New York's Future Cityscape

London's Future Cityscape

Bank of America Tower, New York City, Environmental Technology

Statistics

• Constructed 2004-2009
• Height to spire - 366m (1,200ft)
• 58 floors
• Floor Area - 2,100,000 sqft (195,000 sqm)
• 51 elevators
• Cook & Fox Architects, Adamson Associates Architects

What makes the Bank of America Tower at Bryant Park special in today's Kyoto conscious world, it's unique selling point if you will, is the fact that it is effectively a giant air filter. The air entering the building is purified and the air exhausted is even cleaner. That is on top of a host of other environmentally friendly features. The concrete used in the construction of the building is 55% cement and 45% slag, a by-product of blast furnaces. Temperature control in the tower is also environmentally friendly. Floor to ceiling insulating glass maximises natural light as well as containing heat and the tower also reuses rainwater. The building also incorporates an old technology, ice phase transition, which produces and stores ice to help cool the building in peak

periods. There is also a 4.6 mega watt onsite cogeneration plantwhich reduces the significant electrical transmission losses that are typical of central power production plants. The tower also features an underfloor air system which provides the occupants with the ability to control the temperature in their own space via multiple air column units which also improves air ventilation effectiveness. All of these features are evidence that New York is still at the forefront of world skyscraper technology with one of the most environmentally friendly towers in the world.

Top 5 Insurance Companies in London and New York

Figures show 2009 revenues for Insurance led financial services companies

1. American International Group, New York City -

$110.1bn (£70.9bn)

2. Aviva, London - £97.8bn (£62.98)

3. Prudential, London - $70.3bn (£45.25)

4. Metlife, New York City - $53bn (£34.11)

5. Legal & General, London - $41bn (£26.39)

15 Penn Plaza, New York

Most people would be ticked off if someone were to build a 365 meter (1,198ft) tower right next door to where they live and quite rightly so. Unless, you would think, you were complaining from a building that is 230 feet higher. The irony in the expected approval of 15 Penn Plaza in New York next week is that that Community Board 5 and Malkin Holdings, which controls the Empire State Building have been the party throwing their toys out of the pram with the proposal. More -

http://www.pcparch.com/#/projects/office-buildings/wood-wharf/

Bloomberg looked at London for CCTV measures

Most English language syllabi include the dissection of George Orwell's sinister and prophetic book 1984 where life is depicted in an oligarchal collectivist society with pervasive government surveillance in a landscape adorned with posters with the caption "Big Brother is watching you" and everybody's lives monitored by the telescreen. Arguably, Orwell may have set the blueprint for life today. In London people are watched by CCTV more than any other city in the world, being monotored by more than 12,000 cameras - New York has about 4,000. The true reason for them, of course, is for crime prevention although it's tempting to think there is a psyche out there which would associate them more with Big Brother - summed up beautifully by graffiti artist Banksy's piece on the CCTV revolution.

In recent times, CCTV in both London and New York has given us chilling images of the protagonists of the London bombers on the way to the city in 2005 and more recently in Times Square a man taking his shirt off looking back at a smoking car in a failed car bomb incident. In the case of the 7/7 attacks, London Underground provided police with more than 18,000 tapes and 300 hard drives to help investigations. Earlier this year, Michael Bloomberg visited London to see what could be learnt from the way London monitors itself with it's 'Ring of Steel' system. Eventually everyone that enters the tube system will have their face recorded as Boris Johnson tightens the screw with CCTV for crime prevention in London. It seems to be working too as during Bloomberg's visit the British Transport Police Deputy Chief Paul Crowther commented on crime reduction "crime is down on the tube which shows people are even safer when they travel. CCTV across the network are critical to achieve this year on year reduction."

Job availability rises 71 percent in The City

Interesting article in the London Times today stating that since this time last year job availability has risen 71 percent in The City. Although there is still caution in the financial services sector, it may be a sign that The City is ahead of other sectors on the road to recovery. It does however say that a lot of these jobs have arisen due to people shifting around and leaving gaps rather than job creation - I assume by this they must mean that people could be migrating away from The City as Shifting around would not make much of a difference in availability. The report was from a survey by Morgan McKinley, a recruitment agency for the FS industry.

Tide turning for Freedom Tower, NYC

A different type of Subway helping people out in New York City is the sandwich chain Subway who have opened an outlet in a pod which sits on hydraulic legs and will ascend with the tower to feed ironworkers on site. Opening the shop, which serves up the same menu as a regular Subway is a smart move by project managers keen to save man hours and workers walking off site to get their lunch.

Freedom Tower is the first of the four towers to rise on the site of the destroyed twin towers. The tower itself is beginning to make an appearance on the skyline too at 116 metres (380 ft) and 34 storeys high. Delivery of the tower, which will eventually be 541 metres (1,776ft) to the tip of the spire and 108 floors high, is scheduled for April 2013. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is developing the tower is courting interest from potential tenants too. The Authority and media giant Conde Nast, recently reached tenantive terms on a deal which could see the publisher, which currently calls Times Square home, taking upto 1 million sqft of space in the building and become it's largest tenant. At present the only tenant to sign terms is the Chinese Real Estate firm Beijing Vantone Industrial Company which has signed a lease for about 190,000ft on the 64th and 69th floors.

So it all seems to be coming together nicely at 1 World Trade Centre. It hasn't, though, been plain sailing all the way. The project has been heavily criticised in the past for being more about

symbolism than need with real estate executives pointing out the obvious risks of building so much office space on a speculative basis and after a redesign of the tower, corporate tenants and government workers declared they had no desire to move into the tower. This was tossed off the back of some killer criticism by journalists damning the fortified base of the tower as a grotesque attempt to disguise it's underlying paranoia and also dubbing the building "the Fear Tower".

However, when the opportunity was there to buy into a stake of the tower, there was no shortage of interest. The Durst Organization beat off competition from three other developers to buy a minority stake in the project which will see the company oversee leasing of the building as an equity partner. The tide of opinion could be changing on the Freedom Tower. Durst is the hinge - at one time it was Douglas Durst, chairman of the Durst Organisation that opposed both the original WTC and the one he'll be investing in.

New York's best bars v London's best bars

The City and Wall Street share a lot in common, most notoriously the "work hard, play hard" ethic which sees bankers, traders, brokers and lawyers raking it in during the day then spending it like it's going out of fashion in the evenings. So if you wanted to have a chat with a banker about excesses during a time of crisis, where would you find one without having to sweet talk your way past the dolly bird at the reception desk at their workplace? Campbell Apartment in New York near Grand Central Station is a good place to start if you enter New York via Grand Central although if you speak to people that know it, they would say they are letting you into one of New York's secrets. Drinking here is like holding court in an exquisite Scottish castle with low comfy sofas and attractive waitresses serving pricey but good cocktails and a decent selection of beers in a soothing atmosphere. It's a good second date spot or meeting place. Suffice to say, being in Grand Central a lot of commuters drink here. A very shabby chic bar.

Back in The City, The Oxo Tower Bar is one of London's most recognisable landmarks on the River Thames with wonderful views across the River Thames from the bar. Having met some beautiful women at the Oxo, take it from me - it can make a good night complete! I'm not normally a cocktail person but usually get stuck into the white russians. I like the crowd here too, it's a combination of City girls and suits with south of the river professionals, estate agents and the like but in my experience always a good atmosphere with very good food.

I have a friend with a flat in Covent Garden so I couldn't blog without mentioning Detroit which is obviously more West End and relaxed and attracts a young crowd. I love everything about this place. Worldsbestbars.com says that of all the gin joints in the world, you'll want to walk into this one and goes on to mention bartender Eddie Yang having created a brand new cocktail, the Beefeater 24. Detroit is underground with really groovy decor, cosy and the kind of place you can find an alcove tucked away with friends and get lost for a night although it's a shame it shuts at 12 as the music is always good here. It's a good party place too with a room out the back that will hold about 100 people.

OK, back across the pond and smack bang in the middle of Manhattan Island is Flatiron lounge, a hark back to the roaring twenties in New York with classic a beautiful classic art deco interior. Unlike many London bars, Flatiron is open until 4am at weekends with excellent cocktails although a little on the pricey side ($18 for Flight of the Day). I have only been to this bar once but for my one visit I could not pick fault with drinks and service - our waiter was very knowledgeable with a beautifully "natural" personality but the winner for me is the 1920s theme. If you've never been to New York, it's like catching up everything you weren't around for in the last century.

London is not known for it's skyscrapers so I'm going to stick my neck out and lastly mention Vertigo 42 which is a small, yet classy little bar at the top of the City's Tower 42 which used to be the Nat West Tower and London's first skyscraper. The main event at Vertigo 42 are the views of London and the best time to go is at sunset. As bars go, there is nothing else that makes it stand out from the crowd as I found it to be a little pricey but then I think I'm forgetting the views, which is why I paid it a visit in the first place and that's why I'll go back. Nothing quite beats having a beer nearly 600ft in the sky.

The Bishopsgate Tower, The City's tallest skyscraper under construction.

Business in London has long been spread over vast areas of the City backed up with excellent transportation from the tube network and bus system which has led to polycentricity instead of the CBDs seen in more modern cities. This has meant over the years London has not needed to build tall, unlike New York. Good thing too considering the heavy constraints governing the height of buildings which has stopped commercial developers from really making hay in London.
In the early '90s however Docklands in the East End emerged as an area which would threaten to lure many big businesses away from the City with competitively priced and highly specified buildings, forcing the City of London Corporation to ease planning regulations to allow developers to compete with what Docklands had to offer and keep business in the City.
The results of these regulation changes are beginning to reshape the City and the Bishopsgate Tower is now about to start appearing on the skyline as the tallest building in the City at 945ft (288 metres) and 63 floors high. The Tower which is also known as The Pinnacle has been designed by New York headquartered architects Kohn Pedersen Fox stating ,"the tower has been designed to incorporate complex tapered geometry - resolved through advanced computational parametric modelling - comprising inwardly inclined planar surfaces, which are linked by conical surfaces. The design of the entrance canopy at it's base responds to the immediate context, creating a zone at the foot of the tower similar in height to nearby buildings."
The tower also incorporates sustainable systems into the design including more solar panelling than any other building in the UK, with 21,500 sqft (2,000 sqm) of photovoltaic solar cells generating upto 200 watts of electricity. The glass facade will be made of two layers of clear glass with an inner and outer skin allowing the building to utilise climate control with low energy consumption. Once completed the tower will contain just under 1 million sqft (approx. 88,000 sqm) of office space and will include a four floor restaurant, coffee shop and public viewing gallery at the top.
Steelwork is now underway, the core is about to rise and delivery is expected in May 2012.

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