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In New York City's Hudson Yards neighbourhood currently taking shape on top of an active railyard in Manhattan's West Side, the pace of development has been steady for several years. While some of the new skyscraping glass buildings designed by renowned architectural firms from around the world are approaching completion, new projects are getting underway. Such is the case with Manhattan West, a three-tower development sprawling over an entire city block delineated by 10th and 9th Avenues, and 31st and 33rd Streets. Collaboratively designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) and SLCE Architects, new renderings for the project were recently released that reveal more details about the finished look.
Developed by Brookfield Property Partners, the 464,000-square-metre project consists of two tilted class A office towers boasting a reflective blue glass facade and rounded corners. The tallest of the two, now under construction, will eventually rise 67 storeys, or 303 metres, above the street level. The third tower, which has been under construction since January 2015, will be dedicated to residential uses with 844 luxury dwellings across 62 floors. Finally, the brutalist pyramidal edifice built in 1969 along 9th Avenue is also included in the project. Its 170,000 square metres of office spaces are currently being fully renovated, while its concrete facade is being replaced with a glazing similar to that of the new adjacent structures.
The updated renderings show how the base of the office towers are expected to meet street level, with ample glass walls flooding the lobbies with natural light, and a visible concrete core reminiscent of Seattle's Rainier Tower. The residential component of the complex will feature retail spaces at its base, while a rooftop terrace will provide residents with panoramic views of the city. Other amenities include a state-of-the-art basketball court, a climbing wall, as well as kitchens and dining rooms for private entertainment. All four buildings will open onto a new two-acre landscaped plaza designed by James Corner Field Operations and animated by Arts Brookfield all year long.
While the revamped brutalist building is expected to open its doors to tenants by the summer of 2016, The Skadden law firm will have to wait until 2019 to move into their new LEED Gold headquarters in One Manhattan West, where they will be leasing a 46,500-square-metre space for the next 20 years. The space will boast column-free floor plates with ceiling heights ranging from 4.1 to 5.2 metres, allowing for a variety of uses.
Additional renderings and information about this development are available in the project's dedicated Database file, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment using the space provided at the bottom of this page.
