Bjarke Ingels' W57 'Courtscraper' project in New York's Hell's Kitchen is taking shape, with the first interior construction site photos posted last night on NY Curbed via Field Condition.
The 80,000sq m development will have 709 apartments and 45,000sq ft of leisure, retail and commercial space. Leisure amenities will include a pool and gym, along with a cinema, golf simulator and basketball court, with details of retailers and commercial tenants not yet released. The building is BIG's first in New York City.
W57, which topped out in November, was commissioned by Durst Fetner Residential, a partnership between New York's Durst Organization and Sidney Fetner Associates. Durst and Fetner parted company amicably on 1 January this year, leaving the scheme within the Durst porfolio.
Speaking about the development of the concept for W57, Ingels – who moved to New York in 2010 to start the project – said the location suggested the solution "The site is sandwiched between a power plant, a waste management facility and New York City's West Side Highway," he explained. "In that location, they really needed an oasis. I considered the kind of place my dad lived when he was growing up in Copenhagen – a house with a courtyard – as part of the solution.
"In an architectural sense, the European courtyard has the same function as Central Park at city scale – it's an oasis," said Ingels.
From this starting point, the architectural team asked "What happens when you cross breed a sky scraper with a courtyard," said Ingels, "What could a 'Courtscraper' look like?"
The resulting building is an asymmetric tetrahedron with a courtyard at its heart, as Ingles explains: "The courtyard wall extends to 476 feet in the north east corner to get the density of a high-rise, but it opens up to the south and the west for views and sunlight, becoming a striking silhouette on the West Side waterfront."
The form of the building shifts depending on the viewer’s vantage point, appearing like a pyramid from the West Side Highway before turning into a dramatic spire when viewed from West 58th Street: "From the east, it's a glass spire and inside the courtyard has the same proportions as Central Park – except it's 13,000 times smaller," says Ingels.
"It has the height of a handrail to the south west and the height of a tower to the north east, so everybody there has a view over the water," he continued. "Herringbone-patterned terraces will allow apartment in the tower to have views of the Hudson River.
"It's becoming a pretty smashing contribution to the New York skyline," said Ingels.
About Durst
Founded in 1915, the Durst Organization is one of the biggest real estate developers in the US, controlling a commercial and residential portfolio that generates US$300 million in annual income.
Properties include 855 Avenue of the Americas, West 57th Street, The New School, Halletts Point and 600 West 58th Street. The company is a partner in the development of the One World Trade Center Tower, New York.
