In a forest of tall and heterogeneous skyscrapers, it can be difficult to make something in Manhattan truly stand out. But when Hines and Alexico Group first released plans to create a Jenga-like tower that would become the tallest building in New York City's famous Tribeca neighbourhood, the project immediately caught the attention of architecture fanatics around the world. The first skyscraper designed by internationally acclaimed architects Herzog and de Meuron, the completed 56 Leonard was given the time-lapse treatment by EarthCam, who condensed the project's 33-month vertical and exterior construction into a one-minute video.

From March 2014 to December 2016, EarthCam documented the rise of the 57-storey tower via its on-site megapixel time-lapse webcam. The assembled footage was then professionally hand-edited into the action-packed video posted above, which captures the installation of cladding, from start to finish, along with the construction of the project's disparate floor plates.

56 Leonard, image by Forum contributor towerpower123

Each of the 145 residences comes with private outdoor space in the form of projecting balconies, which lends the project its playful comparisons to a Jenga game. As the building approaches its 250-metre pinnacle, it seems to dissipate into the sky, a result of the development's floor plates decreasing in size as the building grows taller. With such a distinct silhouette on the city skyline, 56 Leonard has already become one of the most recognizable additions to Manhattan.

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Related Companies:  Hines