Our New York City excursion this past weekend was fantastic but, as with most trips, too brief. Next time I'm there, I'll give myself at least an entire day to explore some of the significant new highrise towers and other buildings that have gone up since my last in-depth Manhattan architecture exploration. There will be a stop at the World Trade Center site, of course, where Tower 1 is climbing with magnificent speed, Tower 4 is well above ground, and the memorial pools and plaza are finally a tangible presence; a visit to Cooper Union's magnificent new Academic Building; the re-clad and re-purposed Museum of Arts & Design (formerly 2 Columbus Circle); and perhaps, finally, a visit to the lobby of the Hearst Magazine Tower, a prismatic Norman Foster icon hovering seemingly weightlessly above the original Art Deco podium. Then, of course, there's Beekman Tower, the tallest building design ever realized by starchitect Frank Gehry. I was amazed to see just how imposing and tall (76 floors) this fairly stand-alone mixed-use building is, viewed from a distance. The familiar blindingly shiny cladding and signature Gehry language of folding, cresting, undulating forms are there on a previously unseen scale. I wasn't sure about this thing before, but as with many buildings, the realized project is suprisingly better than even the best renderings. Must be nice to call this behemoth home!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Beekman Tower, NYC: Frank Gehry's tallest
Our New York City excursion this past weekend was fantastic but, as with most trips, too brief. Next time I'm there, I'll give myself at least an entire day to explore some of the significant new highrise towers and other buildings that have gone up since my last in-depth Manhattan architecture exploration. There will be a stop at the World Trade Center site, of course, where Tower 1 is climbing with magnificent speed, Tower 4 is well above ground, and the memorial pools and plaza are finally a tangible presence; a visit to Cooper Union's magnificent new Academic Building; the re-clad and re-purposed Museum of Arts & Design (formerly 2 Columbus Circle); and perhaps, finally, a visit to the lobby of the Hearst Magazine Tower, a prismatic Norman Foster icon hovering seemingly weightlessly above the original Art Deco podium. Then, of course, there's Beekman Tower, the tallest building design ever realized by starchitect Frank Gehry. I was amazed to see just how imposing and tall (76 floors) this fairly stand-alone mixed-use building is, viewed from a distance. The familiar blindingly shiny cladding and signature Gehry language of folding, cresting, undulating forms are there on a previously unseen scale. I wasn't sure about this thing before, but as with many buildings, the realized project is suprisingly better than even the best renderings. Must be nice to call this behemoth home!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I never knew the word starchitec existed. You rock! Keep these awesome posts coming!! :D
ReplyDeletei recommend taking a look at the building from the brooklyn bridge- interesting to observe the folds from there. i had no idea this was gehry, but now it is making sense. thanks!
ReplyDelete