Asim Khan, 33

Asim Khan is somewhat of a puzzle solver. And, in New York, he’s helped solve some of the more complex problems in commercial real estate.

Take developer Harry Macklowe, who, in a daring move, converted the landmarked office building One Wall Street into a mixed-use condo building. Macklowe wanted to remove the second floor to open up the retail space and add six floors at the top of the 1.25 million-square-foot tower, which was originally completed in the 1930s as the headquarters of the Irving Trust Company. No crane could be used because of the surrounding narrow streets and the property’s proximity to other historic structures.

“It was a tough ask,” Khan said. “How do we achieve that without impacting the architecture significantly?”

The solution came in the form of plastic concrete cylinders that filled the concrete slabs. They were light and wouldn’t impact the structural integrity of the 50-story building. 

Another of Khan’s challenges was One Times Square, the building famous for anchoring the billboard-clad square and hosting the televised ball drop on New Year’s Eve. Jamestown, the owner, wanted to add an observation deck atop the 25-story building. This endeavor could not obstruct the billboard, nor could it hinder the subway lines that run underground all around the high-rise.

“The last thing New York City needs is for the subway to be shut down,” Khan said.

The team decided to create a cantilevered observation deck, so the load would fall south of the building’s foundation, leaving the subway tunnels and the billboard unscathed. “One Times Square is a building that everybody across the world knows,” Khan said. “As an engineer, I’m not big on being out, but it’s always nice when people see my work.”