CNY Group said this week that work is ahead of schedule on construction of the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere, Central Park Marriott, at 54th Street and Broadway.
The compaletion date for the 70-story project recently moved up for the third time. Owner, Granite Broadway Development, LLC, has now charged CNY, a construction and development services organization, with opening the hotel by December 2013.
According to Dennis Prude, director of Field Operations for CNY, the project is a reflection of a productive workforce and efficient management.
By the time the new Marriott had reached the 66th floor, the project directly next door — construction of which began at the same time — was still at the 20th floor.
The Central Park Marriott will contain two select service hotels; a 378-key Courtyard by Marriott and a 261-key extended-stay Residence Inn by Marriott.
Once completed, the $200 million project will feature a total of 639 rooms, as well as a fitness club, lounges, bar and restaurant establishments, a retail store, business center, conference center and outdoor terrace, all within a 371,000-square-foot space.
Standing at 753 feet, the building will not only become the tallest Marriott in the world, but will also achieve the highest floor-to-area ratio, 30-1, of any building in the history of New York City.
The hotel was originally projected to be completed by the 2014 Superbowl and the date was subsequently moved up to have it open in time for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. CNY president Ken Colao said the hotel will now open by December 2013.
“This project is particularly complex because it requires some unusual approaches to construction and a very tight budget,” said Colao. “Most significant of all have been the site’s extraordinary logistical challenges, having three major buildings constructed simultaneously on one block. Two of these buildings, the Marriott being one of them, are directly next door to each other
“Working on a block with New York City’s second highest concentration of construction after the World Trade Center, CNY co-ordinated with two unrelated crews so that construction could progress seamlessly on three separate projects on this one block.
“Despite challenges, construction remained under budget and consistently ahead of schedule. In pre-construction alone, CNY achieved a 16% reduction of the original budget through design assistance, engineering input and global sourcing.”
Colao noted that CNY built a cocoon protection system for workers that rose up with the building until the project was topped out.
