NYCEDC Appoints DBI Projects to Serve as its Owner’s Representative for the Eastern Tower at SPARC Kips Bay

DBI, in collaboration with Sterling Project Development (SPD), will serve as Owner’s Representative on phase one to develop the site’s over 600,000-sf eastern tower, supporting the NYCEDC from pre-construction, through construction, commissioning, and closeout.

The SPARC Kips Bay project will transform the current site of Hunter College’s Brookdale Campus along FDR Drive between E 25^th and 26^th Streets into a life sciences education hub. The project will be delivered in two phases, with phase one including the ground-up construction of a new tower for the Hunter College School of Nursing, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy, Borough of Manhattan Community College, open space and flood protection, a health-and-science-focused New York City Public Schools high school, and a pedestrian bridge. Phase two will include up to one million square feet of life sciences real estate, a Bellevue/NYC Health + Hospitals outpatient care and advanced nursing practice simulation training center, and the Office of Chief Medical Examiner’s forensic pathology center and forensic toxicology laboratory. Ennead and Dattner have been engaged to lead the design of the phase one building, and Skanska will serve as the construction manager. DBI and SPD’s team additionally includes Turnkey Consulting, Stantec, Sillman, and Legacy Engineers.

The NYCEDC estimates SPARC Kips Bay will create more than 15,000 jobs, including 12,000 construction and 3,100 permanent jobs, and generate $42 Billion in economic impact. Additionally, as part of the Green Economy Action Plan, SPARC Kips Bay will be the first project to implement NYCEDC’s Circular Design & Construction Guidelines. The guidelines promote reducing embodied carbon, deconstructing buildings in lieu of demolition, and reusing existing materials. By using innovative circular construction methods on this phase of the project, SPARC Kips Bay is anticipated to reduce 26,400 metric tons of carbon emissions – equivalent to removing nearly 5,800 cars from the road. This project will serve as an example of circular construction for other large public and private projects.

DBI and SPD bring a history of successful collaboration to SPARC Kips Bay. Considered the foremost leader in educational real estate with billions of dollars in active school projects currently under its management, DBI is thrilled to be working once again with SPD, the firm responsible for some of the city’s most significant projects.

About DBI Projects

DBI Projects (DBI) is an owner’s representation firm specializing in project management and real estate advisory. We believe transacting, building, and maintaining a space should uncover opportunities to make things better and empower bold decisions even in difficult moments. That is why, since our inception in 2002, we have provided our clients with a steady hand through hundreds of real estate and capital projects around the city, country, and internationally. Recognized for leading transformational projects across New York City including the Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, Newlab at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, and Pace University’s 15 Beekman Tower in Lower Manhattan, DBI Projects is also a leader in managing academic projects, from early childhood and K-12 spaces through higher education facilities. Visit our website dbiprojects.com for more information.

About Sterling Project Development

Sterling Project Development (SPD) is a full-service real estate development management and advisory firm focused on complex projects worldwide. SPD currently manages or advises on over 300 projects valued at more than $85 billion in property value. Depending on the client’s need, their involvement ranges from providing strategic advisory services to actively managing all aspects of the real estate development and construction process. For more information, visit sterlingprojectdevelopment.com.