New York City is already known worldwide for its abundance of skyscrapers characterized by a variety of architectural styles. Supertalls like 432 Park Avenue and 111 West 57th Street are rejigging the Manhattan skyline — a result of limited land, a strong luxury residential market, and towering ambitions. Extell Development Company is one of the firms at the forefront of this transformative trend. Their 95-storey Central Park Tower is slated to reach dizzying heights of 473 metres (1,550 feet) upon completion in 2019.
Set to be the world's tallest residential tower — with a hotel on floors eight to 12— the latest renderings confirm that the spire initially proposed has been axed from the design. The skyscraping development will hold just 179 luxury suites, including a huge 17,000-square-foot, three-storey penthouse. Because of the stretched ceiling heights of the floors, and the mechanical spaces that will be necessary, the penthouse level will occupy a position in the sky that would normally be equivalent to a 131-storey view.
Recent images from the site show the undulating floor plates of the multi-storey Nordstrom store taking shape at the base of the tower. The 363,000-square-foot store will be spread across four properties along Broadway between West 57th Street and West 58th Street. Their interiors will be unified, giving shoppers a fluid and uninterrupted retail experience. The glass-faced entry to the tower will contain seven floors of retail, two of which will be located underground.
Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Central Park Tower's series of setbacks and cantilevers will create an interesting silhouette on the Manhattan skyline. The scene from Central Park will certainly become a staggering postcard-worthy shot and a perfect setting from which to grasp the tower's immense scale. With a rooftop height greater than any other building in the United States, the project will have a major impact from all angles.
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