Last Wednesday, cement workers at around 30 major construction sites in New York City went on strike due to a labor disagreement. Although some construction has halted, progress continues on some of Manhattan’s most exciting luxury new construction projects that we know like the back of our hand, and others that thrill like tearing a seal on a letter from the mail.

1 West End

The five towers at Riverside Center in Upper West Side finally have their first condos on the market in the 1 West End building, after starting construction in 2008. The grouping of buildings acquired their name from their spectacular view overlooking the Hudson River. The exterior is reminiscent of a coastal scene, with the beige brick on the bottom of the building and the tall glass structure standing above it reflecting blue. It’s like living in a luxury residential ocean.

520 West 28th Street

Futuristic starchitect Zaha Hadid is bringing a unique piece to Chelsea at 520 West 28th Street, with construction that began last week. From the renderings, the exterior resembles rounded, stacked wedge blocks with full glass windows and black trim. The penthouse pied-a-terre looks like a landing pad for a hovercraft, perhaps for your next galactic adventure.

70 Charlton Street

in Chelsea has some competition for eyes in Soho; 70 Charlton is stealing some attention with renderings that were released last week. The red-brick design is actually two towers that are connected by an interior garden courtyard.  The building has an expected completion date of late 2016.

432 Park Avenue

Until a few days ago, images of the interior of 432 Park Avenue had remained a digital fantasy. But just last week, an actual apartment was designed and furnished to give the world a preliminary idea of what living at this ultra-luxe new construction in Midtown East will be like. The layout is nicely balanced, including dual master bathrooms, identical sides in the living room, and beautiful harmony in the kitchen.