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Israeli/Canadian/American architect Moshe Safdie, famous for his Montreal Habitat 67, is about to add one more project to his long list of world-recognized works. These recently released renderings show Safdie's latest creation in partnership with HFZ Capital Group: a 64-storey glass and limestone tower soaring in the heart of New York City's Midtown, the Marble Collegiate Church Tower.
At 800 feet tall, the building will face West 30th street although the site's foot print actually spans through the entire block to W 29th street. The limestone base of the building will define the northern side of a newly created park that will open on W 29th St and will be bordered to the east by the Collegiate Church. This HM White-designed space will feature cobble stones, seating areas as well as an impressive green wall to cover up the now exposed side of the building to the west, as seen below.
The Marble Collegiate Church will benefit from this development because the funds generated by this project will be used to restore the heritage building. Additionally, the first few floors of the yet-to-be-named tower will be used as office and programming space for the church, which has stood at the corner of W 29th Street and 5th Avenue since 1854. Despite these additions to the community, some still regret the loss of the red and yellow brick Bancroft Building, which was demolished earlier this year to accommodate the future plaza.
Although this is Safdie's first building in the Big Apple, it is not his first attempt to leave his foot print in America's largest city. In the 1970s, he proposed a series of 50-storey mixed-use pyramids to stand on the bank of the East River between Wall and Fulton Streets. A decaying urban fabric and loss of interest in cities, recession and building codes at the time put an end to such projects in North America. The idea of stacked houses for a more urban and efficient way of life has since made a dramatic comeback, with cities around the world building denser and higher.
While Montreal's Habitat67 now designated a heritage landmark, Safdie keeps using Habitat's pixel-like architectural shape for other work around the globe. In Qinhuangdao, China, Golden Dream Bay will eventually consist of 2,200 condominiums and expansive recreational spaces, while Singapore's Sky Habitat was recently completed with the same inspiration. Finally in Safdie's native Canada, Toronto is about to get its own addition, with a condominium tower development named Monde set to dominate the future East Bayfront neighbourhood.
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