A Standout Landmark

Served by Otis VT, The Spiral on Manhattan’s Far West Side offers unique office space that lets nature in.

by Brendan McShane
images courtesy of Otis

Among the new office towers in Manhattan’s Far West Side, the recently completed 66 Hudson Boulevard tower stands out. Also known as The Spiral, the 66-story, 1,030-ft-tall structure is the city’s latest architecturally daring building, spiraling upward and featuring an outdoor garden deck of cascading terraces on every level.

Built and developed by Turner Construction, owned and operated by Tishman Speyer and designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) with Adamson Associates, The Spiral was completed in November 2022 and occupies an entire city block. Among a number of high-end tenants, the building serves as corporate headquarters for Turner Construction itself. The tower has more than 2.85 million ft² of space, is the 22nd-tallest building in North America and the 14th-tallest in NYC.

The Spiral offers a glimpse into a contemporary workplace where nature becomes an integrated part of the work environment. The structure’s signature cascading spiral is a connected system of landscaped outdoor terraces originating at the building’s main entrance and wrapping around the tower. The terraces deliver light and fresh air, as well as access to outdoor space, which is intended to enhance the health and well-being of the building’s occupants. Inside, the terraces open to impressive views of Manhattan, offering a picturesque setting for meetings, events and recreational activities. 

Wedding the Future and Past

In contrast to The Spiral’s contemporary spiraling gardens, the building’s stepped form echoes the architecture of classic NYC setback skyscrapers. The Spiral’s terraces and their supporting plate sizes shrink with each increment in elevation. 

The building offers a variety of office types, including individual suites. The Spiral’s unique offerings include a top-floor lounge, ZO Clubhouse, where building occupants can gather and take in sweeping views of the city. The lounge features the Café Llama restaurant and an outdoor terrace. Meeting and event space on the 66th floor is operated by Studio by Tishman Speyer. The building has plans for three incoming restaurants by world-renowned restaurateurs. Other amenities include bike storage and on-site parking with charging stations for electric cars. 

The Spiral received the 2023 CoStar Impact Award for best commercial development in the NYC region, and Best Tall Building and Construction awards in 2023 from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH). It received LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2023 and is 2-star Fitwel certified. 

Transportation System Details

Otis provided innovative and industry-leading products and services to meet The Spiral’s high standards. The vertical-transportation (VT) system includes 54 SkyRise^® high-rise elevators, including the first four SkyBuild^® construction elevators used in NYC, and eight hydraulic elevators. Edgett Williams Consulting Group, Inc., served as VT consultant. 

SkyBuild construction elevators are internal elevators that are installed at lower floors and climb with the building during construction. They were in use as freight elevators during the construction phase, transporting workers and materials quickly, comfortably and safely, with crews spending less time waiting and more time on the job than with traditional external construction elevators.

SkyBuild features include an angled deck that protects crews from overhead hazards, as well as a working deck used by Otis crews to install additional elevator rails, allowing the system to climb as construction progresses. The caterpillar-like climbing move can be scheduled to happen overnight to minimize disruption and is accomplished by a hydraulic piston that lifts the entire assembly — including the machine, controller, drive and traveling cable — upward in single-floor jumps. 

In this case, the SkyBuild elevators enabled work to continue inside the building during inclement weather, as OSHA requires exterior construction elevators to shut down in certain conditions such as high wind. 

A NYC First

As the first SkyBuild project in NYC, Otis worked closely with the city to secure necessary regulatory approvals. In addition, Otis and Turner teams visited 22 Bishopsgate in London (a 2023 Project of the Year winner), to observe them during construction and learn from the project crews there. After construction was complete, the SkyBuild units were converted to SkyRise service cars.

This project includes 50 additional SkyRise passenger elevators organized into six groups serving the lower, middle and upper floors. Traveling at 9 m/s, the cars serving the upper floors are among the fastest office elevators in Manhattan. SkyRise is Otis’ most advanced high-rise elevator. Elevator features include:

• Permanent-magnet machines, which are among the industry’s most energy efficient
• A compact, reliable and energy-efficient E2 intelligent control system that employs Otis’ patented motion-control algorithm to deliver a smooth ride
• The company’s most advanced ReGen^® drive
• Q-frame cab technology featuring an aerodynamic shroud to ensure a smooth, quiet ride

All of the SkyRise units feature Otis’ Compass360^® third-generation destination management system that is fast, versatile and easy to install. The Compass360 system is integrated with The Spiral’s building security system to ensure dedicated access to particular elevators and floors, as well as a VIP mode.

Compass360 acts as a virtual concierge, directing passengers to the most appropriate elevator via easy-to-use and intuitive wall-mounted screens. The system’s SmartGrouping™ technology advances dispatching efficiency to cut waiting and journey times in half compared with traditional systems. New features include an improved dispatching algorithm and new security-interface options. Improved screens are touch sensitive and have a one-piece glass face. 

Rounding out the building’s VT system are the hydraulic units, including two 60,000-lb truck lifts. Six additional hydraulic passenger units are located throughout the building for accessibility.

The Otis service contract includes the Otis ONE™ Internet of Things service platform and on-site support to ensure smooth operation for the customer.

Delivering any project in Manhattan provides particular construction challenges dealing with traffic, building congestion and ensuring schedule stability. This includes staging material offsite with just-in-time transportation to the building and implementing off-shift work.

In addition, work started on the project in June 2020, and the Otis team faced several quarantine periods in which an entire crew working on a group of elevators was required to stay home due to COVID-19 exposure. Otis still delivered the project on time.

The construction phase of The Spiral was marked by a commitment to a safe, clean and professional environment among the general contractor and all participating subcontractors. Rob Spinnato, Otis senior manager for New Equipment Field Operations and superintendent for The Spiral project, said:

“As a showcase building and future home for the companies involved, there was a clear commitment and mission statement that this was going to stand out among other jobs. Otis delivered its part, with a crew that excelled in managing a project of this size — having the right people and equipment in the right place at the right time. The final result is a landmark that we’re all proud of.”