There is a life before and after the Lehmann Brothers collapse. During its first life the project of star architect Christian de Portzamparc had the glorious name Carnegie57 – an homage to its famous neighbor. Everything revolved around attributes of superlatives – higher, faster, further. The highest skyscraper in New York, the highest ferro-concrete building, the city’s most high-lying penthouse etc.

Defying the financial Crisis

However, the worldwide financial crisis has caused a great stir in the merry-go-round of vanities. A different tower is now allowed to bear the title of the highest tower, the penthouse will not make 50 million US-Dollars, and Ex-Burj Dubai has shown the world how high you can build with ferro-concrete. But – the building is the first large-scale project to really be woken up from its 100-year sleep by financial partners from the Arabian area. The second life starts off with a re-naming into One57. The program remains: The first 20 floors are going to house a 5***** Park Hyatt with 210 rooms, luxury apartments are going to be spread across the remaining area.

“No wonder it´s apparently not going to be pretty“, some say. The investors’ eager reply: “We think it´ll be the nicest project ever built in New York“...

Cascade-like Terraces

Four years the architects gathered around Christian de Portzamparc have tested various alternatives for making use of the base area, shape, volume, height and spatial program in the best possible way. The geometry is a result of the strict building regulations and structural restraints, having a cascade-like effect on the Southern façade. Each vertical element has a round top, similar to a cap, either concentrating the various construction elements in a constructive manner, or opening up space for extravagant terraces and private platforms providing views across Central Park. Apart from that, the architects consider the shape arising from the floor plan to be the perfect outline being a visual identity of its own, noticeable from afar, within the striking skyline. Various glass types – providing the same visual impression from inside – increase the vertical pattern and at the same time distinguish the Northern-Southern façade from the other sides. The light coming in from different sides results in a changeful play. Sometimes you should let sleeping dogs lie …