Progress on The JACX as of early August 2018 (CityRealty)
After the development of hundreds of apartments over the last decade, Long Island City's Queens Plaza district is starting to diversify into a full-fledged business district with new office and retail ventures coming in the pipeline. The largest commercial offering since Citigroup's One Court Square is now being constructed by Tishman Speyer Properties and Qatari Diar Real Estate at 28-01 Jackson Avenue. Named The JACX, the scheme will bring 1.1 million square feet of Class-A office space in two mirroring 26-floor towers (One and Three Gotham Center). The ensemble is the final chapter of Tishman's Gotham Center undertaking which includes the 2011-built Two Gotham Center and the recently-launched residential component called Jackson Park.
Recently, we checked in on progress at The JACX and saw that its banded facade of high-performance glass windows and multi-toned terracotta spandrel panels are catching up to the structural frame. The complex is designed by Moed de Armas & Shannon Architects (MdeAS), whose website says the exterior is a nod to the neighborhood’s history of industrial manufacturing.
View of the Queens Plaza skyline with the cranes of The JACX and Jackson Park in view n the left-hand side (CityRealty)
The $700 million project also aims to be a pioneer in merging wellness with workplace design. According to The JACX's official website, the interiors are designed to bring the outside in," with ribbons of near full-height windows offering sweeping views of the city. The podium roof will serve as a one-acre, landscaped park that acting as a quad where tenants can socialize, relax, dine or work. The landscaped roof will have more than 25,000 flowering bulbs, 100 trees, a cafe pavilion and a central gathering space conceived to promote community/team building. Additionally, there will be a roof deck, a “lushly-planted” plaza at street level, and 43,000 square feet of retail which will include a food hall, a fitness center, and restaurants.
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The JACX has already netted a 550,000-square-foot lease from Macy’s and a 250,000 square-foot lease-signing by shared-office space giant WeWork. The buildings are served by incredible transportation infrastructure, and trips to Manhattan can be had in under 15 minutes. Following Tishman's goal to create the ultimate work-play-live environment, across Jackson Avenue are the three sparkling rentals towers of Jackson Park. To ultimately host 1,800 units and 120,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities, prices for studios start at $2,603/month, one-bedrooms from $3,074/month, and two-bedrooms from $4,255/month.
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