Being awarded the Pritzker means you’ve hit it big. Having that ribbon placed around your neck proves you’re top dog in the architecture world and you’ve practically become a household name….doesn’t it? While that may seem that case for Gehry and Hadid, even Piano and Meier, the Pritzker’s seventeenth honoree, (France’s first laureate, in fact) Christian de Portzamparc sometimes feels forgotten.
There seems to be little fanfare regarding Portzamparc’s work, even though his colleagues continue to bask in attention (take 80+ year old Gehry’s newest brain center or Meier’s newest housing project). For instance, most proposals some Pritzker winners, such as like Koolhaas, merely think about entering, designers seem to swarm over and busily analyze, criticize and admire. That’s not to say that publicity has a correlation to architectural talent – it is just an interesting note to ponder.
While Portzamparc may seem to be quietly standing in the background, his newest design will be sure to grab people’s attention. A $1.3 billion skyscraper filled with the most luxurious apartments in the city will tower over 57th Street east of Seventh Avenue. The tower will include 136 of the most expensive apartments in the city in addition to a 210-room Park Hyatt hotel.
Gary Barnett, a well-known developer, is intent on the building ousting the Trump World Tower as the tallest residential building in the city. Mr. Barnett said, “We believe in New York City. People are always going to want to live here.”
Source: Charles v. Bagli for the NY Times
