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

Recession Defying Plans For London Towers

The Swiss based practice of Herzog & de Meuron, responsible for the Beijing national stadium and the new Portsmouth Stadium on Horsea Island, is proposing three towers of 320, 640 and 800ft respectively, to be the tallest residential projects in the country. The towers located next to the Renzo Piano "Shard" is part of the redevelopment plan for the London Bridge station area.

The towers are to have 380 apartments, , along with a hotel, retail and cinema space. The tallest tower, which would be 65 storeys, would include 121 flats along with the hotel, the other tower will have a total of 115 flats contained within 51 storeys while the shortest, at 31 storeys, will boast 144 flats. The sheer scale of the project is already dividing opinion among the select few who have seen it which is is to be expected. The reservation felt by many in the U.K is that these buildings do not quite have a place next to more traditional British designed structures as they break with the consistency of "character and Scale." Some sentiment is that the proposals have not incorporated enough parkland into the design as this might help to lessen their perceived impact on the site especially on the street level from a pedestrian point of view.

It is not only surprising that these projects are being planned with what the economy is like in the U.K but also that there has been such fervor in responses about this project when the complete designs and cost estimates have not been unveiled yet and will not be till mid February. Still, it is commendable of Herzog & de Meuron to be planning such a large scale project in light of the economic crunch and I know that i am the first to always condemn a building design that clashes with its surroundings but these days, any project is a good project mainly because I don't think there is anymore room or money for frivolous designs. But I will withhold further comment till there are more details on the project in its entirety.

Image obtained from buildingdesignonline.com
For more information, check: www.bdonline.co.uk