th, 40th, and 52nd. The skin outside of the building is of steel stainless, with the signature personal of his designer, clear, but this time the folds of the layer metal waves, as if the river continue in vertical until its top. The facade is the Queen of the dramatic spectacle that generates, except in the side south, where the composition is completely flat.

In total, the surround has 40,000 meters square of surface, cover by 10,911 panels of steel stainless that have been fixed mechanically to the structure, manufactured in Japan, of which only 1,888 is repeated, the other panels are unique. The windows do not follow the line curved and sinuous, but it vary in width to accommodate it, by the way, this façade creates incredible places in the interior, as well as forcing not to repeat conceptual units, in other words: there are not two equal apartments. It must be emphasized that the panels have been superficially treated to prevent the glare. 

The building liked so much that has received fabulous reviews, reaching say, the New York Times, which is the best skyscrapers built since 1946, which, in my opinion, never ceases to be true. Received, also, the award to the best building in height by the CTBUH in the year 2011.» Maine looked of sideways to Washington, he was absorbed in itself, as if that outside a lesson that had heard endless times, suddenly noticed the breath of California in its neck, a breath that, without prior notice, is made voice.

 «Imagine you, Maine, the fantastic Gehry created more than 200 models in his office, of which 65 were of designs traditional, would you know that they discovered? That the costs of making a conventional façade and one of articulated folds were not too far, incredible! But let’s importantly, the builder was Kreisler Borg Florman General Inc., was forced to halt construction during six months in the year 2010, due to international crisis, though, as you’ve seen, they overcame the fear and the built is, today, a very productive reality. 

The apartments have between 46 and 232 meters square, and is subdivided in 504 studies, 164 of two bedrooms, 23 from three bedrooms, four penthouses and thirteen apartments with penthouse. According to its own website, now you can rent a housing of three quarters, two bathrooms and toilet in the plant 57 by only 12,300 dollars (10.940 euros) or a studio in the plant 23 by 3,300 dollars (2,936 euros). The interiors were also designed by Mr. Gehry, breaking away from the false myth that only knew design in public large space applications. 

You cannot miss the magnificence that is breathed inside, oak flooring, bathrooms dresses of marble and granite, quartz kitchen countertops, stainless steel appliances, furniture of spruce wood, the windows are fitted with solar screens, as well as automatic cleaning equipment. Although it are rental apartments, the company opted for energy savings that it supposed to install central air conditioning, thinking about saving. Eleven elevators distribute their occupants in the different rooms of the building.

But you don’t lift still, Maine, the imposing complex boasts more than 2,000 square metres of social use for their tenants, well, have a terrace with a grill and dining room on the sixth floor, games room with billiards, table tennis and two golf simulators. Of course, can enjoy of a pool cover (and heated) in the plant seventh with possibility of open towards a terrace when the good time it allows. And more, a lounge with a grand piano, a suite with spa treatments, dining room private and ability to enjoy the services of a Chef. The better on the floor eighth, where is the room of fitness, area of boxing, room of videos, room of games for children and a library.» 

It was then when Washington broke his silence, Maine seemed relieved. «Not you forget that to get to the building will have that go through by a garden area designed by James Corner Field. The engineers, WSP Cantor Seinuk, have presumed of their work in this building, so much that they were congratulated at the World Architecture Festival in 2011 for their great work to develop systems capable of meeting the structural challenges».

Crazy, Maine exalted shouted: «do really think assault a building of rented apartments? Really? And what you think steal? Books, pianos, medicines, towels or appliances Miele?» Angry took her backpack and is going to the door, all the others looked fun and was Nebraska who spoke: «you not obfuscate, Maine, if you stay a little more, you could listen the real objective».

Disclosure: The characters that appear in this article, their different personalities and their relationships with each other and with the environment are part of a fiction. The author is not responsible for the views expressed in the article and has no business relationship with any of the companies listed on it.