Search Results for: Snøhetta

As the threat of climate change grows, parks in New York City are working to become more resilient. Officials on Thursday broke ground on an $18.3 million waterfront playground at the Battery in the Financial District. The Battery Playscape, as it's being called, is expected to be one of the city's largest sustainable parks. It will triple the size of the current playground and will feature a rainwater runoff system and a wide variety of durable plants.
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Construction of Upper West Side’s tallest tower can proceed

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta

January 28, 2020

Construction of Upper West Side’s tallest tower can proceed

Construction of Extell's controversial supertall on the Upper West Side can move forward, the city's Board of Standards and Appeals ruled Tuesday. In an unusual 2-2 split decision, the BSA said the mechanical space planned for the tower at 50 West 66th Street is appropriate, rejecting a challenge from the preservation organization Landmark West. The group had argued that Extell abused the zoning code by including tall mechanical floors in its design in order to boost the overall height of units at the building, without increasing square footage.
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Policy

See inside the amenity spaces at Philip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

Rendering courtesy of Rockwell Group

January 14, 2020

See inside the amenity spaces at Philip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

The Olayan Group released a new batch of renderings giving us a sneak peek inside the amenity floor at 550 Madison Avenue. Designed by Rockwell Group, the seventh floor offers a mix of “hospitality-driven” spaces for tenants, including food and beverage options, lounges, shared workspaces, and fitness and wellness areas. The center of it all will be the iconic Philip Johnson-designed oculus—which greets visitors as soon as they step off the elevator on the club floor—framed by two floor-to-ceiling artworks by Dorothea Rockburne, which were commissioned in 1993 specifically for the building.
Have a look around

Architecture And Design

One Vanderbilt’s observation deck named the Summit, will have two glass-floored overhangs

Photo of One Vanderbilt on December 11, 2019 © 6sqft

December 11, 2019

One Vanderbilt’s observation deck named the Summit, will have two glass-floored overhangs

After attending a presentation by One Vanderbilt's developer SL Green, the Post was able to share some juicy new details on the office building's observation deck, which will be the second-highest outdoor deck in the city and is being designed by Snøhetta. Now known as The Summit at One Vanderbilt, the 59th-floor deck will have "two step-out, glass floor ledges that overhang Madison Avenue." Also on this floor will be food and beverage options, and on the floor below will be an "'infinity room' with 40-foot-high ceilings." The building is set to open in August 2020, while the Summit will begin welcoming guests (who will pay $35 for the experience) at the end of 2021.
More details right here

D.C.’s Newseum is closing, but it won’t give WTC Antenna to 9/11 Museum

Photo by Sagie / Flickr

October 22, 2019

D.C.’s Newseum is closing, but it won’t give WTC Antenna to 9/11 Museum

The Newseum in Washington D.C. will close for good at the end of this year due to financial issues, and when it does, it will put a piece of the World Trade Center antenna in storage instead of giving it to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum here in New York City, as Gothamist reports. The 360-foot television and radio antenna, which was located on the North Tower, has been part of the Newseum's September 11th exhibit since it opened at its current location in 2008.
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Events & Things To Do

All renderings courtesy of Gensler

October 22, 2019

New lobby renderings revealed for Phillip Johnson’s 550 Madison Avenue

It's been two years since developers unveiled their plans for a $300 million renovation of 550 Madison Avenue, helmed by architecture firm Snøhetta. Built in 1984 to the designs of Philip Johnson and John Burgee, the 647-foot building was the world’s first postmodern skyscraper. After several revisions, the renovation plans were approved by the LPC in February, and now, developer the Olayan Group has revealed the first renderings of the lobby. Most notably, the interior designs respect the 110-foot arched entryway and vaulted ceilings and add a window overlooking the proposed new public garden in the rear arcade.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

Review of mechanical space use continues at Extell’s Upper West Side tower

Rendering of 50 West 66th Street courtesy of Binyan Studios/Snøhetta

September 18, 2019

Review of mechanical space use continues at Extell’s Upper West Side tower

Extell's Snøhetta-designed Upper West Side tower at 50 West 66th Street has cleared one set of legal challenges but the building's contested use of mechanical spaces remains an issue. As Crain’s reported on Tuesday, the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals voted down challenges to the building’s split zoning lots—upholding the Department of Buildings permits for the project—but voted to further scrutinize the tower’s use of mechanical floor spaces by initiating a review of whether Extell is “appropriately occupying” those spaces.
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April 11, 2019

Extell’s Upper West Side tower going forward despite city’s amendment on mechanical voids

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta Following a revised design and review by the FDNY, developer Extell has been granted permission to proceed with plans for the Snøhetta-designed tower at 50 West 66th Street, Gothamist reports. This comes a few months after the Department of Buildings threatened to pull the building’s permits over concerns that the project was misusing mechanical voids in order to boost the overall height of units in the building. The DOB approved Extell's revised plans last Thursday, allowing the project to go forward despite a 12-to-1 City Planning Commission vote yesterday to crack down on the mechanical void loophole.
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See the stone monoliths being installed at new 9/11 memorial for first responders

Photo courtesy of 9/11 Memorial & Museum

April 8, 2019

See the stone monoliths being installed at new 9/11 memorial for first responders

The main pieces of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum's new monument were laid in place on Saturday at the corner of the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The memorial, dubbed the 9/11 Memorial Glade, honors first responders and those who are sick or who have died from 9/11-related illnesses. The Memorial Glade's six stone monoliths will flank a pathway and point skyward, to represent the "strength and determination through adversity" of rescue and relief workers in the aftermath of September 11.
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Memorial honoring those stricken by illness after 9/11 to open May 30

Rendering by Moso Studio.

February 4, 2019

Memorial honoring those stricken by illness after 9/11 to open May 30

As 6sqft previously reported, after the rescue and recovery effort for the September 11th attacks ended, an estimated 400,000 people were exposed to life-threatening toxins, and since then, nearly 70,000 first responders and more than 14,000 survivors enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Last May, 9/11 Memorial & Museum president Alice Greenwald revealed the official design for Memorial Glade, a monument to all those who have lost their lives or are sick due to these related illnesses. The New York Post now reports that work is underway at Liberty and West streets.
Find out more about Memorial Glade

City pulls permits for Extell’s controversial Upper West Side tower

Rendering courtesy of Binyan Studios/Snøhetta

January 17, 2019

City pulls permits for Extell’s controversial Upper West Side tower

Less than two months after rejecting a challenge against the tallest tower planned for the Upper West Side, the Department of Buildings has decided to pull permits for Extell Development’s 775-foot tower at 50 West 66th Street, as NY1 first reported. In December, opponents argued that the Snøhetta-designed structure was misusing structural voids—where a building’s mechanical equipment is stored—to add height without increasing square footage. They said the 160-foot mechanical spaces were designed not out of necessity, but presumably to boost the overall height of the apartments—and their price tags. Now, the DOB has made a surprise reversal, ruling that these spaces do not meet the current standards of the New York City Zoning Resolution.
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December 5, 2018

VOTE for 6sqft’s 2018 Building of the Year

The city’s most important residential projects include a glittering showcase of superlatives that continue to eclipse all that came before, with claims that include tallest (Central Park Tower), skinniest (111 West 57th Street ), most expensive (a $250 million penthouse at 220 Central Park South) and loftiest outdoor lounge (Fifteen Hudson Yards) and pool (Brooklyn Point) almost being a requirement for selling the fabulously luxurious apartments and amenities that lie within. Though some of this year’s contenders appeared on previous years’ lists, their sales launches and toppings-out in 2018 proved that their arrivals on the city's skyline–and among its residential options–are no less impactful than the anticipation that preceded them. We’ve narrowed our picks down to a list of 12 headline-stealing residential structures for the year. Which do you think deserves 6sqft’s title of 2018 Building of the Year? To have your say, polls for our fourth annual competition will be open up until midnight on Wednesday, December 12th and we will announce the winner on the 13th.
VOTE HERE! And learn more about the choices.

New Developments

City rejects bid to stop tallest Upper West Side tower

Courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta

December 4, 2018

City rejects bid to stop tallest Upper West Side tower

By Chava Gourarie

The Department of Buildings this week rejected a challenge against the tallest tower planned for the Upper West Side, as first reported by Crain's. Community groups argued that the design of Extell Development’s 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street violated the city’s building code, but the department overruled those objections.
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July 31, 2018

LPC landmarks Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building at 550 Madison

This morning the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the AT&T building at 550 Madison Avenue as an individual landmark. Designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1984, the world’s first postmodern skyscraper originally served as the AT&T headquarters. A decade later, Sony moved in and it became known as the Sony Tower. Recently, a growing roster of preservationists and architects have been urging the LPC to landmark the building after plans surfaced showing significant changes to its architecture.
So what happens now?

July 11, 2018

Construction begins on Extell’s 69-story tower, set to be tallest on the Upper West Side

Rendering via Snohetta / Binyan Studios; construction photo via CityRealty With the neighboring Jewish Guild for the Blind officially demolished, construction has now begun on Extell Development's skyscraper at 50 West 66th Street. Designed by Snøhetta, the mixed-use skyscraper is set to rise 775 feet, making it the tallest building on the Upper West Side. The 69-story tower will feature a facade of excavations, that are meant to evoke the "chiseled stone of Manhattan's geologic legacy," according to the architects. As CityRealty reported, the new tower will sit next to some of the borough's most illustrious buildings, including 15 Central Park West and The Century.
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New Developments

June 20, 2018

Preservationists, architects urge LPC to landmark Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building

During a nearly two-hour public hearing on Tuesday, passionate preservationists, architects, and community groups testified in front of the Landmarks Preservation Commission in support of designating the postmodern skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue as an individual landmark. Best known as the AT&T Building, the 37-story tower was designed by Philip Johnson, along with his partner John Burgee, and completed in 1984. As postmodernism's first skyscraper, 550 Madison has stood out for its pink-gray granite facade, arched entryway and Chippendale-inspired crown. A wide range of people on Tuesday voiced support for giving 550 Madison landmark designation, including architectural critic Paul Goldberger. In his testimony, Goldberger cited his own 1978 New York Times review of the building, before it was built, when he called the AT&T Building "a major monument" of postmodernism and "the most provocative and daring skyscraper to be proposed for New York since the Chrysler Building."
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Policy

June 7, 2018

Lincoln Square’s grand finale: From slum clearance to a new master plan

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Lincoln Square, a part of the Upper West Side, is a literal square of approximately 50 blocks that runs east-west from Central Park West to the West Side Drive and north-south from 59th to 72nd Streets. The neighborhood, which is bisected by Broadway and contains the Lincoln Center “superblock,” has an enormous amount of culture, loads of prestigious schools, tons of old-school luxury residences lining the park, and a massive, five-acre, four-building new development called Waterline Square, finalizing a decades-long master plan for the neighborhood. Ahead, we take a look at the neighborhood's history, from its Dutch roots to Robert Moses' slum clearance, modern residential development, and all the amenities that make this area more fun than one may think.
Your guide to Lincoln Square

Events & Things To Do

May 31, 2018

New 9/11 Memorial monument honors first responders exposed to Ground Zero toxins

Sixteen years ago as of yesterday, the rescue and recovery effort for the September 11th attacks ended. It's estimated that 400,000 people were exposed to life-threatening toxins, and since then, nearly 70,000 first responders and more than 14,000 survivors have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Yesterday, former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart and 9/11 Memorial & Museum president Alice Greenwald revealed the official design for Memorial Glade, a monument to all those who have lost their lives or are sick due to these related illnesses. In addition to increasing awareness about the health crisis, the memorial will also "recognize the tremendous capacity of the human spirit, as exemplified during the rescue, recovery and relief efforts following the 9/11 attacks."
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December 19, 2017

The Upper West Side’s next tall tower reveals its Art Deco design

Despite some initial construction hiccups, plans for the 668-foot residential tower at 200 Amsterdam Avenue continue to move forward. According to YIMBY, the tower's developers, SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan, have unveiled new renderings of the Upper West Side building, including an up-close shot of its crown. Designed by Elkus Manfredi, the exteriors feature an aluminum curtainwall and metal panels. New York firm CetraRuddy will take on the interiors of the 112-unit condominium building.
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December 11, 2017

Extell’s proposal for the Upper West Side’s tallest tower faces backlash from the community

Architecture firm Snøhetta revealed last month their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, slated to be the tallest building on the Upper West Side. Developed by Extell, the condo will rise 69 stories and contain 127 units, featuring series of “sculptural excavations” that are “evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy,” according to the architects. As the New York Times reported, critics of the project from the UWS community say the tower would violate zoning restrictions in the area. Local advocate groups, joined by Council Member Helen Rosenthal and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, are pushing back against the construction of Extell's ultra-luxury tower. In a statement, Rosenthal said, "We will fight this project with every tool at our disposal."
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November 28, 2017

Landmarks votes to consider Philip Johnson’s postmodern AT&T Building for historic designation

By Emily Nonko

This morning the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to calendar the postmodern skyscraper at 550 Madison Avenue, designed by Philip Johnson and completed in 1984. The world’s first skyscraper built in a postmodern style was originally known as the AT&T Building, as the tower served as the company headquarters. Sony moved in in the 1990s, giving it the nickname of the Sony Tower. Last year, the building sold to the Olayan Group and Chelsfield for a whopping $1.4 billion. Their resulting renovation plan, led by Snøhetta, has elicited protest from preservationists who do not want to see changes to the building's impressive arched entryway. Now that the tower's calendared, the developers' $300 million renovation will eventually come up for a landmarks vote by the LPC.
See renderings of Snøhetta's proposal

September 28, 2016

6sqft’s top 10 event picks for Archtober 2016

Now in its sixth year, Archtober is a month-long festival of architecture activities, programs, and exhibitions in New York City. From walking tours and rare opportunities to go inside some of the city's most lauded buildings to panel discussions and film screenings, there's something for everyone in this 100+ event roster. But 6sqft has hand-picked 10 events that are sure to be highlights of this year's festival.
Check out our picks right here

Events & Things To Do

August 10, 2016

Revealed: Kenneth Park Architects Reimagine Penn Plaza as a Vibrant Public Space

The past decade has seen an increasing effort to transform New York City's under-utilized–and sometimes dismal–public spaces into pedestrian plazas and other vibrant and attractive public oases. From Columbus Circle and Times Square to Downtown Brooklyn's Willoughby Street, new car-free spaces encourage passersby to linger and enjoy their surroundings. Vornado Realty Trust (VNO), one of the city's biggest landlords, has been working on a similar transformation of the urban sprawl that surrounds Penn Station and Madison Square Garden by implementing kiosks, seating and attractive architecture. Now, CityRealty.com has revealed new renderings from Kenneth Park Architects (KPA) showing their ideas and recommendations for repositioning retail space and optimizing pedestrian and vehicular circulation.
Take a look at the reimagined Penn Plaza

Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’

Rendering for a proposed new MSG by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

April 27, 2016

Transit Think Tank Says MSG Move Could Be a $5B Example of ‘Architects Run Wild’