Tribeca, New York City's most desirable neighbourhood, has seen a sharp increase in population over the past decade, as former industrial buildings have gradually been converted into luxurious dwellings and new upscale residential developments provide homes to thousands of new residents. With 56 Leonard Street, Hines is adding 145 units to the Triangle with an iconic Herzog & de Meuron Architekten-designed tower, soaring 250 metres up into the sky of the Big Apple. 

56 Leonard Street, image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Architekten

Standing on a small parcel of land at the corner of Church and Leonard Streets, the tower's extravagance translates into stainless steel bean-shaped piece of art at ground level that is seemingly flattened under the weight of the building it appears to support. Designed by Anish Kapoor, who is best known for the Cloud Gate in Chicago's Millennium Park (you may know it as the Bean), the piece makes a grand entrance to the 57-storey building and its 1,600-square-foot and 18-foot high lobby. To the west, a vertical garden brings greenery to an otherwise very mineral landscape.

Anish Kapoor's piece of art will mark the entrance, image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Architekten

The protruding balconies randomly sticking out of the blue-glass facade and the slight shift of each floor plate give the tower a distinctive look that will undoubtedly differentiate the building from its older heritage neighbours. Residents on floors eight through 45 will enjoy a series of one- to five-bedroom "townhouses", as called by the architects, each featuring 12-foot high ceilings and a different floor plate. Residents will have access to one of the city's largest infinity pools - 75 feet long - standing 25 feet above street level.

Penthouses feature 14-foot high window wall and extensive views, image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Architekten

The ever-changing shape of the tower becomes even more dramatic on the top nine floors where 10 penthouses range from 3,650 to approximately 6,380 square feet in size. With private elevator access, these suites will offer scenic views of the Manhattan skyline thanks to 14-foot high window walls and up to 1,700-square-foot terraces, some of which appear to be floating above the city. 

Penthouses feature 14-foot high window wall and extensive views, image courtesy of Herzog & de Meuron Architekten

56 Leonard Street is scheduled for completion in 2016. Meanwhile, additional information and renderings can be found in our dataBase file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment in the space provided at the bottom of this page.