Walk into the future of New York

New York is constantly changing and improving. Tatyana Borodina, the editor-in-chief, wrote about the future of the city in the near future. Elegant new york.

New York is in constant motion. I do not mean the movement of people, cars or capital. I am amazed at his mobility in appearance. The city for several centuries made it a rule to change its appearance with a frequency of no more than 10 years. It is in such a short period that several significant new buildings appear that transform, although not always adorn, the city.

Since the mid-19th century, New York has consistently impressed the world with the daring transformation of its “silhouette against the sky” - the New York Skyline. First, the city's skyline was compared to a comb with broken teeth, then to the mouth of a young wolf, then to modern Stonehenge, then to a high mountain range. What's next? Maybe it will soon be compared to the Celestial Empire?

New York has always been famous for how easily and simply it parts with its old - and not so old - houses and builds new giants in their place. Developers have always been guided by the principle of expediency and individualism. Land and real estate are bought and sold, and the new owners decide that it makes sense for them personally to build on the acquired site. Did you like it or not - it was not particularly taken into account, but it was good or bad for the city - only time showed. Only at the end of the last century, 70, the demolition and construction began to be coordinated with the city municipality, but a certain “spontaneity and randomness” of the buildings still persists.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

At the end of the last century and the beginning of this one, the city moderated its ambitions, and super-high-rise construction slowed down. These years did not bring noticeable changes to the city's skyline. Construction was going on, but not very intensively and not rushing too high - 40-50 floors was enough - after all, you also need to pay for the airspace of New York.

But at the end of the first decade of the XXI century, the city reached into the sky. The three-dimensionality of the city blocks again began to excite the imagination of architects and attract serious investors. It turned out that New York was inexcusably behind, and its modern residential and office fund is not competitive on the international market. And the reputation of the city as a trendsetter of architectural fashion slipped out of my hands unnoticed. They began to talk about New York as about a retro-city, a conservative city - that sort of sweet “old New York”.

It turned out to be too much, and today the city sheds its skin again and changes its appearance. Maybe in order to again match the image of the "city of the yellow devil"? Is it so - as always, time will tell, but for now we will look into the future, which began yesterday.

Today, Manhattan is in the middle of an unprecedented boom in the construction of tall buildings. Prior to 2004, the island had 28 skyscrapers in 700 feet (213 meters) and above. Since then, 13 high-rise buildings have been built, 15 is still under construction, and in the coming years it is planned to start building more 19 giants. Total, to 2030, the city should be 75 skyscrapers.

Bank of America Tower

The first significant signs of the current transformation, at least for me, began not with the new World Trade Center tower, but with the 55-storeyed building of the Bank of America Tower, 1200 feet high (365,8 m), put into operation in 2009 year, with the amount of construction in $ 1 billion.

In 2009, the building became the second tallest in New York after the Empire State Building and the fourth tallest in the United States. The project was designed by architects Fox and Gensler, based on high environmental safety and efficiency, comparable to the best in the world.

The primary goal of developing the interior design of the building was also to maximize the environmentally sound atmosphere. For example, insulating glass was used between the ceiling and the floor of the next floor to preserve heat and maximize natural light, as well as weak automatic daylight lighting system. In addition, the tower has a water storage system that collects rainwater and purifies it. Bank of America also insisted that the skyscraper should be made mainly from recycled materials that can be recycled again in the future. And not only the air entering the building is subjected to the normal filtration procedure, but the air exhausted from it must undergo the same procedure. The Bank of America Tower is the first skyscraper to deserve a LEED Platinum certificate.

At about the same time, construction began in the most expensive neighborhoods of the city: on 53, 56 and 57 Street, as well as on Park Avenue.

One57 W 57 Street

The One57 W 57 Street building opened the rally on the transformation of 57-th street, which will continue until the 2020 year and will be the most significant in changing the look of Midtown. It is on this street that the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the Nordstrom Tower, will be built.

One57 W 57 Street.
Photo: Tatiana Borodina

The first new thing on 57 is the 73-storey building of One57 W 57 Street, which was divided between the apartment owners and the hotel, which is quite fashionable now in New York. The building was completed in 2014 year and immediately received the title of "The worst building 2014 of the year." Perhaps it looks somewhat out of place in its mirror blue glow opposite the restrained-classical building of Carnegie Hall, but I would not call it ugly. Wavy surfaces and vertical stripes of various shades of blue glass look quite original and modern.

But the critics were merciless, bringing down the flow of sarcastic epithets from architects and designers, ranging from “its wavy blue facade is simply ugly”, - New York Magazine, to “Lack of tasteless, with endless acres of cheap glass, cartoon stripes and tin alloy with lead” - Bloomberg.

The Times was especially poisonous: "The building resembles a cascade of clumsy curves, dressed in acres of blue glass with iridescent spots resembling pockmarks or age marks."

But this new building did not evoke such strong negative emotions among city residents as it did among critics - apparently, they are much more seasoned with the innovations of New York than the journalistic elite.

Anyway, the One57 W 57 Street building for one and a half years was the tallest residential building in the Americas until the 423 Park tower was completed. And no matter how the “blue house” on 57 Street was scolded, it was there that the most expensive duplex apartment in the history of New York was sold for $ 100,5 million.

423 Park

The sleek new 88-story tower (3 of which is underground) called 423 Park, at the intersection of Park Avenue and 56th Street, designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, is currently the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere. Interestingly, the apartments located on the top floor, valued at $95 million, were purchased long before construction was completed. Construction lasted almost 5 years, which slightly exceeded the previously promised time frame. The height of the building is 426 meters, the cost of the project is $1,25 billion.

423 Park.
Photo: Tatiana Borodina

Fashion consultant described the building 423 Park: “Just a thin column that needs a hat.”

The estimate of the architect Raphael Vignoli is somewhat different: "The base of the tower is a square - the purest geometric shape."

The architect took inspiration from designer Josef Hoffman, who created an office metal waste basket, which can be easily purchased at the store for $ 225.

The apartments in the tower feature high ceilings, huge windows (almost 10 square meters) and a wide variety of layouts - from a studio in 351 square foot (32,6 square meters) to a six-bedroom penthouse, seven bathrooms and a library sold for $ 95 million. The house has a golf training area 12 feet in height (3,7 m), a formal dining room, home cinema.

The first apartment sold in the finished house is located on the 35 floor. Its footage is about 370 sq m, it was bought in January 2016 for more than $ 18 million.

Now let's talk about the skyscrapers, which are planning to pass in the next year or two.

Nordstrom Tower

The highest is the 95-floor Nordstrom Tower, also known as Central Park Tower or its address: 217 West 57th Street.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

He is promised to finish in 2019 year, and he will become a new record holder in height in the Western Hemisphere. The building will be on 300 feet (91 m) above any other house in the city, and will cast more shadow on Central Park, which is greatly concerned about the New York City Parks Society.

A new skyscraper is being built next to one of the most the old New York art schools (American Fine Art Society) with an amazing facade - residents of the city very much hope that it will remain safe and sound.

Seven floors of the high-rise tower are reserved for the chic Nordstrom store, which is well known and loved in New Jersey, but does not have its premises in the city of New York. Above the store will be located private apartments of the elite segment.

111 57th West Street

Now we are not going to talk about the tallest one, but about the narrowest high-rise building in the world - only 13 meters wide at 1 438 feet height (438 meters). This slender tower will be the thinnest in the world in terms of width to height - one to twenty-three.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

A new building is being built close to the historic home. Steinway Building, erected in 1925 by Warren & Wetmore. The Steinway Building will be integrated into a new high-rise tower. The good news is that the house of the legendary piano-making company is recognized as a historical and architectural relic of the city, which means that its facade cannot be changed or destroyed. Most likely, the interior of Steinway Hall will not survive, although there is still hope for this.

Critics believe that the 82-storey 111 building West 57th Street will be the most elegant new high-rise building in Manhattan. We hope that in 2018 we will see and appreciate this modern wonder of architecture with our own eyes.

The moma tower

Literally a few blocks away, on 53 Street, an 82-storey building of The MoMa Tower is being built. The height of the house with a spire - 1 050 feet (320 m). Apparently, it will be one of the most expensive and luxury homes in New York.

Photo: Tatiana Borodina

The project began in 2006 year. The building, designed by Jean Nouvel, was originally planned to be built in 1 250 feet (381 m) in height.

But the owners of neighboring neighborhoods expressed concern that the building would cast too much shadow in the winter time on the territory of Central Park, and could also cause inconvenience to traffic. In general - stick in the wheel.

As a result, the 9 of September of 2009 of the New York City Planning Commission decided that a building could only be built if its height was reduced by 200 feet (61 m). The decision of the city was met with disappointment and ridicule from famous architectural critics. But in the end, October 28 2009 project was approved with a building height of 1050 feet (320 m).

While all the proceedings, The consequences of the global financial crisis have made the search for sources of funding very problematic This state of affairs continued through October 2013, when theKwee brothers' Pontiac Land agreed to provide $ 300 million with support from a $ 860 million loan from the Consortium of Asian Banks.

Having received the funds, the developers were able to buy the rights to the airspace from the club NYU and the Church of St. Thomas.

As you know, MoMA owned 17 square feet of the future building (000 sq m). In 1, the museum sold the space to developer Hines for $600 million, and in September 2007, it sold the air rights. After this, the new skyscraper became known as 125W2014.

The architectural project 53W53 looks very interesting - the building should decorate the urban landscape and transform New York Skyline, becoming one of the city’s attractions.

The tower should look like a faceted crystal vessel, tapering upward in the form of a crystal peak, located on top of the tower.

The 53W53 building should be one of the most elite in New York. Its residents will be granted special privileges at MoMA, including unlimited free visits to the museum, exhibition previews, discounts at MoMA stores, as well as access to the museum’s film screenings.

The building provides its own formal dining room, priority access to the restaurant, a library with a fireplace, a cinema, a children's playroom, and a wine tasting room. Fitness services will include squash, a golf simulator, as well as a gym, swimming pool, sauna.

In addition, tenants will be able to purchase small apartments on the 14-m and 16-m floors for their staff.

Currently, construction is estimated at more than $ 1 billion.

When will the house be ready? Officially, this is still unknown, but, as stated by architect Jean Nouvel, he intends to complete construction in 2018 year. But we are already so accustomed to walking on 53 Street past the construction site, so long as we can say one thing: wait and see.

Hudson Yards

Let's leave 57 Street for a while and go to 33, see how things are progressing with the most ambitious project of our days - the construction of Hudson Yards.

In 2005, New York lost to London for the right to host the 2012 Olympics of the year, which was a big disappointment for Mayor Michael Bloomberg. But perhaps the city has won something more - the prospect of development of the largest undeveloped section of Manhattan.

“We will not sit and cry,” the mayor declared in those days.

If the city had won the right to host the Olympics a few years ago, the old railway tracks on the West Side would be the site of the Olympic Stadium. Instead, a small “city within a city,” worth $ 15 billion, will soon grow on 28 acres of land on the banks of the Hudson.

Hudson Yards radically changes the landscape of New York. Around residential and commercial skyscrapers will be located a park, a cultural center, restaurants, shops, a hotel and a school. Principal developer Stephen Ross said: “New York is the largest city in the world, but its office buildings are outdated by half a century. To be a developer, you need to be able to see such things. ”

Some people call this area the "Last Frontier of Manhattan." The rectangle, whose sides are 10th Avenue and 12th Avenue, West 30th Street and West 33rd Street, is the largest piece of land in Manhattan that is available for large-scale development after the construction of the World Trade Center. It is planned to host 17 million square feet of real estate. This is the most ambitious private building in New York since the construction of the Rockefeller Center in the thirties during the Great Depression.

The construction of Hudson Yards has moved the project to extend the 7 metro route line to the river bank. In September, 2015 finally opened the station "34-st Street - Hudson Yards" at the western end of the Flushing line.

Skyscraper with terraces on each floor

Danish-American architectural company Bjarke Ingels Group intends to revive the coastline of Manhattan with an extraordinary skyscraper The Spiral, part of the new business complex Hudson Yards. The appearance of The Spiral promises to be unusual - a solid terrace planted with greenery will wind along the tower up a spiral. All the terraces of the 65-storey building are combined into one spiraling park, 800 meters in length, encircling the tower. In the skyscraper The Spiral plan to place offices of commercial firms, as well as a shopping center.

Photo: Spiral

This building is Bjarke Ingels' third high-altitude project for New York. The team of the famous architect, on the one hand, develops the forms of a traditional skyscraper New York, towering ledges, and on the other - creates a logical continuation of the High Line park line approaching the site, twisting around the skyscraper ribbon from open terraces and landscaped hanging gardens.

The first 6 floors of the building will be used for retail space. A wide open terrace will be located on the 7 floor. Ceiling height in the central lobby will reach 9 meters.

VIA 57 West

Finally, let's go back to 57 Street. Here, near the end of construction of another unusual house. BIG, which opened a representative office in the USA in 2010, completes the 32-storey residential building VIA 57 West.

Photo: VIA 57 West

This house is called “Sail”, then “Yacht”, but these are unofficial, and, so to speak, folk names for the 32-storey “pyramid”.

This is a residential building with apartments for 750 residents and a “cut out” inside cavity for the inner courtyard. The house is the first project for the architect Bjarke Ingels in the United States.

Ingels calls this house courtscraper - by its ironic definition, it is "the child of love of a skyscraper (skyscaper) and a perimeter house-quarter (courtyard)". Honestly, I don’t understand why some people are most jealous of the house: after all, the future inhabitants of the “pyramid” will have views of their own Central Park from their windows - the courtyard even coincides with it in proportions.

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