Posted on September 16, 2020 at 9:56 am by West Sider
A rendering of the new building (the one just to the left of the church).
New luxury condos on West End and 78th Street are being designed with Covid-19 in mind — down to the lobby entrances and the weights in the workout room.
A Times story uses the new building, being developed by Alchemy Properties, as an example of how Covid is changing building construction. The 58-unit building, located next to the former site of the Collegiate School, is expected to start selling units this fall, so Covid is very much on the minds of buyers.
“In the building’s gym, Alchemy has opted for equipment with copper handles instead of steel ones, including barbells, dumbbells, weight machines and kettlebells, which are made by Black Iron Strength, a Washington State company,” the story notes. “Studies have found that the coronavirus can’t survive as long on copper as on steel, though copper equipment can cost at least six times more than steel. But Alchemy seems to believe in its antimicrobial properties. All doors in the condo’s 11,000-square-foot amenity area, which features a half-basketball court, a squash court and a recording studio, have copper handles.”
It’s also installing hospital-grade MERV 13 filters, and ionization systems in ducts that can apparently kill viruses. Lobby doors will be unlocked with key fobs, so you don;’t have to touch them and shared spaces will have automated toilets and motion-trigger faucets.
Of course, if one jerk gets into the elevator or the gym with you without a mask and starts coughing, all the copper in the world won’t do much.
Read More: West Side Rag » New Condo Development on West End Avenue is Building-In Covid