Ariel East Breaks Up the Box with Setbacks and Terracotta Bands
Developing impactful high rise residential buildings is an intricate combination of being innovative while fitting into the culture and feel of the neighborhood. Capturing the classic elegance of the Upper West Side, Ariel East emanates the new standard of luxury in two to five bedroom residences. This exquisite glass tower offer a sensual blend of lavish materials, gracious interior detailing, modern technology, and an impressive repertoire of amenities that a modern family desires. For those who are looking for homes in the Upper West Side, the 64 residences of Ariel East promise to be an ideal fit as not only are they ideally located, the homes also meet the high standards of Upper West Side luxury living. Ariel East at 2628 Broadway is a 37-story condominium building that has a striking presence in the Upper West Side thanks to both its impressive height and its stunning glass facade.
Designed by Cetra/Ruddy Architects, Ariel East has seven setbacks facing Broadway and is distinguished by its reflective-glass facade with red “piping” accents. Owner Extell had to purchase 70,000 square feet of air development rights from St. Michael’s Church on Amsterdam Avenue after the second tower Ariel West at 245 West 99th Street (also a W&W Glass installed project), was completed in 2007. Both towers significantly altered the northern skyline of the Upper West Side that had previously been dominated by the Riverside Church at 120th Street and Riverside Drive, the Master Apartments on Riverside Drive at 103rd Street and the Columbia Apartments at 275 West 96th Street. The architectural team’s design for Ariel East called for a striking glass exterior to give the complex a luxurious feel. For this, they contracted with the nationally-acclaimed architectural glazing firm of W&W Glass, LLC.
W&W Glass installed a custom unitized curtain wall system for this project. They relied on a proven SOTAWALL® Hybrid-Wall® system to achieve the goal of the design. HYBRID‑WALL® was developed as an alternative to window wall systems. Window Wall systems are architecturally limited and lacking in long term performance. HYBRID‑WALL® allows aesthetic flexibility by allowing for larger expanses of glazing, flush external appearance (capless) and a variety of features and infill materials. In addition, HYBRID‑WALL® provides the exceptional weather and seismic performance of a pressure equalized, rain screened curtain wall. It is a fully unitized and pre-glazed curtain wall system in performance and appearance with the important distinction of being installed between floors similar to a window wall system. HYBRID‑WALL® is notched around the floor slab and allows the use of glass floor spandrels in lieu of slab edge metal panel covers. Because it is a true unitized curtain wall system, HYBRID‑WALL® uses a horizontal expansion assembly incorporating silicone gaskets, making the typical sealant joints between floor slabs and window wall systems obsolete. HYBRID‑WALL® also has fully integrated fixed and sliding anchors as part of the slab edge design, enabling ease of installation while allowing for construction slab tolerances and vertical live load movements between floor levels.
Unlike Ariel West, the 400-foot-tall Ariel East has no balconies but terraces on the 8th, 16th, 21st, 27th, 33rd and 36th floors. Residents at Ariel East have a private theater, swimming pool, billiards lounge, La Palestra fitness center, garden, and children’s playroom. The post-war apartments at Ariel East are beautiful and incredibly spacious, with large windows that offer stunning views of both Central Park and the Hudson River.
W&W Glass LLC is a family owned business with a 70-year history in the metal and glass industry, one of the largest metal and glass companies in the New York metropolitan area and the largest supplier of structural glass systems in the country. We have over two decades of experience in the design and installation of various building enclosure systems, including stick-built curtain walls, pre-glazed unitized curtain walls, Pilkington Planar™ structural glass facades, and custom metal and glass enclosure systems. We install all of our work with our own dedicated union labor force. W&W is consistently the largest employer of glaziers in the NY metropolitan area.
