Herzog and de Meuron Set To Redefine New York Skyline

In the fall of 2008, construction began on the 57 storey residential tower to be located on 56 Leonard Street in the Tribeca area of New York, where it will rise above cobbled streets and historic 19th century neighboring buildings. The tower will house 145 residences which have been offset and staggered so that each have their own unique floor plans and outdoor terrace, allowing this concrete structure to break away from the traditional look of buildings of similar typology. This also ensures that all residents have an unobstructed view from downtown Manhattan to as far as the Atlantic Ocean from their terrace.

The tower, set to top out in the fall of 2010, has a footprint of 12,500 square feet and a gross floor area of 425,000 square feet. Units withing the tower will range from 1,430 square feet to 6,380 square feet, huge for New York and is to include two to five bedroom residences and 10 penthouses. Prices for the residences at 56 Leonard Street range from $3.5 million to $33 million.

Herzog and de Meuron have also designed the structure to interact with the public streetscape with an articulated base whose cantilevers generate a sense of movement and permeability. Here, the building’s defining corner will be the site of a major commissioned sculpture by internationally celebrated London-based artist Anish Kapoor.

This is a very bold statement by Herzog and de Meuron and I appreciate their effort to create something unique and not just another vertically extruded tower. I am however concerned about how this structure will be braced for wind loads. Concrete does not always allow for one to be very radical at such heights but all in all, I am impressed with Herzog and de Meuron design, as always.


Images obtained from www.dezeen.com
For more information, check: www.archdaily.com/6268/56-leonard-street-new-york-herzog-de-meuron