BIG's 'Spiral' at Hudson Yards

John Hill

9. February 2016

Image: Courtesy of Tishman Speyer

BIG – Bjarke Ingels Group and developer Tishman Speyer have unveiled renderings for a supertall skyscraper with a spiral of terraces overlooking the High Line and Hudson Yards in Manhattan.

The proposed $3 billion tower would top out at 1,005 feet (306 meters) and contain 2.85 million square feet (260,000 sm) of office space over its 65 floors. So far, financing for one-third of the project's cost has been secured, but a groundbreaking date has yet to be announced.

Image: Courtesy of Tishman Speyer

As the renderings and requisite video from BIG make clear, the "ascending ribbon of lively green spaces" are the design's signature element, "extending the High Line into the skyline," in Ingels's words.

"The Spiral" continues into the building in the form of stepped atria that visually connect the open office floor plates. Even if the idea of terraces and vegetation hundreds of feet in the air is more appealing in idea than in reality (taking into account wind and growing conditions), the indoor atria do provide a usable amenity missing in most speculative office buildings.

Image: Courtesy of Tishman Speyer

News about BIG's Spiral comes just a few weeks after their design for 2WTC in Lower Manhattan was thrown into doubt through the withdrawal of its anchor tenants.