In an industry-affiliated overshadowed by the so-called ‘starchitects’, do we really know who is dominating in the field of architecture? Often it is found that for most of the projects bearing the big names, there are the firms assuming the roles of “executive architect” that work behind the scenes to enable the high-profile buildings to get through planning and construction.
To give us insight into which architecture practices actually have the most impact across in New York City, The Real Deal have compiled a list of the 30 firms with the highest square footage of new buildings across the five boroughs over a six-year period from the 1st of January 2012 until the 31st of January 2018. There are of course many of the firms that you would expect, although as you will see there are also a few that have gone under the radar so far and may be worth watching out for in the future...
A speculative project, the “New York Super Slender” created by RB Systems, is a futuristic skyscraper that presents a potential new tower typology. With ever-diminishing land space in major cities and a vastly growing population, the project rises to the challenge of optimizing occupancy in a constrained and dense city center.
Construction is moving along quickly on The Eleventh, BIG’s twisting residential towers located near Chelsea Piers on New York City’s High Line park.
A new rendering released of the project shows the design in its final form (developed through a series of iterations), standing out even amongst notable neighbors including Frank Gehry’s IAC Building, Jean Nouvel’s 100 11th Avenue and Foster + Partners’ 551 West 21st Street.
Left image courtesy of Rafael Viñoly Architects. Left image via Field Condition
Rafael Viñoly Architects’ 277 Fifth has topped out at its full height of 663 feet, making it one of the tallest towers in the relatively low-lying NoMad area of Manhattan.
The 55-story condominium tower, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 30th Street, features a restrained facade design composed of lightweight, reinforced, Indigo-colored cast concrete panels that were custom fabricated in Finland. As the building rises, its elevations are punctured by four unique ‘loggias’ that give residents of those units a space for outdoor dining and leisure.
New York-based Stephen B Jacobs Group has almost completed construction on a pair of towers at 29-26 Northern Boulevard in Long Island City. Dubbed the QE7 for its adjacency to the Q, E, and 7 trains (not to mention its cruise ship-like amenities), the pair of towers will contain 467 units, including 13 floors dedicated to the largest co-living development in North America. What makes this building so unique, however, is how the architects and engineers devised a solution to overcome noise generated by the three neighboring subway lines.
Modern cities, especially New York, are always looking for ways to increase density, which often means building in locations that were once overlooked due to their particular site conditions. We spoke with SBJGroup principal Isaac-Daniel Astrachan to find out how his firm managed to reduce noise levels on this site.
Registration now open to projects in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. With the growth of new development and renovation in our boroughs over the past five years, our professional associations are excited to collaborate on this event tailored to professions of the built environment that we all share.
Hudson Yards’ first condominium tower, 15 Hudson Yards, has topped out at its full architectural height of 914 feet, with exterior cladding also more than halfway complete. Designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro (the firm’s first true skyscraper) in collaboration with Rockwell Group and executive architects Ismael Leyva Architects, the tower will contain a total of 285 residences, half of which have already been sold.
Seventeen entries have been selected as finalists in the “Beyond the Centerline” competition, which is seeking ideas for how to “re-envision and enliven the traditional traffic medians of the Park Avenue commercial district between 46th and 57th Streets."
Organized by development company Fisher Brothers, the ideas competition asked architects to submit their “most ambitious and creative visions unencumbered by zoning code, cost, weight limit, or other restrictions.”
Eight long and prosperous years have passed since the first part of the New York High Line opened in 2009. As a prominent piece New York's architectural and urban identity, it is no wonder that it has been awarded the Harvard GSDVeronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design, recognising the ongoing efforts of the Friends of the High Line for their adaptivity to the changing context of the park and their support from the beginning for design excellence.
The jury was particularly inspired by the multidisciplinary project between James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf, spanning the public and private domains as a model of collaborative design. It was also commented on the social and political relevance of the High Line in saving a piece of American history from ruin and interacting through community outreach programs and a wider dissemination program for cities across the US.
Designed by Natalie de Blois and Gordon Bunshaft of SOM and completed in 1961, 270 Park Avenue (formerly known as the Union Carbide Building) is considered a key example of the International Style in New York City that extended and even improved upon the precedent set by Mies van der Rohe’s Seagram Building.
But after new zoning legislation for the neighborhood was passed last year, the building’s current owner, JPMorgan Chase, has announced plans to raze the 707-foot-tall building in favor of a new, hi-tech supertall replacement. If plans go through, it would be the world’s largest and tallest building ever to be intentionally demolished.
SPYSCAPE, a new interactive spy museum dedicated to immersing visitors into the world of espionage, has opened in New York City. Designed by Adjaye Associates, the 60,000-square-foot museum features a range of interactive exhibitions housed within a moody material palette of glowing lights, smoked glass, fiber cement and corten steel.
New York City’s most buzzy megaproject, Hudson Yards, may have just added two more huge names to their list of notable architects, if a new report from the Wall Street Journal is to be trusted.
According to a source the WSJ describes as “a person familiar with the matter,” Santiago Calatrava and Frank Gehry will both design new residential towers for the second phase of the 28-acre complex, located at the north end of the High Line in west Manhattan.
After funding issues threatened to halt the project last year, plans for the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center are now back on track after an agreement made between the venue and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Renderings have been revealed for another landmark addition to Brooklyn’s skyline: 80 Flatbush, a dual tower and school complex to be built in the borough’s fast growing Downtown.
Located on a triangular site directly across the street from TEN Arquitectos’ recently completed 300 Ashland and steps from the Barclay’s Center, 80 Flatbush will consist of a mix of new-built and renovated historic structures. Two towers designed by Alloy Development – the taller of which will reach 986 feet – will flank two new schools designed by Architecture Research Office and two 19th century buildings that will be repurposed as retail and cultural facilities. Open spaces will be designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.
New York’s most highly anticipated cultural venue, The Shed, is giving visitors the chance to preview some of their innovative programming a year before its planned opening at a temporary pavilion designed by architect Kunlé Adeyemi of NLÉ and artist Tino Sehgal.
To be located at the corner of Tenth Avenue and 30th Street in Manhattan – across the street from the rising Hudson Yards development and future home of the Shed – the pavilion has been designed to accommodate a variety of program types with its reconfigurable structure. Events will include concerts, dance battles, discussion panels and more.
A new infinity pool offering unparalleled views of New York City is to be constructed atop KPF’s upcoming Brooklyn Point tower. At 680 feet above grade – nearly 100 feet higher than the iconic infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore – when completed the pool will become the “highest residential infinity pool in the Western Hemisphere."
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