Calatrava no nos la clava: Santiago Calatrava won't be participating in the Municipal Art Society's "provocation" on Penn Station.

Earlier this month, the Municipal Art Society announced a "provocation" for Penn Station, challenging four architecture firms—Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SHoP Architects, SOM and Santiago Calatrava—to rethink the city's most hated transit hub. The selection of Mr. Calatrava's firm as a participant, shall we say, provoked some controversy, with blogger Ben Kabak at Second Avenue Sagas telling The Observer, "Even involving Calatrava underscores the utter contempt for transit improvements that some of the city’s leading institutions have." At over $3.7 billion, the PATH terminal that Mr. Calatrava designed for the World Trade Center site will be far and away the most expensive subway station in world history.

So Mr. Kabak should be pleased to learn that Mr. Calatrava's firm is not, in fact, participating in the effort. Santiago Calatrava's firm sent the following statement to The Observer via email this afternoon:

As architects and engineers dedicated to enriching the quality of life in New York City, we have volunteered our time and talent to assist the city whenever asked. And while we wholeheartedly support the mission of the Municipal Art Society, we are compelled to correct the public record concerning their announcement of our participation in the Penn Station Challenge. This notice was regretfully released prior to informing us and without our consent. Unfortunately, given the office's current work load and the time frame of the project, we cannot assist the Municipal Art Society in this endeavor.

According to the New York Times, H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture will be taking Santiago Calatrava's place as the fourth firm involved in Municipal Art Society's "provocation."

Coincidentally, earlier today SHoP principal Vishaan Chakrabarti spoke about the high cost of the World Trade Center PATH station at a panel on the new Penn Station at the Regional Plan Association's 2013 assembly.

"There are people," Mr. Chakrabarti said, "rightfully, who are very concerned—look at what happened at the [World] Trade Center Site, and they understand that a lot of money went for something that maybe is not quite the right amount of money for the people that are going to move through that new station there, and that this is somehow going to be a white elephant."

"I think a shared vision" of Penn Station, he concluded, "has to convince people, politically, that that will not be the case here."

Modular construction has long been a dream of architects, for its efficiency and control, and now it could be a boon for New York City developers as well, since prefab methods can save 20 to 30 percent from traditional design methods. The only issue is for construction workers. Because the projects are built in factories, even when using union labor, the jobs tend to be less skilled and thus lower paying. Many labor unions had bridled at this, especially since Mr. Ratner had made extensive promises about the well-paying jobs Atlantic Yards would provide. But today the Building and Construction Trades Council announced its support for the development, saying that the prefab builders will get their own division within the labor group.

Gary LaBarbera, president of the council, suggested that without this agreement, nothing would have been built (never mind promises by Mr. Ratner with the state to start building at some point), and so this deal was acceptable.

"Today, we move forward with an innovative approach to development that will allow us to realize the vision of the Atlantic Yards project and create traditional construction jobs that may otherwise have been at risk," Mr. LaBarbera said in a statement. "And as we bring training, skill, quality and safety to modular construction through a strong labor-management partnership on this project, we see the potential to have this approach improve our competitiveness elsewhere in the local market and expand into an export industry to create even more sustainable union jobs that pay good wages and benefits.”

Indeed, Mr. Ratner and others have touted modular construction's ability to be a boon for the entire development industry, particularly on the affordable housing front. This is an area of development the unions have not typically occupied—though they are also increasingly trying to horn their way in in other ways—and if it can corner the prefab market, many projects employing it in the future would have to deal with the unions. Even with higher wage rates, the cheaper costs—from controlled environments of the factory floor and streamlined construction processes, plus cheaper union jobs—could entice many developers across the city.

In other words, Atlantic Yards might not simply revolutionize this corner of Atlantic Yards, but also housing across the city.

Or even across the world. B2, as the apartment tower is known, would lap many times the current record holder for prefabricated construction, a 20-story hotel in England. And the involvement of SHoP is meant to suggest that prefab can be sleek and design-y as well. "With modular, we are also transforming how housing is built in New York City and, potentially, around the world," Mr. Ratner said in a statement. "And we are doing it, as we do with all of our construction, in partnership with union labor, the best labor, in the best City in the world."

Part of the reason for building modular is because the return on the first tower is limited, following a commitment by Forest City Ratner to make the building 50 percent affordable. Of the 363 unit in the building, half will be affordable, though there have been complaints of just how affordable they will actually be.

Working with SHoP and engineers at Skanska, Forest City Ratner developed a system that will allow some 930 modular units, known as mods, to be assembled at a factory in the Brooklyn Navy Yards. They will be trucked onto the site, at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Dean Street, hoisted into place and connected. There are more than 30 different mods that can be combined to create apartments ranging in size from a studio to a three bedroom. The project will also be green, seeking a LEED Silver rating.

"Two years ago, due to the financial environment and other issues, we undertook intensive research and development to explore the feasibility of modular and to infuse technologically modern means of construction in our design and construction methods," said MaryAnne Gilmartin, Ratner executive vice-president. "We believe we’ve achieved a significant break through that will allow us to create world-class design and keep our commitment to union labor and deliver a significant amount of affordable housing.”

There was no mention of whether or not there is a special tax break for building modular housing.

Forest City's Ratner's Mary Anne Gilmartin praises "the democratic feel" during a recent tour of the nearly complete Barclay's Center with Curbed, while SHoP's Chris Sharples waxes about the urban appeal of the place. "Everyone is going to be able to feel the energy" from the cafe overlooking the arena floor. It is certainly a dynamic place, a great space to take in a show—it's already been a circus for years—but democratic? When it took eminent domain to put this together? Not the first time we've heard such claims this week.

Lovely. (Matt Chaban)

That's what Gregg Pasquarelli, the SHoP principal told us last night, at a party on the pier, part ribbon cutting (even though the thing opened last fall) part book launch (even though that came out three months ago). Really, this is one of the hottest firms in town, so whenever an opportunity presents itself to drink and party, it is taken.

As The Observer was leaving, Mr. Pasquarelli grabbed our arm and pointed out to the FDR, the underside of which glowed a faint purple.

"You've got to take your wife out there, I promise she's going to kiss you," he said. "It happens to everyone."

Yes, the architect had turned this hulking piece of unromantic infrastructure into a love canal. Right now it's only about 50 yards long, right around Maiden Lane, but some day soon it will stretch two miles, the entire elevated length of the FDR through Lower Manhattan, alongside the East River Esplanade that SHoP  designed. It is a landmark, an illuminator, a giant mood light.

"And it's lavender!" Mr. Pasquarelli yelled with glee. "We built a giant lavender streak through the city."

The same spirit infuses the rippling underside of the double decker Pier 15. A floating lawn overhangs a paved dock, where a new restaurant will soon open. The overhang is lined with undulating cedar planks that, when lit from behind with typical strip florescent lighting, the whole thing glows a deep, warm red.

"Don't you just love it?" asked Ellen Ryan, formerly of Brooklyn Bridge Park, now running Open House New York. "That's what I was told, they made the roof red so the lighting would make everybody look good. It's designed so you come out here and follow in live."

And we did. Those SHoP architects—what romantics.

Things are moving along quite nicely, it turns out.

It may seem as though there has been limited tangible progress since Related Companies was tapped to develop the project in February of last year, but that is because most of the work is being done below the surface—with on the banks of the East River and the banks of housing finance.

Since last spring, HPD and the city’s Economic Development Corporation have been at work on building new infrastructure in Hunters Point South, which had been a Daily News printing plant until a few decades ago but otherwise little else. “There was nothing there,” an HPD official told The Observer.

According to the EDC's construction report for May, sanitary sewers are 100 percent complete, storm sewers are 96 percent complete and water mains are 82 percent complete. Parks infrastructure is coming along, as well, with subsurface work more than halfway finished and features like a dog run, playground, concession building and waterfront walkways taking shape.

Furthermore, the department has pegged financing to be wrapped up this fall for the first phase of the project—project financing usually closes in May and June, but given the cost and complexity of this deal, more time is being set aside to get it done. After that, a groundbreaking is scheduled for October.

At full build out, Hunters Point South will have 5,000 apartments, 60 percent of which are to be affordable, with a particular focus on middle class housing. Related is developing the first phase with Phipps Houses and Manadnock Construction, a builder of affordable housing throughout the metro area. The two towers are being designed by SHoP Architects and KPF and will house 950 units.

Last November, Deputy Mayor Robert Steel announced that all of those apartments would be affordable units, as opposed to just 75 percent of them as originally planned. Affordability ranges from $32,000 a year to $130,000 a year for a family of four.

As for mega projects in general, the city still sees much strength in that area.

"Willets Point and Atlantic Yards are two of the City’s important signature projects for sure, and the timetables have been recast somewhat," the HPD official said. "Those are two big projects in a city with a lot of big projects, so I don’t know if using them as a catch-all to characterize the state of housing production in City development projects is the right way to go."

The official also pointed to progress on projects ranging from Gotham West to Arverne as other large housing projects that continue to make progress in spite of surrounding economic issues.

And now, for some mood music:

All aboard for the new Pier 17. (SHoP)

Good bye, shed. (WiredNY)

Does a developer have any obligation to undo the ills of the past?

That was the rather existential debate that took place at the Landmarks Preservation Commission earlier this month, as commissioners debated the merits of a proposal to transform Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. While the designs by SHoP Architects were roundly applauded, and ultimately won unanimous approval, many commissioners lamented the fact that the current mall was being replaced with a new one, rather than something less commercial or even nothing at all, just a wide-open public pier.

"There's lots of proof in Manhattan that a shopping mall never works, but nevertheless, there's a developer who insists they have the right formula for this shopping mall to finally work, so I guess within the context of that, then the question really is—is the architecture appropriate for the Seaport?" commissioner Margery Perlmutter said.

Commissioner Fred Bland felt so strongly about the issue, including the destruction of the notable-for-its-time Ben Thompson-designed mall, that he had composed his comments earlier that day, something he said had only happened twice before in his four years on the commission (for St. Vincent's and "for the infamous mosque").

"I come to today's vote with such extreme ambivalence, even sadness, I wanted to express myself with careful words," he said, going on to say that a mall belongs somewhere in the middle of the island if anywhere at all and then providing his own prescription for the site. "What should be here is a lot of open space, perhaps a little gem of a seaport museum or a seaport interpretation center and maybe some places to eat or drink while taking in some of New York's great views.

"But I am persuaded we cannot roll back the clock 30 years and correct this mistake now. Politically, economically, too much is at stake and it will not happen."

Gregg Pasquarelli, one of SHoP’s principals, told The Observer after that his design solves many of the problems the current building, which is there whether anyone likes it or not, creates, and no one would pay for the solutions were it not to some commercial end. “I think one can appreciate the argument that shopping on the waterfront is not the kind of project the city would approve today but the fact is that it exists, and therefore we should try to make the best solution to the current problem possible,” he said.

The commissioners seemed to agree, and indeed the mall proposed to replace the one that was there was quite a bit nicer. "Something needs to be done, I believe this is what should be done, and it's an appropriate expression of what to do on this pier," Commission Chair Robter Tierney said. "I harken back to Pier 15 for the kind of thoughtful materials and design and public amenities that work. You've done a sort of commercial version of that, if you will, in the best sense." (It is appropriate that he would compare the two, as SHoP also designed Pier 15.)

It is not without irony that a previous proposal for the pier that the commission flatly rejected three years ago would have included a good deal more open space on the pier, as it was part of a larger redevelopment effort that moved the shopping and additional development to the landside of the pier and relocated the historic Tin Building to the water, leaving more room around it. This proposal also include a new 40 story residential tower, which along with the designs of the previous plan, drew a great deal of ire from the commission. Were they to choose between the two today, it would be interesting to see which was preferred.

Still, a bankruptcy and a recession have a way of altering economic realities.

SHoP’s proposal in many ways is far more open than the current mall. The architects, along with developer Howard Hughes Corporation, a division of Bill Ackman-owned General Growth Properties, want to tear the shed-style mall back to its steel structure and build up from there, an approach they argue is less wasteful and therefore more sustainable.

From there, a new prismatic glass façade will be added, meant to evoke the jaggedness of waves. Because the base of the new structure will be cut into the building, with paths interweaving throughout, the architects argue it is a more public and inviting space, not just a wall of red corrugated metal. Through this run archways that the architects say will foster views of the Brooklyn Bridge. Some commissioners were suspicious of these view corridors while other applauded them.

"This is ultimately a very big and very complicated project with many things to consider," commissioner Michael Goldblum said. "On the issue of the view corridor, I think it could work. It does penetrate the building and draws the visitors in and through the space, and that is what you want."

"I don't think the view corridor will ultimately serve as a view-through corridor, but if that's what you want to believe, I'm willing to follow along on your dream," commissioner Perlmutter said dismissively.

The pathways created by these corridors are meant to evoke a retail experience closer to that of shopping at small storefronts on side streets (think West Village) than inside a monolithic mall (e.g. the Time Warner Center). Adding to the openness of the experience is a rooftop lawn that doubles as a venue for concerts, films and other events.

"Right now, the property pretty much serves the tourist trade," Mr. Pasquarelli told The Observer. "It doesn't serve the residents or the office workers. This reconfigures and opens it to the entire city, with a better space and a better mix of activities, something that will be a draw for everyone."

A number of commissioners were buying it—up to a point. "I'm quite in favor of this design," Michael Devonshire said. But he expressed a major concern that was repeated over and over again.

"We seem to get the polyanna version of what could happen with signage on those upper stories, I'm deathly afraid of what could happen." he said, referring to the glassed-in facade. "This seems to be the best-case scenario, we could be facing a worst-case scenario, but it's gratifying to see that that's something we can talk about later."

With all that glass, the building could easily turn into what Commissioner Goldblum fearfully called “Times Square.” The Historic Districts Council released a rather sensational rendering to that effect. The developer has promised that is not the desired aesthetic, and it will bring all future signage to the commission for approval.

Still, most of the commissioners were satisfied with their oversight of the building.

"I think the key to this scheme is the signage," commissioner Goldblum said. "I think the openness of the applicant to providing us as a commission with the lease date, the lease terms, things that relate to signage and cladding of the boxes, will inform the pedestrian experience of this structure. That's critical."

The developer also agreed to shorten a building known as the Link, a smaller shed on the western end of the pier (to those who know the pier now, it is the building with the Pizzeria Uno and random kiosks inside). Commissioners wanted to expose more of their old friend, the Tin Building, which dates to 1903. While some would have preferred even more visibility, Howard Hughes agreed on reducing it by one bay.

The development will continue to take shape, and Howard Hughes is happy to have finally dropped anchor on this project after years of working on it.

"The new Seaport balances the pier's iconic waterfront location with a much needed community destination for shopping, dining and entertainment," Christopher Curry, executive vice president for development, said in an email. "We will continue working closely with the City to create an unparalleled New York experience for residents, workers and visitors."

Now, looking to expand its practice beyond unconventional buildings into unconventional cities, SHoP has added a new partner to the firm, professor skyscraper Vishaan Chakrabarti. Chair of Columbia's real estate development program, the Center for Urban Real Estate, Mr. Chakrabarti has helped transform the way many New Yorkers think about their city and others, and now he wants to get back in on the act of building them.

"SHoP reinvented the practice of architecture, and with my coming here, we're going to reinvent urbanism," Mr. Chakrabarti said in an interview this morning. "It's about how a building meets the city, how it meets the grid, the transit system, public space, basically how a building meets the world."

Mr. Chakrabarti has come up with such unusual proposals as LoLo, a plan to use landfill to connect Governors Island to the Battery. After graduating from Cornell with a dual degree in art history and engineering, Mr. Chakrabarti earned a masters in architecture at Berkeley followed by one in planning at MIT. Professionally, he has bounced in and out of the public sector, working for the Port Authority, SOM and the Manhattan office of the Department of City Planning. It was during this time that the sharp-dressing planner met the playfully cerebral partners at Sharples Holden Pasquarelli—the firm's five founding partners consist of two brothers and two couples, a tight-knit bunch.

"I remember when it was just 10 of them working over a Chinese restaurant on Third Avenue," Mr. Chakrabarti recalled.

Mr. Chakrabarti said the firm is determined to shake things up in the world of architecture, development and planning. "Most master planning, you use pretty pastel drawings that rarely have anything to do with what gets built," he said. "Planning has been static, it hasn't been performative. Most of these plans, they get implemented over 20 or 30 years. Think of how much a city and the world changes in that span of time."

Gregg Pasquarelli, the firm's defacto spokesman said Mr. Chakrabarti had certain intangibles that were hard to find in his planning compatriots. "Just the fact that he's really good looking and smart," Mr. Pasquarelli joked, before quickly adding: "We felt incredibly fortunate we have one of the world's best urban thinkers, someone with a great design eye and a person whose reputation extends globally."

Might the firm be at an unfair advantage, given Mr. Chakrabarti's connection to some of the city's biggest developers? He once worked for the Related Companies and Vornado Realty on their bid to redevelop Penn Station and his chair at Columbia is endowed by Marc Holliday, the head of SL Green, the largest commercial landlord in the city. The Dursts are another of the Columbia development program's big backers.

"This notion of rainmaking, not once did that com up in my discussions about joining the firm," Mr. Chakrabarti said. "That said, the industry knows me, just as they know the firm, and they treat me as an equal. They know that I know what they're up against when it comes to building in the world."

The firm already has some serious planning work ahead of it, including the continued expansion of Atlantic Yards, which it took over from Frank Gehry, and nascent projects at Hunter's Point South and the South Street Seaport. There are a few major projects in the works, both at home and abroad, where projects are already underway in Botswana, Shanghai and Jiading New City, China.

"We're starting to enter our prime years," Mr. Pasquarelli boasted in his lighthearted way. "We see ourselves taking a great practice and raising to that ultimate level."

Not one to be outdone, Mr. Chakrabarti concluded: "It's epochal. We're out to form the practice of our epoch. I don't mean that to sound grandiose, but we get this stuff. Our perspective is the perspective of our generation and our time. Cities are bigger and better than ever before, and they need the right mindset to push them in the right direction."

mchaban [at] observer.com | @MC_NYC

In the fall, The Observer heard that SHoP Architects was still eager to work on the seaport, and last month one of the firm's principals revealed that plans were actually underway, though also underwraps, as Howard Hughes felt out political and community leders on what would be best for the seaport, much of which is landmarked.

Now, Howard Hughes has discussed the project publically for the first time--sort of.

Downtown Express caught up with Grant Herlitz, HH's new president, and while he would not get into specifics, he did reveal a few new details about the company's plans for the seaport.

Herlitz would not confirm or specify any aspect of the design plans, though he said that the corporation plans to engage in “thought-provoking” discussions with the city and local organizations to “come up with the most vibrant plan for the South Street Seaport that’ll garner support and be an exciting new redevelopment [project] for the city.” The pier, he added, would continue to serve as an “integral” part of Lower Manhattan.

Consider our thoughts provoked!

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo

Then came the news in October that hedgie and shrewd real estate investor Bill Ackman would be in charge of Howard Hughes Corp, the General Growth spin-off redeveloping the seaport. The Observer has put in numerous calls to Ackman's Pershing Square Capital to try and figure out what exactly is in store, but we've yet to hear back.

Check out SHoP's latest work at Atlantic Yards. >>

Now, one of Pasquarelli's colleagues, Corie Sharples, has told DNAinfo that SHoP has yet to do any new design work, but the firm has been meeting with Howard Hughes about they project. "They're proceeding very, very cautiously," Sharples said. "They're talking with the city before doing anything else."

It should be interesting to see what results from the talks. The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission was lukewarm about the project when it was first presented in 2008, and the community downright hated it. But these are more difficult times to be building in the city.

On the one hand, finding financing could prove difficult. On the other, city officials, developers and construction unions are all desperate for just about anything to get built, which could make it easier to force an ostentatious project through the public review process. (Just ask Steve Roth about that.)

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo