West 57

Under construction in 2014
Bjarke Ingels: model for the West 57 project

625 West 57th Street, or simply W57, is the working name for a large housing project designed by the Copenhagen and New York based architecture studio the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The pyramid shaped tower block is on West Fifty-seventh Street in New York City.[1]

Bjarke Ingels met the New York developer Douglas Durst in the early 2000s when he was in Denmark with his Danish wife. Durst, who visited Ingels' Copenhagen studio in February 2010, found him very inventive, noting that unlike other architects, "What was striking about his work was that each design was so different, and designed for the locale."[1]

In spring 2010, Durst Fetner Residential commissioned BIG to bring a new residential typology to Manhattan. In 2011, BIG opened an office in New York to supervise W57's development and construction.[2] By mid-2012, the office had a staff of about 50.[1]

Rising on the corner of West Side Highway and 57th Street on Manhattan, West 57 will be Ingels' first New York project. Commissioned by Durst Fetner Residential, the 750-unit building will resemble a distorted pyramid with a steeply sloped facade, rising 142 metres (467 feet) towards the northeast. The triangular structure has been described as a hybrid between a European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise.[2] With its angular balconies around an integrated green plaza, the block will connect with the waterfront and the Hudson River Park, taking full account of the surroundings while providing fine views with little traffic noise.[1][3] The building has a floor area of 80,000 square metres, including residential and retail programming.[4]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Robbie Whelan, "New Face of Design", Wall Street Journal, 22 July 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "West 57th by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group", ArchiTravel, 20 September 2012, Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Kelly Minner, "A BIG New York Debut: West 57th", Arch Daily, 7 February 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  4. ↑ http://static.big.dk/projects/w57/slides/project_sheet_project_sheet_W57_original_original.pdf

Further reading

External links