Construction Update: 53W53
South facade of 53 W 53 (right) and 111 W 57 (left) rising in Midtown.
Curtain wall installation is nearing completion at Jean Nouvel's 53W53 tower in Midtown. Planning for the tower, from developers Hines and Pontiac Land Group with financing from Goldman Sachs, began in 2006 and was unveiled to the public in November of 2007. Work on the 1050' tower should wrap up later this year, including Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s expansion of MoMA that is set to open in October at the base.
Close-up of the southeast corner of the tower.
The tower's signature identity comes from its diagrid structure, the diagonally criss-crossing of normally vertical concrete columns at the tower's perimeter. Solid metal panels break up the glass of the curtain wall, expressing the diagrid on the tower's façade.
Looking up at the south facade from West 53rd Street.
When completed, the 82-story tower will include 145 residential condo units ranging from one- to five-bedrooms, the largest of which will be a 7,892-square-foot duplex penthouse. The tower's unique shape impacts the design of each unit, ensuring that each has a unique floor plan. Interiors for the apartments and amenites are designed by Thierry Despont.
View south from an upper floor of the tower.
View south from an upper floor of the tower.
West facade of the tower on the Midtown skyline.
West facade of the tower on the Midtown skyline.
East facade of the tower on the Midtown skyline.
East facade.
Architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel (Design Architect), SLCE (Executive Architect); Interiors: Office of Thierry Despont; Developers: Hines, Pontiac Land Group, and Goldman Sachs; Program: Residential, Retail, Musuem; Location: Midtown, New York, NY; Completion: 2019.
