met the New York developer Douglas Durst in the early 2000s when he was in Denmark. Durst, who visited Ingels' Copenhagen studio in February 2010, found him very inventive, noting that unlike other architects, "What was striking about his work was that each design was so different, and designed for the locale." In spring 2010, Durst Fetner Residential commissioned BIG to bring a new residential typology to Manhattan. In 2011, BIG opened an office in New York to supervise W57's development and construction. According to The New York Times, the name was chosen "because the southbound West Side Highway slopes down as drivers enter the city, right at the spot where the building is situated", serving as an entrance to Manhattan "via 57th".
Description
West 57 is Ingels's first New York project. While the views from Manhattan of the 709-unit building resemble a distorted pyramid with a steeply sloped facade, rising toward the northeast, a different perspective can be seen from across the river in Weehawken, New Jersey. The most unrecognized feature created by the building's sloped facade is the appearance it gives of an extra large sailing vessel making its way across the Hudson River. With its angular balconies around an integrated green plaza, the block will connect with the waterfront and the Hudson River Park, taking full account of the surroundings while providing fine views with little traffic noise. The building has a floor area of including residential and retail programming. The northern facade of the building features a number of balconies skewed at a 45-degree angle, a pattern employed in previous works such as the VM Houses, in the Ørestad section of Copenhagen.
Reception
The triangular structure has been described as a hybrid between a European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise. One reviewer described it as a torqued pyramid or "a quarter of a watermelon that’s had a large chunk surgically extracted from its center." It was given the Emporis Best Skyscraper design award in 2016.
Other features
runs an eight screen theatre on the ground floor of the building.
Awards
2016 CTBUH Tall Building Awards: Best Tall Building Americas
