Distinctive designs, outdoor spaces and connections to the neighborhood and its past are essential elements in the allure of upscale boutique office buildings rising in Manhattan’s Midtown South market, developers and real-estate brokers said.
“You have to have smart design, something special,” said Aby Rosen, principal of RFR Holding LLC, which has restored and leased several historic commercial buildings, including a historic bank building at 190 Bowery. “If you are cookie-cutter, it’s never going to work. It has to have architectural importance.”
Whether these office projects incorporate modern adaptation of materials used in historic and older buildings, highlight historic restorations or meld multiple outdoor spaces with interiors, the overriding goal is to signal a break with run-of-the-mill office spaces.
When planning its two Chelsea boutique office buildings now under construction,Vornado Realty Trust ’s executives brought experience working with major tech firms in its broader office portfolio as well as ideas gleaned on tours of Silicon Valley corporate campuses, said David Greenbaum, president of Vornado’s New York division.