Developer Edward Minskoff detailed his plans for 51 Astor Place, the former home of Cooper Union’s engineering department and the New York Film Academy Cafe, in a segment on NY1 last week. Minskoff, head of Edward J. Minskoff Equities, purchased the building in 2008 and commissioned famed Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki to design a 13-story office building before inking an anchor tenant. The 183-foot tall building will have a ribbed granite and glass exterior and will boast a different design on each of its four sides. “This building technologically will be the most advanced building built in New York City since the Bank of America headquarters [completed in 2009] on 42nd Street,” Minskoff said. [more]

Jonathan “Jody” Durst, co-president of the Durst Organization, sat down with the New York Times to talk about sustainable development, new projects and the latest shakeup at Durst: Jonathan’s cousin, Douglas, co-president and current chairman, announced that he would be leaving the co-president post and stepping down from day-to-day operations at the organization, while remaining chairman. Beyond leadership changes, Durst said his company is holding up well in the market. His latest project, the 55-story Bank of America building, is back on track after nabbing an extended $1.3 billion in loans. Today, the tower is nearly 99 percent complete and 98 percent occupied, Durst said, but securing the proper financing wasno easy task: “It took the expertise of many consultants and lawyers just to keep everybody together and focused. The economy and the financial atmosphere were constantly changing over those 12 months, and so all the participants were wondering whether they should stay at it.”