665 5th Avenue - Rolex Building
David Chipperfield Architects · Midtown East · 2026
Northwest corner from 5th Avenue.
Facade installation is underway at Rolex’s office and retail tower in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by David Chipperfield Architects, the 30-story tower will feature four floors of flagship retail for Rolex at the base, with office floors above. The tower, which features five distinct setbacks, will be clad in a pleated glass curtain wall.
Looking up at the northwest corner of the tower from 5th Avenue.
Looking up at the west facade from 5th Avenue.
Looking up at the southwest corner of the tower.
Looking up at the north facade of the tower.
Looking up at the northeast corner of the tower.
Architects: David Chipperfield Architects (Design Architect), Adamson Associates (Executive Architect); Structural and Facade Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; General Contractor: Pavarini McGovern; Program: Office, Retail; Location: Midtown East, New York, NY; Completion: 2026.
Obama Presidential Library
Tod Williams Billie Tsien · Jackson Park · Chicago · 2026
South facade of the Obama Presidential Museum.
Construction is ongoing at the Obama Presidential Library in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago. Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects + Partners, the 19-acre campus will include a museum; a branch of the Chicago public library; an auditorium; a fruit and vegetable garden; and a facility for athletics, programs, and events.
Southwest corner of the Obama Presidential Museum (left) and the forum building (right).
The form of the Obama Presidential Museum was inspired by the idea of four hands coming together, embodying the notion that many hands shape a place. Tapestry granite, mined in New Hampshire, will clad the structure and has started to be installed on the lower levels.
Close-up of the museum's Tapestry granite panel facade.
Close-up of the museum's Tapestry granite panel facade.
West facade of the Obama Presidential Museum.
Northwest corner of the Obama Presidential Museum.
North facade of the Obama Presidential Museum.
North facade of the Obama Presidential Museum.
Architect: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects + Partners (Museum, Forum, and Library), Moody Nolan (Athletics and Events Center); Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; MEP Engineer: Altieri Sebor Wieber; Facade Consultant: Heintges; Landscape Architect: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; Program: Museum, Library, Auditorium, Winter Garden, Athletics and Events Center; Location: Jackson Park, Chicago, IL; Completion: First Half of 2026.
4 Hudson Square - Disney NYC Headquarters
SOM · Hudson Square · 2024
Northeast corner from the intersection of Varick Street and Vandam Street.
Facade installation has wrapped up for everywhere except the ground floor at The Walt Disney Company’s 22-story New York headquarters at 4 Hudson Square in Lower Manhattan from Silverstein Properties. Designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill (SOM), the full block development features a massing with setbacks that afford terraces for employees and two towers. In total, the development includes 1.2 million gross square feet with floor plates up to 85,000 square feet.
East facade from Spring Street.
In dialog with the neighborhood’s masonry and stone material palette, the development features a facade of single-, double- and triple-columned green terracotta panels, large picture windows, and bronze toned metal accents.
Southwest corner from Hudson Street.
West facade from Hudson Street.
Architect: Skidmore Owings & Merrill; Interiors: Gensler; Developer: Silverstein Properties; Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; MEP Engineer: Jaros, Baum & Bolles; Facade Consultant: R.A. Heintges & Associates; Landscape Architect: SCAPE; General Contractor: Lendlease; Client: The Walt Disney Company; Program: Office, Retail; Location: Hudson Square, New York, NY; Completion: 2024.
Wildflower Studios
Southwest corner.
Facade installation is nearing completion at Wildflower Studios’ film production campus in Astoria, Queens. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, the 775,042 square foot complex will house 11 sound stages, production-support areas, public and private offices, fitness room, cafes, and lounges across 5.25 acres. There will also be a waterfront esplanade open to the public.
Southeast corner from 19th Avenue.
South facade from 19th Avenue.
South facade from 19th Avenue.
Southwest corner from 19th Avenue.
Southwest corner and future esplanade under construction.
West facade.
Close-up of the west facade.
Close-up of the west facade.
Close-up of the west facade.
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group; Client: Wildflower Studios; Program: Film Studios; Location: Astoria, Queens, NY; Completion: 2024.
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine
Santiago Calatrava · Financial District · 2022
Northeast corner from Greenwich Street.
Construction has wrapped up at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church at the eastern end of Liberty Park at the World Trade Center site. Designed by Santiago Calatrava, architect for the nearby World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the new structure replaces the church’s previous home in a row house that was destroyed on 9/11. The church is located on a 4 foot thick concrete mat slab twenty-five feet above street level, with the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center directly below. The reinforced concrete structure is clad in panels of white translucent marble encased in laminated glass, which will glow at night from a light source behind the panels. A dome made of 40 steel ribs spanning 55 feet caps the church’s structure.
North facade.
Architect: Santiago Calatrava; Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; Program: Church; Location: Lower Manhattan, New York, NY; Completion: 2022.
Tour: 158 East 126th Street - The Smile
North facade from East 126th Street.
Construction has wrapped up at Blumenfeld Development Group's 11-story rental building at East 126th Street in East Harlem. Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is in charge of the design, which features a 11-story volume fronting East 126th Street and a six-story volume that extends over the center of BDG's existing retail building on the adjacent lot fronting East 125th Street. Along with residential, the development will also house neighborhood non-profit and performing arts group MAMA Foundation for the Arts.
Along East 126th Street, the north facade gently slopes inward as it rises, creating a concave shape that contrasts with the hard street edge of neighboring buildings while allowing more sunlight to reach the street. The north facade is being clad in slender windows and blackened stainless steel panels that alter in color tone as they reflect the sunlight. The checkerboard pattern of the north facade also allows for floor to ceiling glazing in apartment units.
The development offers 233 apartments in a mix of studios, one-, and two-bedrooms, with twenty percent of the units offered under the affordable housing program. Apartment interiors feature a design aesthetic that draws on industrial and minimalist themes with white monolithic floors and exposed concrete ceilings and columns. Custom open kitchens offer Italian stainless steel cabinetry. Amenities for residents include a fitness center, spa, lounge, workspace, and a rooftop terrace with a pool and landscaping.
Southwest corner from East 125th Street.
South facade from East 125th Street.
Residential Lobby and Mail Room
Lounge and Game Room
Co-working Studio
The Smile Fitness Club
Residents will have access to a state-of-the-art fitness center that includes yoga and personal training rooms.
The Smile Spa
The spa offers a Hamam, sauna and steam rooms, color-changing LED Himalayan salt room, cold room, and private treatment rooms.
The Smile Rooftop Club
With the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and the Harlem River, the rooftop terrace features a swimming pool, three whirlpools, grilling and dining areas, an open-air movie theater and lounge seating.
Model Residence
Studio
Model Residence
1-Bedroom
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG); Developer: Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG); Program: Residential, Retail; Location: East Harlem, New York, NY; Completion: 2020.
Construction Update: FDNY Rescue Company 2 Training Facility
South façade.
Construction is wrapping up at Studio Gang's FDNY Rescue Company 2 Training Facility in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn. The three-story structure will serve as a facility for the FDNY to simulate various scenarios encountered when responding to emergency calls. Large voids cut horizontally through the central ground floor space and vertically to the sky to allow for simulating a multitude of real world scenarios. Large apertures cut into the concrete facades are accented by glazed terracotta panels in various shades of red. Sustainable features include a green roof, geothermal HVAC system, and solar water-heating system.
Closeup of the south facade.
Terracotta detail.
South façade.
Closeup of the east facade.
Northeast corner.
Architect: Studio Gang; Client: NYC Department of Design and Construction; Program: FDNY Training Facility; Location: Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY; Completion: 2019.
Tour: Conrad Washington DC
Southeast corner from I Street NW.
Hilton’s luxury hotel brand Conrad has opened a new location at CityCenterDC in Washington, DC. The 10 story, 360-key hotel is developed by Hines and Qatari Diar. Herzog & de Meuron are responsible for the design which features an organic massing with rounded corners and clad in a glass curtain wall.
Southwest corner from I Street NW.
The ground floor retail features storefronts clad in rounded glass panels. Earlier renderings seemed to show the entire building clad in these rounded panels, but traditional flat glass panels were employed everywhere but the corners above the ground floor in the built project.
Tiffany & Co. retail storefront.
Northwest corner from New York Avenue NW.
Hotel entry on New York Avenue NW.
After entering the main entrance on the ground floor, hotel guests head to the third floor and its central atrium. A chain mesh veil hangs around the perimeter of the organically shaped atrium void and natural light fills the space from numerous circular skylights at the roof above. At the third floor, a collection of hotel amenities radiate around the central atrium, including restaurant Estuary, a lobby bar, conference rooms, and reception desk.
Hotel main entrance.
Atrium.
Looking up at the atrium skylight.
Detail of the chain mesh veil at the atrium.
Estuary entry.
Estuary.
Third floor terrace.
Signage.
Hotel corridor at the 10th floor.
Atrium screen at the 10th floor.
Hotel room entry.
Construction Update: Comcast Innovation and Technology Center
East facade from John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Construction is wrapping up at the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center, a 1,118 foot tall mixed-use tower in Philadelphia's Center City neighborhood. Designed by Foster + Partners, the tower takes the title of the city's tallest and will house NBC studios at the base, office space above, and a Four Seasons hotel at the top twelve floors.
Southeast corner of the podium.
The tower is designed for LEED Platinum and features thirteen three-storey sky gardens rising up the eastern facade. The top of the tower is marked by a spire of illuminated glass blades extending 125 feet above the final floor.
Close-up of the southeast corner of the podium.
Looking up at the east facade from North 18th Street.
Close-up of the southeast tower facade.
Looking up at the west facade from North 19th Street.
Southwest corner of the podium.
Close-up of the west tower facade.
Looking up at the north facade.
Close-up of the north tower facade (right) and the west facade of the Comcast Tower (left).
Southwest corner of the tower on the Philadelphia skyline.
Close-up of the tower spire.
Close-up of the northwest corner of the tower.
Northwest corner of the tower from North 20th Street and Cherry Street.
West facade at sunset from the Schuylkill River waterfront.
Close-up of the west tower facade at sunset.
Architect: Foster + Partners with Kendall Heaton; Structural Engineer: Thornton Tomasetti; Landscape Architect: Olin Studio; Client: Liberty Property 18th & Arch LP; Program: Healthcare; Location: Philadelphia, PA; Completion: 2018.
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Construction is wrapping up at the Durst Organization's VIA 57 WEST on the Hudson River 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. Renters began to move in this past spring and now the building's amenities have opened, with the branding of VIA Garden, VIA Social, and VIA Fit.
VIA Garden
Designed by Starr Whitehouse, the building's 22,000-square-foot courtyard features native plants and trees, along with seating and an outdoor grilling area.
Looking west from the courtyard entrance.
Looking up from the courtyard.
The courtyard's winding brick path and newly planted trees.
Organic bench seating in the courtyard.
Looking east from the western edge of the courtyard.
Hudson River view from the western edge of the courtyard.
Hudson River view from the western edge of the courtyard.
VIA Social: East Resident Lounge
East resident lounge seating with a view of Stephen Glassman Studio's "Flows Two Ways."
Detail of Stephen Glassman Studio's "Flow Two Ways."
VIA Social: West Resident Lounge
VIA Social: Poker Room
Poker room.
Poker room.
VIA Fit
Indoor half basketball court.
Indoor half basketball court.
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 Whitehouse Landscape Architects; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Hell's Kitchen, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.