Come Fly With BIG: Watch This Incredible Drone Footage of Bjarke Ingels’ Manhattan “Courtscraper”

Drones are on the rise, as we’ve seen with Foster + Partners’ recent unveiling of the world’s first “droneport” for delivering aid to remote regions of Africa. Despite this remarkable development, most drones are still used for recreational purposes, and, in the architectural realm, that means making majestic movies like the one below, providing a whole new perspective of construction progress on BIG’s West 57th condominium:

The unconventional pyramidal building has been described by Ingels as a “courtscraper,” owing to its hybrid form that combines elements of a high-rise building with those of a traditional European perimeter block. The building topped out in the fall of 2014, and cladding is now being added to the building’s expansive, sloping elevation between integrated balconies that offer stunning views across the Hudson River.

BIG’s diagrams for West 57th, the Meatpacking District, New York City

The drone also captures images of the building’s soaring vertical elevations, giving glimpses of the faceted walls of glass that permit further views toward the water. Rising up at the northeast corner, the building’s highest point is 450 feet high, making it BIG’s tallest topped-out building to date . However, this height will soon be eclipsed by the Telus Sky Tower in Calgary, 726 feet high, and eventually 2 World Trade Center, which will reach up to 1,340 feet in Manhattan.

Check out more of BIG’s works-in-progress and complete projects over on their comprehensive firm profile page.