Press

At the American Copper Buildings in Kips Bay, twin 48-story towers with luxury rentals, the 75-foot indoor pool is located in the Skybridge that connects the two copper-clad residential towers. Residents can swim across the pool from one tower to the next while taking in the panoramic city and East River views through walls of glass.

Marci Clark, managing director of strategy and development for JDS Development, which is behind American Copper Buildings, said the skybrige came out of constraints of not being able to connect the buildings at ground level. (Read full article)

(PHOTO MAX TOUHEY, COURTESY OF JDS DEVELOPMENT GROUP)

 

The Plaza at American Copper was mentioned as one of the top public landscapes in 2019. Read the full article here and come see it for yourself. For more information visit americancopper.nyc.

(Photo credit Ty Cole)

Two New Buildings Break Free of the Glass Straitjacket

JDS Development approached SHoP with a thorny task: turn an awkward plan that had already gone through the public-review rigmarole and turn it into a thing of beauty — one that wouldn’t need any new approvals. The L-shaped lot wrapped around an existing school, and the zoning called for two slablike towers rising on a new mini-park. SHoP treated the towers as if they were a dancer’s legs, both bending at the knee but in different directions, so that they almost touch. At that point of not-quite-contact, a sky bridge containing a long pool and a vast gym joins the two separate buildings, giving the eastern edge of Manhattan a jaunty new silhouette. Read Full Article Here For More Information about American Copper visit americancopper.nyc

The most famous feature of the American Copper Buildings, the stunning Kips Bay structure designed by SHoP Architects, is its skybridge: a three-level space that connects the development’s two towers, with 60,000 square feet of amenities, including two swimming pools and a large fitness center. And now, a residence on top of it is renting for$12,000/month.

Apartment 30B, on the 30th floor, has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a private outdoor space, floor-to-ceiling windows, a kitchen with marble islands, wood floors throughout, and an in-unit washer/dryer. The lush unit also offers views to the East River as well as to Midtown.

 

New York Post
July 17, 2019

Having a wow-worthy place to host was a main reason John Rapisardi chose to move into the American Copper Buildings, where the rooftop pool is part of a members-only club called The Sentry. “I’d much rather have a meeting with a client on the 42nd floor, facing the East River, with a nice pool and food and drink service, rather than pretty much anywhere else,” says Rapisardi, 26, who works in real estate for a global consulting firm. “I saw it as a big value add.”

Since it’s part of a club, the pool at the American Copper Buildings is one of the few that’s available to people who don’t live there. That’s not to say it’s readily accessible. Non-residents have to pay at least $3,000 for a “gold” membership. The cheapest of the three membership tiers, “silver,” is $1,600, which comes with six guest passes for the season, and is only available to tenants, like Rapisardi, who rents a south­-facing studio on the 28th floor of the 761-­unit rental. The priciest, “copper,” costs double that and offers unlimited guest passes as well as a 20 percent discount on events. Some may balk at the price, but Koster says they’ve sold “a few hundred” memberships, and about 85 percent of members are also tenants.

According to Koster, the decision to make it a members-only club was easy. “We have 1,500 people living here,” he says. “We wouldn’t be able to accommodate even a quarter of them on any given day.” The maximum capacity of the rooftop lounge, which is roughly 6,200 square feet, is 225.

Cool Hunting
February 2, 2018

The curious and uncommon skybridge at the American Copper Buildings stretches three stories, 300 feet up from the ground, connecting the east and west towers of American Copper at the hip. “It’s eye-catching and makes for an eccentric addition to the East River waterfront,” writes David Graver for Cool Hunting. Though traditionally skybridges were utilized in New York City to connect commercial spaces with a walkway, they have fallen out of favor. “This one, however,” Graver continues, “has something more afoot and longevity innately set.” In this luxury apartment building by JDS Development Group, the skybridge offers a 75-foot indoor lap pool, lounge, and for three lucky residents, private outdoor space on top of the skybridge. SHoP Architects’ copper façade—kinking at four degrees—has already started to patina.

Curbed NY
December 14th, 2017

As part of its 14th Annual Curbed Awards, Curbed awarded the American Copper Buildings “Building of the year” for bringing glamour to an otherwise bland area of New York City. Critic Alexandra Lange praised the luxury rental building for its creativity—from it’s Copper Tone health club, and custom lighting, to branded signage by Pandiscio Co.—and for taping into the ethos of Rem Koolhaas’ Delirious New York “ A scene of seduction at the gym’s two-story climbing wall? A meet-cute in the lobby’s disco-worthy black mailroom?” Lange opined, “It’s fun to see a building ready for more than Netflix and chill.”

Commercial Observer
November 9th, 2017

With project such as 9 DeKalb in Downtown Brooklyn and 111W57 overseeing Central Park, it is no surprise that developer JDS Development Group perused a unique, luxury rental building for the copper-clad American Copper Buildings with SHoP Architects, intent on redrawing the New York City skyline. Located at 626 First Avenue between East 35th and East 36th Streets, the zoning requirements included a height limit and a mandate that should two towers be built, they could not be connected at grade.

NPR
October 28th, 2017

In the wake of hurricane Sandy, New York City real estate developer JDS Development Group incorporated key lessons into the design of the American Copper Buildings, a new pair of luxury rental towers on New York City’s East River. In an interview with NPR Radio/WNYC, JDS principal Simon Koster explained, “It’s about just building more or less the same building as you always do, but just placing things a little bit differently or being a little bit more thoughtful about what those materials are.” For the American Copper Buildings, this included devoting the 48th floor of the west tower—a prime penthouse apartment location—to five backup generators able to supply emergency power to the 761 luxury apartments. “You would have enough power to charge your phone,” Koster said. “You’d be able to keep food in your refrigerator, at a bare minimum. You would be able to flush your toilet and you would have an elevator that goes up to the floor you live on.” JDS believes that these becoming important selling points for future residents in the context of climate realities.

Forbes
July 31st, 2017

The most arresting images on Instagram are sometimes snapped close to home—literally. Manhattan’s new luxury residential development, the American Copper Buildings from JDS Development Group, offers eager smartphone photographers ample opportunity to capture moments of architectural splendor and jaw-dropping design. The copper-clad property’s unique, three-story skybridge, which connects the two buildings and houses many of their shared amenities, is a light-filled sanctuary where residents can swim in a 75-foot lap pool suspended 300 feet off the ground. With tall, dramatic windows, a sumptuous interior, and expansive views of the East River, this sky-level perch between the two American Copper Buildings is as picturesque as they come.

The Real Deal
June 1st, 2017

Since their show-stopping design for the Barclays Center turned an international design spotlight on SHoP Architects in 2013, the firm has been creating a range of innovative new residential projects in New York, including several major projects for JDS Development Group. JDS founder Michael Stern reached out to the SHoP team in 2013, noting with admiration that he had wanted to “meet the lunatics” who had designed Barclays. He was especially impressed that for a project under a great deal of scrutiny, and with complex politics involved, SHoP had made bold aesthetic choices rather than playing it safe. Four years later, JDS and SHoP have undertaken several high-profile projects together, including the ultratall 111 West 57th Street, which combines the landmarked Steinway Building with a sleek new tower clad in light-colored ceramics and brass. On the East River Waterfront, the firms have collaborated on the eye-catching American Copper Buildings at 626 First Avenue. And in another collaboration that deftly weaves a historic building into a new project, the luxury apartments at 9 DeKalb Avenue, which sit adjacent to the landmarked Dime Savings Bank, will soon be in Brooklyn’s tallest residential tower.