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Manhattan's love affair with super-skinny buildings has only just begun. As the tallest residential building in the world, the Rafael Vinoly-designed 432 Park Avenue has given New Yorkers a taste of what's to come. A few blocks away from this landmark property, two luxury towers that are now both under construction are approaching even greater heights. As Extell Development Company monitors the progress of their mixed-use Central Park Tower, JDS Development and Property Markets Group are building their own supertall at 111 West 57th Street.
The project will reimagine the landmarked 1925 Steinway Building and incorporate the structure into the 80-storey tower's base. The towering new 438-metre addition by SHoP Architects implements a cascading series of setbacks that results in a narrowing floor plate as the building rises. An elegantly composed facade of terra cotta highlighted by bronze filigree reflects the materiality and quality of New York's traditional towers.
With only 60 units, the building's inhabitable spaces accommodate full floor and duplex suites which feature unparalleled views of the region. The immense scale of the building requires an immense engineering solution to the threat of earthquakes and high winds: an 800-ton tuned mass damper will be installed to provide stability to the structure.
Set to be one of the slimmest towers in the world, the building is using the tallest freestanding crane in New York City's history during its construction. So far, three of the tower's concrete-framed floors have taken shape. To be among the highest pinnacles in Manhattan, the project is slated for a 2018 completion.
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