Trump World Tower under way.

Over the last 20 years, Donald J. Trump has trumpeted several tallest-building-in-the-world projects that never got in the ground. But by taking the tack that he knows best and appealing to a faithful global audience that collects his apartments, he is now constructing the tallest residential building in the world.

The bronze, curtain-walled skyscraper, to be called Trump World Tower, is designed by Costas Kondylis and is destined to rise 900 feet above the East River.

"It's a great building," said Trump, pleased with his coup and hoping to repeat the renowned success of both Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and Trump International Hotel and Tower (TIHT) at Columbus Circle.

The 750,000 square-foot super-luxury high-rise is being constructed on First Avenue on the blockfront between 47th and 48th streets, across the street from Douglas MacArthur Memorial Park at the north end of the United Nations headquarters grounds.

"It's a very tasteful, very serious, imposing building," said architect Costas Kondylis. "It makes a very beautiful statement in a simple manner."

Trump's mandate to the architect, who worked on TIHT with Philip Johnson, was to create the best luxury units without compromise. "The decision here was to design a building that was a pure geometric form with no fashionable gimmicks," recalled Kondylis.

Because there are no setbacks or piers, he said designing the apartments was easier. "We designed what I think are great New York apartments," said Kondylis. "They combine the best of the pre-war grandeur with the best today's technology can offer."

From the fifth to the 25th floor, there will be eight apartments with 10-foot ceilings. Then comes mechanical space. From the 32nd to 65th floors, there will be five apartments per floor, then more mechanical space.

Between the 75th and 85th floors there will be four apartments each, with 12-foot ceiling heights. There are more mechanicals above, and then the top three penthouse floors, numbered 88, 89 and 90, which will house a mere two apartments each. These residences will have 16-foot ceilings and views in three directions.

The mechanical floors are necessary to, among other things, keep the lean, tall structure properly cooled and heated.

According to Elaine Diratz, director of sales for the Trump Corporation, the penthouses are already garnering interest from various embassies that are attached to the United Nations across the street.

She is also beginning to tackle the list of people that have heard about the project and want to ensure they get the pick of the units.

There are many families that are interested, she said, and there are many more larger residences to house them. There is also a group of current Trump owners that keep buying units in whatever is his newest building.

"I've never seen that with any other developer," Diratz confided.

Trump World Tower is being constructed in place of the United Engineering Trustees Building at 845 UN Plaza, which is currently being demolished. Trump contracted to buy the site for $50 million after competing with about five other prominent city developers.

Marc J. Freud, now a principal with the RAK Group, says he represented Trump, along with CB Richard Ellis' Scott Latham and Steve Stratti.

"Because of the recent downturn on the dollar, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the end users will be foreigners," predicted Freud. "Additionally, with the global markets in turmoil, foreign purchasers will be interested in condominium interests and putting their money into a stable.economic environment."

The Trump World Tower condominium plan has been filed with the New York State Attorney General's office and was expected to be approved this week. Until then, no one could discuss exact prices or common charges.

Although the building is in what is known as an exclusion zone, to encourage wealthier people to remain in New York City in the early 1990's the law was amended to allow newly constructed high-rise buildings in 15 FAR zones, and to use 421a certificates generated through the production of low-income housing elsewhere. After an allowed three-year construction period, the statute calls for unit owners to begin paying property taxes that will increase every two years by 20 percent until they are fully phased-in.

Prices are expected to begin in the low $400,000s for a 900 square-foot one-bedroom on the sixth or seventh floor that has some river views, while $475,000 could get you a 1,200 square-foot one-bedroom with a convertible dining area. Apartments on average have 1,800 to 2,000 square feet, said Diratz, and will serve families and those that want to use the second bedroom for home offices or guests.

Kitchens are to be outfitted with the GE Monogram stainless steel appliances, grey-pink marble countertops, separate ovens, microwaves and cooktops. Bathrooms will have dark brown or pink marble with water jet tubs and double sinks in the upper floors' larger units.

The rooms are designed with the luxurious pre-war apartments in mind. But they are streamlined, Kondylis explained, and maintain separation between public living and private family quarters.

The units will also have some operable windows within the floor-to-ceiling glass that was designed to bring in both light and vistas.

Because the tower sits near the top of the Beekman Place hill and is surrounded by parks and generally shorter structures, there are partial river views from even the lowest residential floors.

The main "monumental" entry lobby will face First Avenue and continue to the west side of the building, said Kondylis. There, a porte cochiere will run between 47th and 48th streets, allowing taxi and limousine riders a chance to alight in safety, out of the fast traffic and under an updated Trump canopy. A private garden will be planted on that side, while the public can use a garden on the southern 47th Street side.

A restaurant, possibly another brilliant Jean-George Vongerichten creation, will be taking the southwestern corner.

Kondylis says the 30-foot high lobby will be finished in honey beige marble and wood paneling with marble insets.

It will also have an exclusive 11,000 square-foot health club with a 60-foot lap pool and the latest in fitness equipment.

Trump revealed his plans for Trump World Tower in his 1997 book, "The Art of the Comeback," and Real Estate Weekly passed on that information in December, 1997. At the time, Trump already had his partner, the Korean company Daewoo, which he now says is in with him 50/50.

"They have been terrific," Trump said.

Several months ago, for about a $3 million deposit, he obtained construction financing for $360 million from Deutsche Bank and Hypo-und Vereinsbank.

"We put up a lot of money for the commitments and the banks have honored the commitment," he said, noting that many Wall Street houses had pulled out of others' deals.

The construction will be overseen by Lehrer McGovern, a division of Bovis, Inc. Flour City has been awarded a $19 million contract for the curtain wall, which it expects to complete by the second quarter of the year 2000.

Trump says the market for construction has improved because many other jobs have been cancelled. Contractors that were too busy several months ago are now calling, eager to bid on the project. "The superstructure is under budget substantially," he said.

The Trump Organization cleverly took advantage of several development opportunities that enabled the building to be officially approved as a 70-story building with high ceilings, yet be touted as having 90-stories.

"It's completely as-of-right," Trump said. noting he never could have obtained the approvals if the community had been against it.

First, the zoning is lenient on First Avenue because of decisions that were made when the Second Avenue subway was being contemplated. Additionally, a 5 FAR plaza bonus was available because the site is on the end of the block.

"If it were mid-block you couldn't do it, but because it sits on the end of the block and the air rights are there, it all fell in place," said Abraham Wallach, a Trump vice president. "It is as unique an opportunity that will ever be in the city."

They swept up air rights towards Second Avenue, cutting deals with the Japan Society, a church and other landowners, paying what Trump said was an average of about $80 an FAR foot. "We were tough, and Abe really did that," Trump said. "He held very tight." The landowners were very aware that Trump was the buyer, but also realized it was found money, and if he did not buy the development rights, no one else could.

With more than 120,000 feet of transferable development rights out of the 750,000 square feet of building, Trump thinks it is the only building where the air rights actually total 51 percent of the building.

While in negotiations for the air rights, Trump made the decision to forge ahead and had the building designed to its full potential. But if the other owners had decided not to sell, he would have lost several months of development time and hundreds of thousands of dollars while redesigning the project.

Technically, the tower could have even gone higher, but the aerodynamics and structural engineering costs would not have made the project financially efficient, explained Wallach.

Engineers Cantor Seinuk have already tested models in a wind tunnel and all life safety and mechanical systems will be the latest, state-of-the-art technology.

There will even be back-up power to keep the four passenger and one service elevator floating throughout the building. These are the 1,000 foot per minute kind of elevators that learn patterns and hover at various points in the structure, ready to descend or ascend without wasting time sitting in the lobby.

"This building uses the best of what technology offers," said Kondylis.

Although there has been some shock at the size of the project, Kondylis noted that many city landmarks, including the Chrysler Building, were denounced at their arrival. He likened the Trump World Tower design to that of the Seagram Building, the first curtain-walled tower in a plaza that began that trend.

"Now Trump World Tower closes the chapter and may be the last of its kind. We'll all look at it with nostalgia someday," Kondylis predicted of the building-to-be.