Construction Update: Hudson Yards
South facade of 10 Hudson Yards from the High Line.
Hudson Yards towers rising in Chelsea.
Looking up at the east facade of 10 Hudson Yards (left) and the retail podium (center).
Southeast corner of the retail podium and 30 Hudson Yards.
Looking up at the east facade of the retail podium (left) and 30 Hudson Yards (right).
Northeast corner of 30 Hudson Yards.
The towers of Hudson Yards' eastern rail yard viewed from the High Line.
The towers of Hudson Yards' eastern rail yard viewed from the High Line.
Southwest corner of 10 Hudson Yards.
Looking up at the south facade of 15 Hudson Yards (left) and the Shed (center).
View of 10 Hudson Yards (left), the Shed (center), and 15 Hudson Yards (right) from 11th Avenue.
View of 30 Hudson Yards (left), the retail podium (center), 10 Hudson Yards (right), and the Shed (far right) from 11th Avenue.
View of the northwest corner of 55 Hudson Yards (left), 35 Hudson Yards (center), and 15 Hudson Yards (right) from 11th Avenue.
Looking up at the east facade of 55 Hudson Yards.
Looking up at the north facade of 55 Hudson Yards.
Looking south towards the rising towers of Hudson Yards from 11th Avenue.
Close-up of 30 Hudson Yards.
Architects: KPF (10 Hudson Yards, 30 Hudson Yards, 55 Hudson Yards, Retail), Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Rockwell Group (15 Hudson Yards, The Shed), Ismael Leyva Architects (15 Hudson Yards - Architect of Record), KRJDA (55 Hudson Yards); Developers: Related Companies, Oxford Properties Group; Program: Office, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards, New York, NY; Completion: 2016 (10 Hudson Yards), 2017 (55 Hudson Yards), 2018 (15 Hudson Yards, 35 Hudson Yards, Retail, Public Square), 2019 (30 Hudson Yards).
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Exterior wall installation is wrapping up at Durst's VIA 57WEST "courtscraper" from BIG on the Far West Side.
Construction is wrapping up on the exterior enclosure at the Durst Organization's VIA 57WEST at the Midtown West waterfront. Designed by Bjarke Ingels of BIG, the 470-foot-tall "courtscraper" includes 709 residential rental units and 45,000-square-feet of commercial retail space.
Southeast corner from West 57th Street.
Southeast corner of VIA 57WEST (left) and the Helena (right) from 11th Avenue.
South street and courtyard facades close-up.
At the south and west facades, most of the metal and glass facade has been installed, with work only remaining on the mechanical floors at the tower's peak. The herringbone-patterned bay windows of the north and east facades have been fully installed, except for the area occupied by the construction lift.
Looking up at the south façade from West 57th Street.
South façade from West 57th Street.
Courtyard façade close-up.
South façade clos-up.
VIA 57WEST from Clinton Cove at Hudson River Park.
Close-up of the tower's peak from Clinton Cove.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
West façade from the Hudson River Greenway.
West façade close-up.
Northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
North façade close-up.
Looking up at the north façade from West 58th Street.
Northeast corner of VIA 57WEST (background) and 600 West 58th Street (foreground).
Northeast corner of the tower's peak.
Developer: The Durst Organization; Architect: BIG (Design Architect), SLCE Architects (Architect of Record); Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti Group Inc.; Exterior Wall: Enclos Corp.; Landscape Architect: Starr White House Landscape Architects; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
Manhattan West
Installation of the pleated glass façade is underway at 450 West 33rd Street, also known as Five Manhattan West. Developed by Brookfield Office Properties, the renovation of the 1969 Brutalist office building is one component of the larger Manhattan West mega project. Along with fully modernizing Five Manhattan West, two new office towers and one residential tower will be constructed on a platform over the rail lines that occupy the site. Architecture firm REX is overseeing the office renovation which will replace the original precast concrete façade with glass curtain wall panels. The sole vertical façade at the east elevation now sports the new glass envelope and work now begins on the first pleated façade at the west elevation. Late last week the first panels went up at the northwest corner. Completion of Five Manhattan West is slated for sometime next year.
Northwest corner from Tenth Avenue.
Detail of the pleated glass curtain wall going up on the northwest corner.
A view of the renovated east façade from West 30th Street.
Update 08/27/2015:
Northwest corner from Tenth Avenue.
A full height bay of curtain wall installed on the west façade.
Detail of the curtain wall panels going up.
Architects: REX (Five Manhattan West), SLCE (401 West 31st Street [Architect of Record], SOM (401 West 31st Street [Design Architect], 1 Manhattan West, Master Plan Architect); Landscape Architects: James Corner Field Operations; Developer: Brookfield; Program: Office, Residential, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards District, New York, NY; Completion: 2016 (Five Manhattan West).
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Progress on the exterior enclosure continues at the Durst Organization's typology-busting residential building on the Midtown West waterfront. The 470 foot tall "courtscraper," designed by architect Bjarke Ingels of BIG, will bring 709 rental units and 45,000 square feet of commercial retail space.
There has been significant progress since the previous site tour, with much of the herringbone-patterned bay windows installed on the north façade. Meanwhile, installation of the metal and glass on the south and west façade has surpassed the half way mark. Curtain wall installation has also started at the ground floor retail space at the southwest corner.
Completion is slated for sometime next year.
Looking south from Pier 1 at Riverside Park.
Looking south from Riverside Park.
The north façade from Riverside Park.
Northeast corner from West 58th Street.
The north façade from West 58th Street.
Northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
West façade from the Hudson River Greenway.
West façade.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
Southwest façade close up.
Looking north from Pier 96 at Riverside Park.
South façade from West 57th Street.
South façade from West 57th Street.
Southeast corner from West 57th Street.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Developer: The Durst Organization; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
A few blocks from the parade of starchitect supertalls going up along 57th Street in Midtown, an experiment in typology is under construction. This will be the first New York project from the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), a firm started in Copenhagen that has built many critically acclaimed projects worldwide with the firm's emphasis on addressing site and program with innovative solutions through form. While other projects nearby are locked in an arms race of height and flashy facades, W57 seeks a revolution in typology that has a significant impact on the inhabitants of the building and challenges the catalog of types typical to Manhattan.
BIG was approached by the Durst Organization, a firm known for its innovative and sustainable portfolio of projects, to propose a design for a mid rise building on the Far West Side of Manhattan. Inspired by the classic Copenhagen courtyard block typology at the architectural scale and its urban scaled counterpart, the iconic Central Park at the heart of the city, the firm proposed a mash up of a New York skyscraper with a courtyard, which they have called a "courtscraper."
Southeast corner of W57 (left) and the Helena (right) from West 57th Street.
The rectangular site occupies about three quarters of a block fronting the West Side Highway and the Hudson River and is adjacent to another Durst tower, the Helena. BIG started with a rectangular block with a centrally located courtyard that is exactly the same proportions as its inspiration, Central Park. The northeast corner of the block is then pulled upwards to an elevation of 470 feet to transform the low rise block into a tapering pyramid-like tower. Not only does this allow for spectacular views of the waterfront and the courtyard green space for its inhabitants, the sloped form also preserves waterfront views for the Helena which is situated south of the building's peak. Secondarily, the building's unconventional form also allows for a multitude of readings depending on your location. From West 58th street, the northeast corner reads like a slender tower, while views from the waterfront and West 57th Street reveal a broad pyramid form.
Southwest corner from West 57th Street.
The exterior envelope of the building employs two main strategies: a sloped wall on the south and west street front, and a herringbone pattern of bay windows along the north and east facades. With the sloped southwest wall, BIG seeks to merge the ideas of wall and roof, while adding slots for outdoor terraces adjacent to individual units. At the peak of the tower, mechanical elements are housed and concealed by an extension of the sloped facade that incorporates the terrace slots as vents for machinery. The herringbone strategy at the north allows for each unit to have a view to the waterfront which would not be possible with a conventional flush curtain wall. This strategy is also employed on the courtyard face to direct views southward along the waterfront.
Southeast corner from West 57th Street.
Lobby entry along the east facade.
Inside, the building will house 709 rental units and 45,000 square feet of commercial retail space. Entry to the lobby is off of the east, in an open space between the building and the Helena. A grand stair is centrally located in the lobby and brings residents up to the courtyard space, while sheltering the mail room tucked underneath. The courtyard's landscape design will employ a gradient of plantings to evoke a range of spaces, from a meadow to a shaded forest. In addition to the large central courtyard, amenities for the residents include a basketball court, pool, gym, cinema room and golf simulator.
The grand stair in the lobby, leading to the central courtyard.
Looking west from the eastern edge of the courtyard.
The courtyard's north exterior wall in progress.
Courtyard facade detail.
Typical residential corridor mockup.
Residential corridor wall covering detail.
View from a corner window along the north facade.
Looking west from an outdoor terrace.
Looking south from an outdoor terrace on the second floor.
Facade detail.
View of the sloped facade's structure.
Looking south from an outdoor terrace.
View of the sloped facade's structure and window wall under construction.
Window wall installation on the south facade.
South facade.
South facade in the morning sun.
South facade in the afternoon sun.
The mechanical enclosure structure that forms the peak.
Looking south from the peak structure.
Looking south from the peak structure.
Looking north from the peak structure.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
Looking north from Riverside Park.
West facade from Hudson River Greenway.
Northwest corner from Hudson River Greenway.
Northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
North facade.
North facade detail.
North facade detail.
Northeast corner from West 58th Street..
While elsewhere in the city architecture will continue to vie for the claims to being the tallest, BIG has proven with this project that size is not the only measure of architectural impact. Long after we forget which tower won the height race in a given year or sold its penthouse for the most money, BIG's courtscraper will resonate in the history of New York architecture and its innovative strategies will impact future projects around the city.
North facade from West 62nd Street.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Developer: The Durst Organization; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Though ceremonial topping out was celebrated last fall, BIG's tetrahedron on the far west side of Manhattan has finally received its peak. The mountainous building stands 450 feet tall and will eventually house 709 rental units on 32 floors. Installation of the exterior envelope is also underway, with curtain wall panels reaching the tenth floor on the north and east elevations, as well as the interior courtyard. Panels have also been installed on the lower levels of the sloping south facade. Completion looks set for late 2015 or early 2016.
Looking north on 12th Avenue.
Looking north from Riverside Park.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
Southwest corner from Hudson River Greenway.
West facade from Hudson River Greenway.
West facade from Hudson River Greenway.
Northwest corner from Hudson River Greenway.
Looking south from Hudson River Park.
Northeast corner.
Northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
South facade from West 57th Street.
Southeast corner.
Southeast corner detail.
North facade from West 62nd Street.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
10 Hudson Yards
Construction has reached the 27th floor at 10 Hudson Yards, surpassing the half way mark at the first tower at Related's Hudson Yards mega development. The 52-story, 1.7 million square feet commercial office tower by KPF will be the new corporate home for Coach, L'Oreal and SAP. Curtain wall installation has reached the 16th floor and is composed of full floor height units without the more commonly used visible spandrel panel at the floor slab. The use of full floor units without visible spandrel is a recent trend in New York office buildings, such as the new World Trade Center towers, and even the new residential tower at 400 Park Avenue South.
Looking south along 10th Avenue at West 33rd Street.
Northeast corner from 10th Avenue.
East façade on 10th Avenue.
East façade on Dyer Avenue.
Detail of curtainwall on the east facade.
Southeast corner from West 30th Street.
South facade from West 30th Street.
South facade from West 30th Street.
Southwest corner from West 30th Street.
Looking north along the High Line.
West facade from the High Line.
West facade from the High Line.
Looking east from the High Line.
Architects: KPF; Developer: Related Companies, Oxford Properties Group; Program: Office, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Last Friday, BIG's 32-story, 709-unit pyramid "topped out" at its final height of 450 feet. The project takes the form of a pyramid, with the sloped face oriented towards the Hudson River and the adjacent park. A rectangular void has been cut through the center of the pyramid form, creating a landscaped courtyard and further opportunities for facades that face the prime water views.
The project sits at the western fringe of what has become star architects row along West 57th Street. When completed in 2015, the project will join nearby recent or future buildings by Norman Foster, Christian de Portzamparc, Jean Nouvel, Rafael Vinoly, Robert Stern, and SHoP Architects.
The northeast corner from West 58th Street.
Detail of the north façade's saw-toothed curtain wall.
The northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
The north façade from 12th Avenue.
The northwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
The north façade from the Hudson River Greenway.
The southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
The southwest corner from the Hudson River Park.
The south façade from West 57th Street.
Detail of the north façade.
Detail of the north façade.
The southeast corner from West 57th Street.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Structure has reached floor 22 of the 32-story pyramid by BIG on the west side of Manhattan. The unique typology of the 709-unit residential rental building features a pyramidal massing with a central void that creates an interior courtyard with views out to the Hudson River and the Hudson River Park. While the sloping form of the pyramid dominates the south and west façade, the north, east, and interior façades feature a saw tooth curtain wall. The saw tooth strategy allows the apartment windows to crank at an angle which provides views to the Hudson River from the north façade. Currently, curtain wall has begun installation on the second floor at the north façade.
The southeast corner from West 57th Street.
The south façade from West 57th Street.
Detail of the interior courtyard façade.
Detail of the interior courtyard and south façade.
Detail of the south façade.
W57 seen from Hudson River Park.
The southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
The west façade from the Hudson River Greenway.
The west façade from 12th Avenue.
The northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
Detail of the curtain wall on the north façade.
Detail of the curtain wall on the north façade.
Detail of the curtain wall on the north façade.
Detail of the saw tooth slabs at the north façade along West 58th Street.
The northeast corner from 11th Avenue.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
BIG's residential pyramid is rising on Manhattan's far west side, reaching to the eleventh floor of its completed 32 story height. Also taking shape is the central courtyard that cuts through the pyramid form, opening up views to the Hudson River for the interior units.
Looking west on West 57th Street.
The west elevation from West 57th Street.
At the intersection of West 57th Street and the West Side Highway.
Looking north along the West Side Highway with One Riverside Park (Goldstein, Hill & West Architects) rising to the north.
The central courtyard starting to take shape.
Looking east along the West Side Greenway with One Riverside Park rising on the left.
The serrated edge of the north facade along West 58th Street at 12th Avenue.
Looking west along West 58th Street at the back side of the building.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
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