The Kailuan Mining Bureau was the administrative center for mining related activities at the Port of Tianjin’s British Concession. As a significantly unique Western building it became famous as a seat of activity of business, diplomatic and social events – Herbert Hoover was married there prior to his presidency. As part of their Bond Street streetscape, retail development project, Crown Acquisitions, arranged for Saks Fifth Avenue to redevelop the building as a luxury department store and the anchor for the Bond Street Shopping District. WQB Architecture PLLC/ Citiarc arranged for the lease for Crown and will be the architects for the restoration of the building.

Interactive Development Associates (IDA) and Karen Backus Associates (KBA) were selected by The Church of the Nazarene, Dream Hotels and Project Find to market the development rights (TDRs) for The Chatwal Hotel and The Woodstock Hotel in Times Square. WQB Architecture PLLC provided zoning analysis and design for the development of potential receiving sites in the immediate area. This illustrates a 290 room luxury Sol Melia Hotel at the Meyers Parking garage site which spans from West 44th to West 43rd Street.

The plan for the 800,000 SF Hudson Mews housing development incorporates the irregular undeveloped frontage along the west side of Ninth Avenue in Manhattan, combined with the development rights of the  Dyer Avenue access to the Lincoln Tunnel, to create a group of new buildings in a park‐like setting as envisioned in the proposed Hudson Yards/Far West Side Development Plan. The current plan provides for at least three new 20‐story buildings of approximately 200,000 SF each, with more than 800 apartments per tower and first‐floor retail spaces. The buildings will include luxury rentals with a range of amenities.  The first two buildings on the Ninth Avenue side will provide 112 luxury condominiums, with retail along the avenue. The building’s foundation will be anchored by existing traffic islands with connecting deck spanning the tunnel entrance which will create a new public park extending from West 39th Street to south 36th Street, serving the residents and the surrounding community. It is anticipated that the initial phases of development will become one of the first of the new Far West Side Development Plan.

 

Interactive Development Associates assisted the Vintage Group in negotiating the purchase of the RKO Theater Site on Main Street in Flushing, NY from foreclosure at Doral Bank in December 2011. Throughout 2012‐2013, IDA assisted Vintage in restructuring project from a luxury condominium to a viable rental project by redesign and negotiating the approvals at the NYC Board of Standard and Appeals, the NYC Department of Buildings and the Federal Aviation Agency. Throughout 2013 IDA worked with Vintage to create a viable financing structure and selecting equity partners. In December 2013, IDA was instrumental in assisting in the sale of the improved property to a local development group and helping Vintage secure a 100% return on their investment.

 

As part of the streetscape redevelopment effort for New Bond Street/ New Englishtown in Tianjin, Crown Acquisitions arranged for Ralph Lauren to develop a Flagship Store at the Landmarked, formerly the British Consulate Building, at the heart of the district. The building is 38,000sf on 3 floors and will be fully restored to its former grandeur while accommodating a new retail strategy for Ralph Lauren. The building terraces will provide access to the central plaza of the district. WQB Architecture / Citiarc arranged for Crown to take possession of the building and will provide architectural services for the restoration of the landmark building.

Originally built for one of the grand old theatre companies of New York, the Lambs Club was designed in 1905 by Stanford White, partner in the acclaimed architecture firm of McKim, Mead and White who designed the Old Pennsylvania Station and Boston Public Library Buildings. WQB Architecture, the Architect of Record, with interior design by The Office of Thierry Despont, was tasked with overseeing the complete renovation and architectural redesign of the building to create a magnificent and contextual 5-star boutique hotel in the heart of Time’s Square. The hotel is the jewel in the crown of the Hampshire Hotel franchise. New construction included the rehabilitation and addition to the existing landmarked façade, a four-story penthouse addition (which does not affect street side views of the structure), and a grand two-story atrium in the second floor lounge. The hotel includes a signature Geoffrey Zakarian restaurant, health spa, conference rooms, and banquet facilities in the basement. Construction was completed in 2010.

Citiarc MCC Construction and CMC Development took over the development of a failed retail development in a prime location in Beijing. Originally designed as a large department store, IDA/redeveloped the proposed building as a mall. Interactive Development Associates LLC and their affiliate, Oriental Property Consultants, restructured and marketed the development of a 2.5 million square foot project in Xidan, the “Times Square,” of Beijing. The project contains a major destination shopping mall, with full service food court combining Chinese traditional and western‐influenced fare and a 12 screen multiplex theater.