It recently came to my attention that the new cooper union bldg on 3rd avenue had a total cost of $116 million. For a relatively low-rise 175,000 SF structure---this equates to nearly $700/SF.
Although i understand that there may be lab stuff and some specialty finishes, that's awfully expensive for this type of building.
Obviously the design is unusual and the project team is aiming for LEED platinum certification. The concrete, steel and design work are all more expensive than usual for a similar sized building due to the odd shapes, although according to one architecture magazine, the window wall system behind the screen is actually conventional.
I will criticize this with lots of disclaimers, including that i haven't been given a tour of the building nor have i examined plans and i cant verify the built SF, nor do i have a breakdown of cost for special lab equipment. But based on what i know about construction in NYC, they should have been able to build a comparable building for considerably less-- my guess would be at least 20% less.
The desire to build an iconic structure coupled with the green elements drove up the project cost.
Although i understand that there may be lab stuff and some specialty finishes, that's awfully expensive for this type of building.
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
Obviously the design is unusual and the project team is aiming for LEED platinum certification. The concrete, steel and design work are all more expensive than usual for a similar sized building due to the odd shapes, although according to one architecture magazine, the window wall system behind the screen is actually conventional.
I will criticize this with lots of disclaimers, including that i haven't been given a tour of the building nor have i examined plans and i cant verify the built SF, nor do i have a breakdown of cost for special lab equipment. But based on what i know about construction in NYC, they should have been able to build a comparable building for considerably less-- my guess would be at least 20% less.
The desire to build an iconic structure coupled with the green elements drove up the project cost.
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