Maki designed tower planned for Cooper Square

Developer Edward J. Minskoff Equities has made a deal with Cooper Union to purchase 51 Astor place and raze the engineering building there for a new 13-storey mixed-use tower designed by Fumihiko Maki. The new building, which is being designed in Joint Venture with Adamson Associates Architects and which will house 430,000 square feet of space for office and retail use, will be located near a recently completed 21 storey Gwathmey Siegel designed residential tower and Cooper’s new academic building designed by Morphosis. The exterior of the building will be black granite with clear glass and a ribbed material. The building will rise 145 feet, with one section reaching 13 stories and a shorter part going up to 11 stories. Minskoff said the building will aim for LEED gold status. Completion of the building is slated for late 2010 early 2011.