In densely built-up metropolises such as New York, city planners and architects are forced not only to build ever higher, but also to develop innovative concepts. Consequently, just a few streets to the south of the prize-winning project, the railway sites of West Side Yard are currently being extensively built upon with up to sixteen high-rises. The Hudson Yards project is the largest real estate project to date in the USA. The VIA 57 West site on the western edge of midtown Manhattan was originally not envisaged for residential building either. Owing to the predominantly industrial character of the neighborhood – an electricity plant in the north and a waste sorting center in the south - the city administration under Mayor Bloomberg insisted on commercial usage for a long time. In total it took the client and the BIG architects more than one and a half years to convince them to accept residential usage of the site. The planning was also made more difficult by complicated property rights. The site belongs to an ownership community, so the leasehold contract is limited to ninety-nine years. This constellation, as well as the corporate policy of The Durst Organization not to sell any property, culminated in the building of rental housing.
Some of the investor’s specifications with regard to the exterior form were clear: the building was to distinguish itself visually from an office high-rise and at the same time not obstruct the view of the Hudson River from the neighboring residential tower. The architects responded to this with the innovative concept of a “courtscraper”. The hybrid of an American high-rise and a European perimeter development turns away from the building to the north-east and is orientated towards a green interior courtyard. At the same time, it affords views of the Hudson River to the west from the balconies integrated into the roof surface. This sculptural prototype therefore offers a quiet, sheltered oasis within the loud city, without being closed off from it. The creation of such natural and quiet zones in ever denser metropolises is one of the challenges of modern-day city planning and an ever more common aspect of contemporary highrise architecture.
As almost every apartment is unique, owing to the complex geometry of the building, and few types are repeated, the architects had to develop up to 250 different floor plans, which is feasible today using digital tools.
The whole floor above the high, glazed ground floor is dedicated to the many amenities grouped around a park-like interior courtyard sloping slightly upwards and accessed from a circulating walkway, with a pool on the transverse side boasting a sun deck facing the Hudson River. Before that, one passes special environments for small children, teens, and twentysomethings – the latter being a giant lounge for getting to know those who are single. A pool room, a poker room, a golf simulator, a launderette, a reading room, a gallery, a cinema and TV room, hundreds of square meters of fitness equipment and, as a surprise, a double-story basketball hall, are all provided.
In contrast to the sky-scraping pencils with their exorbitant purchase prices of 30,000 to 50,000 euros per square meter, the VIA 57 West is a rental apartment block.
The design of this iconic project took place against the background of the continuously growing success of BIG in the United States. During the six-year planning period, the New York branch of the Danish architecture firm grew from six to 200 employees.
Ecological aspects/sustainability
Use of recycled, renewable, and locally-sourced materials with low VOC content (Volatile Organic Compounds); energy-efficient housing technology; natural ventilation; demand-driven ventilation system; high-performance insulating glass; motion sensors for lighting in public and infrastructural areas; low-flow fixtures; hybrid heat pump; rainwater collection for cooling and irrigation; lushly planted inner courtyard
