Two Glossy Office Developments Rise in SoHo, Mend Scars from Houston Street's Road Widening

By CityRealty Staff | From Future New York Wednesday, August 30, 2017

300 Lafayette Avenue (l) and 606 Broadway (r)

More and more, Manhattan’s office developers are moving away from formulaic office buildings of 30K+ floor plates stacked endlessly high with few frills in between besides an austere lobby, conference room and pantry. The latest wave of offices strives to be greener, more porous, and personalized, with the theory that happier and healthier employees work harder (who would have thunk?). Last week we covered COOKFOX’s 522W22 which boasts operable windows, a sinuous terra cotta exterior and 16,000 s/f of accessible outdoor space. Now, two similarly boutique office developments are embracing the new archetype, rising next door to each other in SoHo at 300 Lafayette Street and 606 Broadway.

Google Earth aerial showing 300 Lafayette and 606 Broadway in future NYC skyline (CityRealty)

The buildings both rise from lots created by the widening of Houston Street. According to GVSHP, Houston Street was widened in 1940, creating a "chasm" in what was once a seamless neighborhood. Buildings were demolished on both sides of the street resulting in empty lots and window-less streetwalls. Over the years, several new buildings have risen such as SoHo 25 and 160 Wooster Street. Across from 606 Broadway is an art insttallation known as "The Wall" that consists of 42 aluminum bars that is to evoke the crude demolition of buildings for the road widening.

300 Lafayette office interior Image Credit: Related Companies

Terrace Image Credit: Image Credit: CookFox Architects

Retail base Image Credit: Related Companies

300 Lafayette Street is an 80,000 s/f office and retail building being developed by Related Companies and LargaVista. The building is designed by Rick Cook, a partner at COOKFOX Architects, and is inspired by principles of “biophilia,” which simply means people feel good when they feel connected to nature. Praised as “erudite and captivating” by the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who approved the design in 2013, the building aims for energy efficiency and to connect its occupants with the outside world.

Bounded by East Houston, Lafayette and Crosby streets, across from the Puck Building, 300 Lafayette will rise just 7 stories (it is SoHo after all) from an 11,595 s/f lot which continuously held a gas station since the 1930s. Its glass, limestone and terra cotta envelope will be ringed by landscaped terraces likening the building to a lushly-planted residential building. Each office floor will have at least 2,300 square feet of usable outdoor space and the species of plants will be indigenous to Manhattan.

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The first two floors and cellar will have almost 30,000 s/f of flagship retail. The five modestly-sized office floors above will have just one column placed in the middle of each floor thanks to a voided slab and post-tensioned structural system that saves on material in addition to allowing for longer structural spans. The building is aiming for LEED Silver certification, and other energy-conscious features include an underfloor air system, low-flow fixtures, energy efficient lighting and recycled content in materials like concrete. The first floor of steel has just erupted above ground and delivery is pegged for completion sometime in 2018.

Directly next door, on another lot created by the widening of Houston Street in the 40s, Madison Capital and Vornado Realty Trust are bringing a 6-floor, 34,000 s/f retail and office building to a wedge-shaped site formerly owned by the MTA. Addressed at 606 Broadway, despite having no actual frontage on the avenue, the S9 Architecture-designed building will be enveloped in metal and steel along East Houston and a more traditional brick façade with punch-out windows along Crosby Street.

606 Broadway (Rendering via Vornado Realty Trust)

Aerial view, Image Credit: Image Credit: S9 Architecture

606 Broadway Credit: S9 Architecture

While this project is not loaded with green features like its peer to the east, it’s noteworthy in that it rises from a shallow, triangular lot that has been called the “gateway of SoHo.” For many years, the sidewall of the adjacent building held a Hollister sign and prior to that an iconic DKNY mural. The first two floors and cellar will be dedicated to retail and the 4 floors above for offices. The floor plates will be undeniably boutique, spanning just 4,000 – 6,256 s/f per floor. The corner angle will hold an atrium that renderings show may be backed by an advertisement or mural. 606 Broadway will also be delivered in 2018.