With the construction of Zaha Hadid Architects’ luxury apartment building 520 West 28th Street approaching completion in New York, the globally renowned firm is already setting its sights much higher — quite literally. Compelling new renderings have been unveiled for the renovation and vertical extension of an existing skyscraper at 660 5th Avenue in Midtown, resulting in a tower that will reportedly top 1,400 feet (427 meters) in height should it come to fruition.
Rendering by Methanoia; courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
The visualizations, produced by 2017 A+Awards finalists Methanoia, present an incredibly slender structure with façade details that are characteristic of the architects behind them. An elegant latticework weaves up the lower portions of the tower, stretching out further up to accentuate the building’s incredible height in relation to its high-rise neighbors. The entrance is encased with a concertinaed skin akin to a paper lantern, its fluted forms reminiscent of ZHA’s stunning proposal for the Sleuk Rith Institute in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Rendering by Methanoia; courtesy Zaha Hadid Architects
The proposal reportedly involves stripping the existing 60-year-old building back to its structural skeleton, before increasing its height up to 100 floors to accommodate luxury apartments and a hotel. Its lower levels would be let to high-end retailers.
According to the Wall Street Journal, though, the ambitious project is by no means certain to be realized. The development is owned by Kushner Companies, which is reportedly seeking additional investment from Anbang Insurance Group to help bring the tower to fruition. Even then, Jared Kushner’s new role as adviser to President Donald Trump raises serious concerns pertaining to conflicts of interest.
Should it go ahead, the skyscraper has a tentative completion date of 2025. For more from Zaha Hadid Architects, check out the firm’s in-depth profile here.
