Yesterday, I was visiting the Skyscraper Museum in New York, and I saw an incredible aerial photo that shows the evolution of downtown Manhattan during the last century, from the water reclamation to the black towers to the new skyline without the twin towers. Undoubtedly, this city changes its shape very often.
And as of now, new residential buildings are bringing new forms to this skyline. First, we have OMA on the 23rd street with its structural facade and cantilevered volume, and now the 56 Leonard Street building by Herzog & de Meuron, which entered the construction phase.
This 57-story residential in the Tribeca area will house 145 residences, each one with its own unique floor plan and private outdoor space. This typology makes the building look like a stack of houses, away from the traditional skyscraper form. I wonder how the concrete structure works on this building, which was done by consultant firm WSP Cantor Seinuk (who also worked on the Freedom Tower).
With this height, it will surely impact the city skyline as you can see on the panoramic above.
The building features several interior design details done by Herzog & de Meuron, and also a sculpture comissioned to artist Anish Kapoor.
All photos Copyright Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, 2008
Location 56 Leonard Street, between Church Street and West Broadway, in the Tribeca Historic District of Manhattan, New York City (map).
Schedule Site Preparation: Spring/Summer 2008 Construction Commences: Fall 2008 Projected Occupancy: Fall 2010
Developer/Sponsor Alexico Group LLC, New York, NY Principals: Izak Senbahar, Simon Elias Client Representative: Eric Anderson
Design Architect Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, Switzerland Partners: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Ascan Mergenthaler Project Architects: Vladimir Pajkic (Associate), Philip Schmerbeck , Mehmet Noyan Project Team: Zachary Vourlas, Jason Whiteley, Daniela Zimmer, Mark Chan, Simon Filler, Sara Jacinto, Jin Tack Lim, Mark Loughnan (Associate), Jaroslav Mach, Donald Mak, Hugo Moura, Jeremy Purcell, James Richards, Heeri Song, Charles Stone (Associate)
Executive Architect Costas Kondylis and Partners, New York, NY
Construction Management Hunter Roberts, New York, NY Site Area: 12,500 square feet
Building Footprint: 12,500 square feet
Building Dimensions Width: 125 feet Depth: 100 feet Height: 830 feet
Gross Floor Area (GF): 425,000 square feet. plus technical, parking and structure
Floors: 57 above (+1 below)
Exterior Materials Structure: concrete Facade: glass, stainless steel, aluminium, concrete
Interior Materials: Lobby: granite floors, absolute granite tile walls, concrete ceilings Elevators: terrazzo floor, stainless steel mosaic tile walls, polished stainless steel frame
