520 Fifth Avenue

Designed by Kohn Pederson Fox, the 520 Fifth Avenue highrise, currently under construction, is a supertall mixed-use structure located in Midtown Manhattan, NY. When complete, this reinforced concrete superstructure will include restaurants, office space, public recreation and retail as well as almost 100 residences. At 76 stories and 1,001 ft tall, the slender tower (it’s only 85 feet wide at street level) with its spiraling setbacks will be the second-tallest building on Fifth Avenue, after only the Empire State Building. Characterized by oversized windows recessed in stepped arches, the skyscraper will provide impressive views of the Midtown skyline. The general contractor, Suffolk Construction began excavation at the site in late 2021. Today, the installation of the building's façade is well underway. Topping out of the tower is expected in spring 2024, with project completion anticipated in 2026.

Challenge:
Constructing the steel and reinforced concrete superstructure of this supertall high-rise required careful planning, logistics and creative solutions to support the core and facade construction. The skyscraper design incorporates a number of stepped setbacks with terraces wrapped in a curtain wall of oversized windows. At just 85-ft wide at street level, and workspace at a premium, the concrete contractor looked to Doka to support and streamline construction.

Solution:
From a customized shoring system to modifiable protection screens, the Doka team developed a comprehensive formwork solution that supports all phases of the superstructure construction, while streamlining concrete placement, minimizing field assembly, and reducing formwork materials.