New York, NY
With an extraordinary ratio base-to-height of 1:23, 111 W. 57th St. will rank among the tallest buildings in New York City and the slenderest skyscrapers in the world. The residential tower on “Billionaire’s Row,” to be completed in 2020, will climb to 1,428 ft. / 435 m., a height achieved both by its extreme slenderness and by the purchase and transfer of unused air rights from adjacent properties. Rising from an inset in the light court of the landmarked Steinway Building (1925), the tower has a footprint of a mere 59 ft. by 78 ft.
The building sets back at its upper stories with a feather-like profile that conforms to the West Midtown zoning envelope. The east and west façades, which also serve as shear-wall structures, are faced in decorative white terra-cotta and bronze panels. On the glazed north and south façades, the tower offers spectacular panoramic views of the city and Central Park.