Luxury real estate is reaching new heights.
如今，豪华房产不断创下新的高度。
Developers are betting big on residential skyscrapers, building them at record-breaking heights with record price tags to match. Changing the skyline in New York, London and Dallas, the tallest new residences will stretch over 90 stories, with at least one penthouse asking over $100 million.
房地产开发商们在摩天住宅楼上押下重注，新建住宅的高度不断打破纪录──当然，相应的售价也是不断创造新高。这些新建的最高住宅最高达90余层，改变了纽约、伦敦和达拉斯的天际线，一套顶层公寓要价可高达一亿美元以上。
In New York, the current chart topper at 870 feet is New York by Gehry at 8 Spruce Street, a rental building in the Financial District that was designed by Frank Gehry. The 76-story building's first residents moved in last year, but coming soon is a building with residences even higher up. Under construction in Midtown is One57, a condo building with a hotel that will have apartments as high as 90 floors up, or just over 1, 000 feet.
目前纽约的最高住宅楼是位于金融区云杉街(Spruce Street)八号的纽约盖瑞大厦(New York by Gehry)。这座租赁公寓楼高达870英尺（约265米），有76层，由法兰克•盖瑞(Frank Gehry)设计，其首批住户已于去年入住。不过，一座比它还要高的带公寓的高楼即将出现，它就是正在施工的位于纽约中城的One57大厦。这座公寓楼还配有一家酒店，楼高将达90层，正好超过1,000英尺（约305米）。
'From here you have all the icons of New York, ' said Dan Tubb, One57's director of sales, looking at a wall-size screen that shows a simulated view of the upper floors' helicopter-like vistas. But One57's moment at the top may also be brief: Plans are in place for a nearly 1, 400-foot-tall condo and retail complex on the site of the former Drake Hotel on Park Avenue and 56th Street, according to people familiar with the project.
“从这里可以看到纽约的所有标志性建筑，”One57的销售总监丹•塔布(Dan Tubb)一面说一面看着一块犹如一面 般大小的屏幕，屏幕上同步显示着该楼的高层景观，好似坐直升机欣赏风景一般。但是，One57第一高楼的地位恐怕很快也就不保，据知情人士透露，公园大道(Park Avenue)和第56大街的原德雷克酒店(Drake Hotel)的地址上将新建一座配备综合购物中心的高达近1,400英尺（约427米）的公寓楼。
Historically, many of the world's tallest buildings, like the Empire State Building and Chicago's Willis Tower, were built to house offices, at a time when people weren't accustomed to living in high rises, and later when many city dwellers were heading to the suburbs. Very-tall residential high rises began growing in popularity 10 to 15 years ago, says Timothy Johnson, chairman of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Middle-class and upper-class residents began moving back into cities' urban cores and developers looked for ways to maximize their returns on prime real estate that was growing increasingly scarce and costly. The phenomenon took a brief pause after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, when some buyers were put off by the idea of living in a building that stood out in a city's skyline.
在以往，世界最高建筑中有许多都为办公楼，比如帝国大厦(Empire State Building)和芝加哥的威利斯大厦(Willis Tower)。当时人们都不习惯住高楼，后来又有许多城市居民搬到了郊区居住。美国高层建筑和城市住宅委员会(Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitat)主席蒂莫西•约翰逊(Timothy Johnson)称，摩天住宅楼在10到15年前开始变得越来越流行。随着中产和上层人士开始搬回城市核心地带，开发商们也开始寻找方法将越来越稀有且成本越来越高的黄金地段房产的收益实现最大化。在“9•11”恐怖袭击发生后，有些买家一想到要住在一个高耸在城市天际线的大楼内便打退堂鼓，这种现象也因此暂时中断了一段时间。
But demand for living on the highest floors returned within six months of the attacks, says Jonathan Miller, president of appraisal firm Miller Samuel, and during the building boom that followed, dozens of new high-rise condominiums rose in cities around the country. The subsequent downturn and credit crisis resulted in many empty buildings and halted construction. Prices have more recently stabilized, particularly on the high end, and an influx of foreign buyers has absorbed empty inventory in many cities.
然而，据评估机构Miller Samuel的总裁乔纳森•米勒(Jonathan Miller)称，在“9•11”恐怖袭击发生后的六个月内，市场对高层住宅的需求便开始复苏，在接下来的建房热潮中，数十座新高层公寓楼在全美各地的城市拔地而起。随后的经济衰退和信贷危机导致许多住宅楼空置和建筑工程停工。最近，此类公寓，尤其是高端高层公寓的价格已经企稳，海外买家的涌入也消化了许多城市的空置库存。
Now, building tall is taking off again, with an increasing number of skyscrapers including residences. In 2012, it's projected that 41 of the world's tallest 100 buildings will be office spaces; in 2000, it was 85. This time, with financing for new projects still tight, many developers are focusing strictly on the high end, where demand is strongest and profit margins are biggest. 'Land costs in places like New York have gone so astronomically high, ' says developer Donald Trump. 'It becomes very beneficial to go up.'
现在，高楼建造活动又重新开始启动，新建的摩天高楼越来越多，其中包括一些住宅楼。在2012年，预计全球最高的100座大楼中有41座为办公楼，这个数字在2000年为85座。在此次建造热潮中，由于新项目的资金依然比较紧，许多开发商都只专注于开发高端房产，因为该领域的市场需求最强，利润率也最高。纽约地产大亨唐纳德•特朗普(Donald John Trump)指出，“纽约之类的城市的土地成本已经上涨到天文数字水平，把楼盖高变得非常有利。”
When it opens later this year at 42 stories, Dallas's Museum Tower will be the city's second tallest residential building the tallest to rise in the city in more than 20 years. With 57 stories, the upcoming Porsche Design Tower Miami could be the tallest residential building in Sunny Isles, Fla., just north of Miami, when it opens in 2016. (Another nearby project, the Mansions at Acqualina, is slated to be similar in height.) Condos at Porsche Tower, priced between $4 million and $20 million, will have elevators to carry residents up to adjacent garages in their cars, as well as glass-walled car showrooms next to living rooms. In Brooklyn, known for its low-slung brownstones and mid-rise apartment buildings, two new projects are currently vying for the title of the borough's tallest, one at 596 feet and the other roughly four feet higher; both will be high-end residential buildings.
即将在今年晚些时候揭幕的42层高楼──达拉斯的博物馆大厦(Museum Tower)──将成为该市第二高住宅楼，也是达拉斯20多年来新建的最高楼。此外，在佛罗里达迈阿密以北的阳光岛(Sunny Isles)，保时捷设计大厦(Porsche Design Tower Miami)在2016年建成之时可能将以57层的楼高成为当地的最高住宅楼。（其附近一项工程──阿卡林纳大厦(Mansions at Acqualina)──预定也会建成同样的高度。）保时捷设计大厦每套公寓的售价在400万至2000万美元之间，其楼内的电梯会把坐在车内的住户送往邻近的车库或者起居室旁的玻璃 面汽车展厅。在素来以低层褐砂石住宅和中高层公寓楼知名的纽约布鲁克林区，两项新工程目前也在争夺该区最高楼的头衔，其中一座楼高596英尺（约182米），另一座大约高出四英尺，这两座公寓楼均为高端住宅。
A number of record-breaking sales over the past year have buoyed belief that the appetite for trophy properties is growing. In February, a penthouse on Central Park West sold for $88 million. At One57, the 89th and 90th floor duplex penthouse recently sold for $90 million to an unnamed buyer; another large unit on the 78th and 79th floors, known as the Winter Garden, is in contract for an undisclosed sum. It is asking $115 million. Earlier this summer, a South Beach penthouse sold for $25 million, a record for an apartment there. A 76th story penthouse at New York by Gehry hit the rental market a few weeks ago with an asking price of $60, 000 per month.
过去几年连破纪录的销售数字也支撑了对炫耀性房产的需求正在增强的观点。在2月份，纽约中央公园西路(Central Park West)的一套顶层公寓卖出了8800万美元的价格。One57大厦89层及90层的复式顶层公寓最近也以9000万美元的天价卖给了一位不知名的买家，另外一套位于78层和79层、被称为冬园(Winter Garden)的大户型公寓也已被人签下，但交易金额并未透露，其要价是1.15亿美元。今年夏初，迈阿密南海滩(South Beach)一套顶层公寓也卖出了2500万美元，创下当地公寓价格的最高纪录。就在数周前，纽约盖瑞大厦76层的一套顶层公寓以每月60,000美元的租金挂牌出租。
Many of the newest residential skyscrapers are marketing overseas, aiming to attract wealthy foreign buyers. At least 10 units in One57 have gone into contract with Chinese buyers. For foreign buyers, buying into a newly constructed building in New York is easier than getting approval from cooperative or condominium boards, says Edward Mermelstein, a Manhattan-based lawyer who advises wealthy Russian and Eastern European clients purchasing real estate in the U.S. 'There's another level of anonymity, ' he says.
众多新建的摩天住宅楼也在海外进行营销，其目的是为了吸引阔绰的海外买家。其中，One57大厦至少已有10套公寓被中国买家签下。曼哈顿律师爱德华•默梅尔斯坦(Edward Mermelstein)称，对于海外买家而言，在纽约购买新建公寓楼的房子比获得合建公寓或共管公寓管理委员会的许可要更容易，因为其涉及的匿名要求不一样。默梅尔斯坦常常为在美国置业的富裕的俄罗斯和东欧客户提供咨询服务。
At Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, which became the tallest building in Canada when it was completed earlier this year, roughly 60% of buyers have been from outside the country, says Howard Tikka, the building's director of marketing.
今年早些时候完工的多伦多特朗普国际酒店大厦(Trump International Hotel &Tower Toronto)成为了加拿大最高建筑。该大厦销售总监霍华德•蒂卡(Howard Tikka)称，其60%左右的买家来自加拿大以外的国家。
The race to the top is happening in cities around the world. Soon to open in Tel Aviv is Meier-on-Rothschild, a 37-story building that will become the city's tallest residence, designed by architect Richard Meier. Martin Franklin, the founder and CEO of Jarden Corp., parent company of brands including Crock-Pot and Sunbeam, says he decided to buy an apartment on the 30th floor there, partly because he liked the design and because 'views in tall buildings are very important.' One of the building's penthouses is still on the market for $50 million.
争建高楼的现象在世界各地的城市都有发生。在以色列特拉维夫，楼高37层、由建筑师理查德•迈耶(Richard Meier)设计的“迈耶在罗斯柴尔德”公寓(Meier-on-Rothschild)即将揭幕，届时它将成为该市最高的居民楼。旗下品牌包括Crock-Pot和Sunbeam的日用消费品公司Jarden Corp.的创始人兼首席执行长马丁•富兰克林(Martin Franklin)说，他决定购买一套该楼30层的公寓，这一定程度上是因为他喜欢这栋楼的设计以及“高层建筑的景观非常重要”。该楼一套要价5000万美元的顶层公寓仍在市面出售。
A two-story apartment in the Shard, London's tallest building that's expected to be mostly completed later this year, could hit the market for an estimated £50 million, or about $80 million. (The building, which has 10 residences, also has offices and a hotel.) Princess Tower in Dubai recently became the world's tallest residential building with 763 apartments going up 107 stories, or 1, 358 feet, according to the Council on Tall Buildings.
伦敦最高建筑碎片大厦(The Shard)预计将于今年晚些时候大体完工，其一套双层公寓的售价估计将达到5000万英镑（约合8000万美元左右。）（该大厦拥有10套住宅，此外还有写字楼和一家酒店。）据高层建筑和城市住宅委员会的数据，迪拜公主塔(Princess Tower)最近成为了世界最高住宅楼，其拥有763套公寓，楼层有107层，高度为1,358英尺（约414米）。
Living at 1, 000 feet does have drawbacks. Outdoor terraces are generally impossible above 40 or 50 stories, because of the wind. Though most of the new buildings have walls of mostly glass to capture the views, the windows only partially open at the highest floors. Experts say that while asking prices go up with every floor, views improve only marginally above a certain height, depending on how tall the surrounding buildings are. 'People are paying for the status and the exclusivity of living on that next higher floor, ' says Nancy Packes, a New York-based residential development consultant and marketer who has worked with many skyscraper developers. 'There's a psychological component to living on high floors in a building. Even though views don't change materially.'
住在1,000英尺（约305米）高的地方确实也有其缺陷。在40或50层以上的楼层，由于风太大，室外平台基本上就不可能有了。尽管大多数新建大楼安有主体为玻璃的 面以便于观景，但是顶部一些楼层的窗户只能敞开一部分。专业人士称，虽然楼层每高一层要价就更高，但是超过一定的高度以后，更高楼层所能看到的景色只是略微有改观，这要取决于周围的建筑有多高。曾与多家摩天高楼开发商合作的纽约住宅开发顾问及销售商南希•派克斯(Nancy Packes)称，“大家是花钱买地位以及住在更高一层的特权，住在楼房的高层与心理因素有关，尽管景观并没有实质性的改变。”
Michael Berman, who owns car dealerships in Chicago, moved from the suburbs to a four-bedroom condominium on the 57th floor of Chicago's 92-story Trump International Hotel and Tower in 2009. Though he was one of the building's first buyers, he wasn't interested in living on one of the very top floors, noting that 30 years ago he and his wife lived in a different high rise and often lost the views on a cloudy day.
迈克尔•伯曼(Michael Berman)是芝加哥一家汽车专营店的老板，他在2009年从郊区搬到了芝加哥92层高的特朗普国际酒店大厦(Trump International Hotel and Tower)57层的一套四居室共管公寓。虽然他是该座大厦的首批买家之一，但是他并无意住在该楼的顶层。他说他和妻子在30年前曾在另一座高层公寓住过，在阴天常常看不到风景。
The one downside Mr. Berman noticed about living in Trump Towers, which houses the highest residences in the U.S., is that opening the windows means letting in a swift breeze, and on the windiest days, the usually ultrafast elevators slow down somewhat. 'But everything else more than makes up for it, ' he says, noting the building's five-star restaurant below and optional hotel maid service.
伯曼注意到，住在美国最高住宅楼之一的特朗普大厦也有一个缺点，那就是开窗的话会有疾风吹入，而且在风势最大的一些日子，通常都超快的电梯也会有些慢下来。不过，他说其他的事情弥补这个缺点绰绰有余了，比如说该大厦楼下的五星级餐厅和供自由选择的酒店女仆服务。
Thomas Guss, a New York real-estate broker who currently has a $39 million penthouse listed in a 19-story building, the Centurion, says he typically warns buyers that the taller the building, the more it naturally sways toward the top. 'Not many people think about that until the first storm comes.' Mr. Guss says a 45th-story rental unit he owns in the Financial District has views of the Statue of Liberty but waves appear in the bathtub during thunderstorms. 'A lot of people are very uncomfortable with that, ' he adds.
纽约房地产经纪人托马斯•格斯(Thomas Guss)手头有一套19层楼高的楼盘Centurion的顶层公寓挂牌出售，售价为3900万美元。格斯称，他常常会提醒买家楼房越高，顶部自然会晃动得越厉害。他说,“在体验过了第一次风暴之前，想到这一点的人并不多。”格斯在金融区某住宅楼有一套位于45层的出租公寓，他说在那儿可以看到自由女神像(Statue of Liberty)，但是在雷暴天气浴缸里的水会晃动，很多人对此会感觉很不爽。
Bart Sullivan, a senior vice president at WSP Cantor Seinuk, a firm that handles engineering for buildings like One World Trade Center, says building a residential skyscraper is generally more challenging than building a tall office building, partly because residential buildings have fewer internal columns and other core structural elements. Residences also have more stringent rules governing comfort for people inside. For example, an 80- or 90-story building can sway between several inches on a typical day, and over a foot during a major windstorm. To mitigate the feeling of motion, tall buildings sometimes include dampers at the top. Made either of steel or tanks of water, a damper is essentially a large mass sitting on a pendulum that sways in the opposite direction.
巴特•沙利文(Bart Sullivan)是建筑结构工程公司WSP Cantor Seinuk的高级副总裁，该公司为世界贸易中心一号大楼(One World Trade Center)等建筑设计过结构。沙利文称，建一座摩天住宅楼比建一座摩天写字楼通常要更难，这一定程度上是因为住宅楼的内支柱和其他核心的结构部件要更少。此外，对于楼内住户的舒适度，住宅楼的规定也更加严格。例如，一座八九十层高的大楼在平日里的晃动幅度可达几英寸，在大风暴期间的晃动幅度则会超过一英尺。为了缓解晃动感，高层建筑的顶部有时会加上阻尼器。阻尼器一般由钢材或水箱制成，它实质上就是一个安置在朝风向的相反方向晃动的摆件上的庞然大物。
Furthering the challenges is the trend toward increasingly narrow skyscrapers. New York's 432 Park Avenue, potentially the city's tallest residential building when completed in 2016, may also be one of the city's skinniest, with a width-to-height ratio that could require more complicated dampening techniques. To make sure there are no surprises post-construction, models of tall buildings and those surrounding it are sometimes tested inside mathematically accurate wind tunnels, meant to replicate conditions in the real world. In some cases, builders and engineers also take into consideration pedestrian comfort, to make sure people walking on the street 90 stories below won't be blown back during windy conditions.
摩天高楼变得越来越窄的趋势也加大了建楼的难度。纽约的公园大道432号大厦(432 Park Avenue)在2016年竣工之时有望成为该市最高的居民楼，或许也会成为“最细”的大楼，其长宽比会要求更加精细的减震技术。为了确保不用突然进行工后建设，有时候高层建筑及其周围建筑的模型会被放入计算精确、用以模仿现实生活状况的风洞中进行测试。某些情况下，施工方和工程师还会考虑到行人的舒适感，以保证在90层高楼下行走的行人在刮风天气中不会被风吹得倒着走。
Many of the upcoming high rises include backup generators to keep elevators running in case of a blackout. Elevators have also improved. At One57, it takes about 30 seconds to be taken from the lobby to the 90th floor.
在即将揭幕的高层住宅楼中，有许多还配备了备用发电机以使电梯在停电时继续运行。同时，电梯也得到了改进。在One57大厦，乘坐电梯从大堂到90层大约只需30秒。
Developers have also dedicated unusually large amounts of the building's square footage to common amenity areas. At One57, which will sit on top of a 25-story Park Hyatt hotel, plans call for three floors of facilities, including one private to residents with a fitness center and a library with a 24-foot-long aquarium. New York by Gehry has a sprawling lounge aimed at tweens, golf simulators, pool with an outdoor sun deck and a Frank Gehry-designed screening room. The other new high rise going up in Sunny Isles, Fla., the Mansions at Acqualina, will have a Turkish hammam spa, breakfast bar and poolside attendants ready to fetch juice or cocktails.
One57大厦的游泳池。One57大厦计划要建三层娱乐设施。
The apartments themselves are also unusually large, some with square footage meant to rival stand-alone estates. The Mansions at Acqualina has apartments that range in size from 4, 600 square feet to over 15, 000 square feet, with prices starting at $5.9 million. The nearby Porsche Tower will have two 15, 000-square-foot penthouses, each with indoor swimming pools and outdoor kitchens on sprawling terraces.
开发商还贡献出了不是一般大的区域用作公共娱乐区。例如，底下25层为柏悦酒店(Park Hyatt)的One57大厦计划要建三层娱乐设施，包括一个只向本楼住户开放的配有健身中心的活动场所以及一个带24英尺长水族缸的图书室。纽约盖瑞大厦设立了一个针对青少年的庞大的休息室、高尔夫球模拟器、带阳光甲板的泳池和一个由法兰•盖瑞设计的放映室。佛罗里达阳光岛新建的另一座高层住宅楼阿卡林纳大厦将配备土耳其浴SPA房和早餐吧，泳池旁还有随时准备为你去取果汁和鸡尾酒的服务员。
Still, it's difficult to anticipate every consequence of building up. Dallas's Museum Tower recently came under criticism when a neighboring building, the Nasher Sculpture Center, complained that the building's glass facade cast a glare harsh enough to ruin some of its artwork and plants. 'We are sad we have an issue with that, without a doubt, ' says Greg Greene, the co-developer. A local civic leader has been enlisted to mediate between the two parties to come up with a solution. Developers from Museum Tower say one response they've come up with is to pay to recalibrate 200, 000 rooftop cones on the art gallery, which point at their building, absorbing sunlight. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Nasher said 'we believe a system of louvers or external shading for Museum Tower offers the most promise.'
这些公寓本身非常之大，其中一些公寓的面积堪比独栋住宅。阿卡林纳大厦就有面积从4,600至15,000多平方英尺（约430至1390平方米）不等的公寓出售，起价为590万美元。附近的保时捷设计大厦有两套面积达15,000平方英尺（约1390平方米）的顶层公寓出售，每套都配备了室内泳池，宽敞的平台上还有室外厨房。
In the end, views remain the big selling point. Kenneth Allen lives above the 70th floor in Chicago's Trump Towers. He and his wife moved there from the suburbs after their kids left for college to be closer to the theater, Chicago Symphony and top restaurants.
如今，我们依然难以预见建高楼的种种后果。达拉斯博物馆大厦最近就遭到了指责，起因是其隔壁的纳希尔雕塑中心(Nasher Sculpture Center)投诉其玻璃 面投射的光线过于刺眼，足以毁掉该楼的部分艺术品和植物。博物馆大厦的联合开发商格雷格•格林(Greg Greene)说，“毫无疑问，我们对造成的这个问题感到遗憾。”最终，当地一位市政事务领袖被请来在双方之间进行调停以想出一个解决方案。博物馆大厦方面的开发商称，他们想出的一个解决方案是他们出钱来重新调整纳希尔雕塑中心楼顶那200,000个对着他们的大楼吸收阳光的锥形体。另一方面，纳希尔雕塑中心的一位发言人则在声明中称，“我们认为博物馆大厦采用天窗系统或是外遮阳方法是最可行的。”
'I can see Michigan, Indiana and Wisconsin, ' he says. He watches storms roll in over Lake Michigan. 'It's like National Geographic.'
归根结底，景观依然是高层建筑的一大卖点。肯尼思•艾伦(Kenneth Allen)住在芝加哥特朗普大厦70层以上的楼层。在孩子们离家读大学之后，他和妻子从郊区搬到了特朗普大厦居住，以便距离剧院、芝加哥交响乐团(Chicago Symphony)和顶级餐厅更近些。
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