Don’t blink, you may miss something! New York is in the midst of a building boom the likes of which have not been seen since the early 20th century. Not only is the iconic Manhattan skyline redefining itself — this moment of transformation is spreading to the far reaches of Manhattan and the outer boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
The international players
One of this year’s architectural highlights was the opening of VIA 57 West — New York’s first building by BIG. Several other BIG projects are in the making, including 2 World Trade Center; a skyscraper at Hudson Yards, and a viewing platform at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Calatrava’s WTC Transportation Hub finally opened this year in Lower Manhattan and REX’s performing arts center is planned next to it. Two new buildings by Herzog and de Meuron are about to open: 56 Leonard, the “tower of stacked boxes” in downtown as well as a residential project (together with John Pawson) in the Lower East Side. The late Zaha Hadid will be remembered in Chelsea by two works, the first will open in 2017. David Adjaye is working on the new Studio Museum in Harlem, not far from his already finished residential Sugar Hill project. In midtown, new skyscrapers by David Chipperfield, Norman Foster and Jean Nouvel are currently under construction. Tadao Ando’s residential building is taking shape in Nolita and Isay Weinfeld’s first NYC building is rising along the High Line.
