FJ Sciame Construction Co Inc. is teaming with the Spanish architect and engineer on the project, which utilizes a cube design based on a series of sculptures by Calatrava. Frank Sciame, CEO of FJ Sciame, tells GlobeSt.com that his company worked on Calatrava's townhouse and a relationship blossomed out of that. Sciame brought the architect to the 80 South St. site where the construction and development company owns the air rights. "He was very enthusiastic about it," Sciame says. Sciame couldn't estimate the cost of the development, but notes that it will be "a very expensive tower to build." Pricing of the individual residences has not been determined either.
Dubbed "Townhouses in the Sky," the residences will consist of 12, 45-ft cubes, each containing four floors. In total, the tower will contain 175,000 sf of public cultural and private living space. Each of the cubes may contain its own elevator, and while, original plans call for two-story living rooms, interior spaces will be built out according to the residents' specifications. Each cube will also have a terraced garden formed by the roof of the cube below. The project is scheduled for completion in either 2006 or 2007.
Sciame's other Lower Manhattan projects include Seamen's Church Institute, Millennium High School and the Museum of Jewish Heritage. "This tower will be a symbol of Downtown rebuilding," Sciame says. The project marks Calatrava's first residential development in the US.
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