Work has started on the construction of 56 Leonard Street, a 56-storey residential tower in New York designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron.
The tower, the architects’ first, will be built on the corner of Leonard Street and Church Street in Tribeca.
A specially commissioned sculpture by Anish Kapoor will sit at the corner of the building at street level.
All images are Copyright Herzog & de Meuron, Basel, 2008, and used with permission.
The following information is from the developer:
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CONSTRUCTION BEGINS ON HERZOG & DE MEURON’S 56 LEONARD STREET
Since its formation in 1978, the Basel, Switzerland-based architecture firm of Herzog & de Meuron has achieved international renown for buildings — houses, libraries, schools, stores, museums, hotels, factories, arenas — that strike an uncanny balance between strict refinement and pure invention, practicality and the sublime.
Their recently completed Beijing National Stadium in China, for billions of worldwide spectators the single most enduring image of the 2008 Olympic Games, has redefined the sports arena for the future, while museums like the Tate Modern at Bankside in London and the de Young Museum in San Francisco ambush expectations of what makes a building ideal for art.
With such commissions, Herzog & de Meuron has aimed not for virtuosity but innovation, looking always to the broader culture and art for inspiration. Referring to Andy Warhol, Jacques Herzog has said, “He used common Pop images to say something new. That is exactly what we are interested in: to use well known forms and materials in a new way so that they become alive again.”
On the threshold of its fourth decade, Herzog & de Meuron is poised to reinvent another great architectural prototype as construction begins in New York City on the first hi-rise tower of the firm’s career. 56 Leonard Street will be a 57-story residential condominium building at the intersection of Church Street and Leonard Street in the Tribeca Historic District of downtown Manhattan, where it will rise above cobbled streets and historic 19th century neighbors.
The tower will house 145 residences, each with its own unique floor plan and private outdoor space, in a veritable cascade of individual homes that the architects describe as “houses stacked in the sky,” blending indoors and outdoors seamlessly together.
With its articulated surfaces, dramatic cantilevers, profiled slab edges, profusion of balconies, expanses of glass, and views from downtown Manhattan to as far as the Atlantic Ocean, Herzog & de Meuron’s 56 Leonard Street breaks down the old image of the high-rise as a sleek, hermetically sealed urban object to propose instead a thoughtful, daring and ultimately dazzling new alternative — the iconic American skyscraper re-envisioned as a pixilated vertical layering of individually sculpted, highly customized, graceful private residences opening to the atmosphere.
The architects’ design for 56 Leonard Street also updates the relationship between private tower and public streetscape with an articulated base whose cantilevers generate a sense of movement and permeability. Here, the building’s defining corner will be the site of a major commissioned sculpture by internationally celebrated London-based artist Anish Kapoor.
Fully integrated into the architecture itself as if to say that culture and the city are indivisible, Kapoor’s massive, reflective stainless steel piece – an enigmatic balloon-like form that appears to be combating compression from above – will be a new cultural landmark in Tribeca and the artist’s first permanent public work in New York City.
Kapoor’s sculptural contribution to 56 Leonard Street extends his ongoing exploration of physical and psychological space, as in such works as the “Cloud Gate” in Chicago’s Millennium Park and the recent mammoth temporary installation “Sky Mirror” at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan.
Homes available at 56 Leonard Street will range in size from 1,430 square feet to 6,380 square feet, and will include two- to five-bedroom residences and 10 penthouses. Prices for the residences at 56 Leonard Street range from $3.5 million to $33 million.
56 Leonard Street has been developed by Izak Senbahar and Simon Elias of Alexico Group LLC, New York City, developer of such acclaimed Manhattan projects as The Mark by Jacques Grange and 165 Charles Street by Richard Meier.
Costas Kondylis & Partners of New York City is serving as executive architect for the building. Construction manager for 56 Leonard Street is Hunter Roberts, New York City. Exclusive sales and marketing agent for the project is Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group.
Occupancy at 56 Leonard Street is anticipated in late fall 2010.
“We are extremely pleased and honored to be able to create a tower of true global character at a moment when great architectural ferment is reshaping New York City,” said Izak Senbahar of Alexcio. “With 56 Leonard we aspire to make a unique contribution to the fabric of our town with a building that relates directly to the city but is also an outstanding international address.”
THE BUILDING
At 56 Leonard Street, the architects’ intention is to preserve the celebratory spirit of traditional skyscrapers while introducing new structural possibilities and suggesting fresh ways for people inside such towers to relate to their city.
Inspired by the permeability and spatial qualities of Modernist houses and the great American dream of a customized home, Herzog & de Meuron has replaced the usual extrusion of standardized skyscraper floor plates with a staggered progression of structural slabs turning slightly off axis by degrees as they ascend, creating constant variety among the apartment floor plans.
This structural arrangement of floor plates at 56 Leonard Street will create an irregular flurry of cantilevered terraces up and down the building, making plays of light and shadow that give the tower a shimmering, animated appearance on the skyline and widely varying interiors. 56 Leonard Street contains five key zones ascending from street to sky: lobby, “townhouse” residences, amenities, tower residences, and penthouses.
Appearing to rest upon Anish Kapoor’s sculpture, the base of 56 Leonard Street will have the appearance of a stack of cantilevering volumes with varying degrees of transparency and opacity. This section of the building contains a dramatic double-height, 1,600 square foot lobby with an entrance on Leonard Street adjacent to a verdant exterior vertical garden to the west.
Sheathed in gleaming black granite, the lobby space includes stations for a 24-hour doorman and concierge, with custom designed reception desks by Herzog & de Meuron; private residents’ mail, package and refrigerated storage room; custom-designed visitor seating fixtures; and two separate elevator landings with a total of seven elevators featuring interiors designed by the architects.
Above the 18 foot-high black granite-walled lobby are several floors of residences that relate very directly to the immediate scale and panorama of the neighborhood (homes known by the architects as “the townhouses”) and two full floors of amenities spaces custom designed to the last detail by Herzog & de Meuron.
These include an indoor/outdoor 75-foot infinity edge pool, one of Manhattan’s largest, surrounded by a black terrazzo deck inlaid with spherical glass aggregate. An adjoining outdoor sundeck cantilevers 20 feet over the block to provide extraordinary Tribeca views and a sense of connection to the district.
Other amenities include a fitness center with yoga studio, wet and dry spa features and terrace; a library lounge (above); a screening room; a private dining/conference room; and a Tribeca Tot Room for children’s play and family activities. Every angle and structural element has been designed to create visual access to the cityscape for those inside the building and aesthetic excitement for passersby on the street.
Floors eight through forty-five at 56 Leonard Street containing the building’s one- to five-bedroom residences. In each residence, grand glass doors of up to 12 feet in height lead to private outdoor spaces outfitted with travertine pavers, a frameless balustrade and custom designed handrail. Balconies and terraces are arranged in varied schemes that provide uninterrupted views of the city, its flanking rivers and New York Harbor, and saturate living spaces with light. Interior details, sharply refined by Herzog & de Meuron, enhance the perception of spatial flow and an atmosphere of harmony. The building’s exposed exterior concrete is complemented indoors by a subtle neutral palette of extremely sensual materials. Champagne colored window mullions, satin etched glass, natural pale solid woods, travertine, Thassos marble, polished metals, black granite and high gloss black lacquer accents are part of a super-customized, luxurious package of finishes chosen to complement furniture and art.
Extending the assertive sculptural character of the building’s exterior to key interior details, Herzog & de Meuron has conceived several signature sculptural fixtures for the homes at 56 Leonard Street. Fireplace hearths soar from floor-to-ceiling, crafted by the architects in high gloss white enameled steel. Derived from pragmatic architectural functions, this monumental freestanding sculptural element anchors the great room and provides a dramatic focal point while reflecting and diffusing ambient light.
For 56 Leonard Street kitchens, Herzog & de Meuron have designed a special prep and dining island fitted with a high gloss black lacquer base and enhanced honed black granite countertop – a feature with the alluring curves of a grand piano or an elliptical lozenge – accompanied by a custom hood either sculpted from the wall or descending from the ceiling.
Generous cooking and entertaining spaces are complemented by top line appliances integrated into custom cabinetry, and sleek, minimal glass cabinets designed by the architects. Bathrooms at 56 Leonard Street are similarly meticulous in detail. Curving spaces enclose custom Herzog & de Meuron marble mosaic tiled walls, vanities, cast six foot oval soaking tub, shower, cabinetry and fixtures, all planned in relation to expansive windows framing views in the most private area of the home.
The building’s dramatic nine-story crown contains its apex penthouses – eight occupying full floors and two occupying half floors – will appear on the Manhattan skyline as a chimerical geometric sculpture of stacked, glimmering glass volumes. Ranging in size from approximately 3,650 to almost 6,380 square feet, these aeries embrace the outdoors through expansive private terraces of up to 1,700 square feet. Penthouses are accessed by private elevator. Soaring window walls rise to 14 feet and open onto panoramas of the city and sky.
Summarizing their design, Herzog & de Meuron has said, ““We approached the design process for 56 Leonard Street from the inside out, from the homes themselves. But we also considered the outside in terms of the Tribeca neighborhood. Here you have the small townhouses, the old manufacturing buildings, and the high-rise buildings, but also a lot of little corners and surprising things between. The different scales characterize the neighborhood and we wanted to establish a dialogue among them. For us, creating a building is a research process. We call it a journey.”
Additional public information about 56 Leonard Street is available online at www.56leonardtribeca.com.
September 14th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
H&dM’s second NYC disappointment.
JENGA!!!!!!!!!!
September 14th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
hmm.. its a battle
http://www.archdaily.com/6174/oma-unveils-design-for-their-first-residential-tower-in-ny/
Somehow I think rem won this won. OMA’s proposal seems to push the envelope a little more. H&dM’s bldg reminds me of all the new glass bldgs going up around NYC but on droids.
September 15th, 2008 at 12:27 am
I like. Something away from all the fluid, sinuous and overtly clean towers we are getting these days
September 15th, 2008 at 12:42 am
amazing….simple and stack
September 15th, 2008 at 1:13 am
Right on
September 15th, 2008 at 1:43 am
This structure goes to reinforce why Herzog & De Meuron are two of the most prolific architects of our time.
September 15th, 2008 at 1:43 am
I can’t help but think its design reminds me of a jenga-like skyscraper, especially the top portion of the building… The Anish Kapoor “blob” sculpture at street level looks forced and restricted within the context of the architecture and streetscape (at least from the photo provided.) Nevertheless, it’s a very interested project..
September 15th, 2008 at 3:58 am
Very Hong Kong
September 15th, 2008 at 5:58 am
updated and quick responded design news
September 15th, 2008 at 7:04 am
it’s no longer just “who are you wearing?”, it’s becoming “who do you live in?” for new yorkers. why all of a sudden is every big-name firm building a top-of-the-pyramid apartment high rise in nyc? however, the most amazing thing is that they are all actually good projects..
September 15th, 2008 at 7:53 am
perfect for base jump ! (i hate skyscraper)
September 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Oh, that’s tall..
Like the new OMA building on One Madison Park better tho. That one’s a winner.
September 15th, 2008 at 8:39 am
great article of living skycraper in new york by herzog de meuron!
September 15th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Beautiful, Gray a littke bit 70’s outlook, but the way each appartment is stucked up suggests wonderful experiences over the city. Only not sure as it may appear as vibrant as in this electric images in reality, rather looks like on of those 70’s office buildings?
September 15th, 2008 at 9:56 am
those are some high end units…..damn. thats not going to be cheap.
can we get some social housing projects or something that isn’t starchitects getting filthy rich for a change?… i would commend the first starchitect to do a major pro-bono project.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:03 am
the concept of stacking “modernist” houses on top of each other to form an apartment block has been around for a number of years already. .. Amongst many others, this development in China by Behnisch and Partners in 2003 was also based on the same idea:
http://www.spyshanghai.com/en/2007/01/12/anting-new-town-neighbourhood-anting-shanghai-in-planning
September 15th, 2008 at 11:08 am
dont even get me started on having a utopian (and insanely expensive) anish sculpture seemingly being squashed by a giant necropolis for modern day money vampires…
that white couch was enough.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:58 am
oh my god.
who wants to live in the last appartment on top??
if not already insane from the start when moving into an appartment
like this, one will surely become soon,
because the permanent suggestion is: I AM GOD.
american psycho 4, above the clouds, on top of the very mad world.
i was really enthusiastic about most of the buildings from h&m,
but now they really seem to loose contact to reality and humanity.
devide this building into 8-10 appartmenthouses,
6-7 storys high and you did an excellent job
as an architect in respect of human beings of flesh and blood.
September 15th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Curious…the one reoccuring comment on dezeen, and meaningless, it’s been done before!
September 15th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Wow. beautiful renderings.
some of the balconies overhang quiet a bit! Will be like living on a cloud over New York.
I want one….
September 15th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
think of how much fun it would be to snort some sugar in one of those things. master of the universe indeed.
September 15th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
this is another masterpiece of the journey of herzoq de meuron!!! i love it!!
September 15th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
out of place
September 15th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
it’s not quite as metaphoric as the OMA tower that moves out of the NYC grid to have a more interesting view but I think this one will have incredible spaces on the scale of a single person using the building. And it’s also a very impressive use of parametric software to determine the organisation of “the jenga blocks” in function of lighting on the terraces etc.
September 15th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
“Hail to the rigourous minimalister Duo!”
September 15th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
Most of us may consider the problem of this amazing tower.But It’s beautiful.I like it.
September 15th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
looks cool but i wouldn’t get a unit there. Most likely it isn’t but it kinda looks unstable from a structural point of view
September 16th, 2008 at 2:06 am
Please disregard any previous comments made by the alleged critical cow.
I think this is a triumph. A unique addition to NY’s skyline AND streetscape. Both very important aspects of any good tower design. If 40 Bond is anything to go by, the apartments will be spectacular.
Now, where’s that spare 15 million I had lying about ?
September 16th, 2008 at 2:41 am
soooooo posh.
September 16th, 2008 at 3:47 am
oma x sanaa = hdem?
September 16th, 2008 at 4:35 am
Wait, how many buyers do they need to find to fill this tower? I think I recall the prices start at 3.5 million and run through 33million per apartment.
Lets think through this post-Bush real estate idea for one second:
Isn’t it a bit tragic that at nearly the same day dezeen posts tthis Lehman Bros. files for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch is forced to sell? In New York we are still recovering from the recent bailouts of the two largest Mortgage lenders in the US, FannyMae and FreddieMac, and most imporatntly the federal bail out of BearStearns. CountryWide Federal hit the skids, and it seems A.I.G and Washington Mutual Bank aren’t far behind..
There will always be people looking to invest in New York city. It has limited inventory and a place in cultural history that ensures its value-
But articles like this make me glad that it isn’t me who has to sell this insane number of multi-multi million dollar apartments in this environment.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080915/FREE/809159970/1123/newsletter01
Also, don’t wealthy people like a sense of exclusive limited-edition? This is a residential stadium!
September 16th, 2008 at 5:48 am
Expensive and the exterior maintenance will be an issue. Structurally will have problems with the wind, since is not aerodynamic; During storms, certain joints will have leaks. I like the sculpture by Anish Kapoor.
September 16th, 2008 at 10:47 am
This eerily reminds me of a Spanish project in Poznan, Poland:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=1599
Pics:
http://www.skyscrapernews.com/imagesall.php?ref=1599&idi=Poznans+Giant+Jenga+Block&self=nse&no=1&selfidi=1599PoznansGiantJengaBlock_pic1.jpg
Seems like the “jenga” concept isn’t unique…
September 16th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
ripping off the slum look. In Kowloon this is just another dirty building
September 16th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
…looks like the ‘ Paul Rudolph’s Graphic Arts center (New York) ‘…
http://www.gibson-design.com/forum-storey-rudolph.html
September 17th, 2008 at 3:58 am
I think this is pretty much an icon of New York/London/Tokyo/The West Today. I think it’s a beautiful sksycraper. But that’s it.
I read somewhere (I think it was on the comments for OMA’s version of a cantilevered tower, it’s like the arms race but with skyscrapers) that buildings like these reflect the culture of our times: simple forms with amazing technology beneath them. I reckon that’s true.
But the other thing they reflect is the massive, enormous, eons wide gap between rich people and poor people at the start of the 21st century. I’m getting tired of Architecture For The Rich. Where is the social content? If this is based on modernist boxes piled on top of each other (good idea) then where’s the ideals of modernism?
The closest you or I or the massive majority of people will ever get to this building is sitting in a park with our friends looking at it. It’s nice to look at, but until architects build amazing buildings for poor people, too, then it doesn’t mean anything to us.
I know H and deM have created beautiful stadiums (like Allianz Arena) that are for everyone to use, and that really contribute to a city. But I would love love love it if they took on a social housing contract for some forgotten slum, and created something amazing for the people who create all of this wealth.
The text above made uncomfortable reading. Black granite swimming pools with spherical glass inserts and ample space for the creation of cuisine? A sculpture from Anish Kapoor squeezed in as a sweetener, to impress stock-brokers who might be wavering because of the credit crunch? Don’t give us lifestyle brochures, Dezeen.
One Billion People Live in Slums. Don’t forget it.
September 17th, 2008 at 4:29 am
absolutely breathtaking. will be amazing, i’m sure.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
hdm’s quality control is seriously lacking these days.
i’m not sure how they managed to pack so much BS hyperbole into
one design proposal, but they certainly did.
A re-invention of the high-rise type? to a very limited extent…
designs as bad as this are 10 a penny in shanghai
September 17th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Paul Rudolph often incorporated design ideas of other architects into his work, and even joked about it, saying “A good idea is a good idea,” However, I find it unconscionable that Paul Rudolph is not mentioned as an insiprationl source for this new 56 Leonard Street highhrise. It’s an exciting new building and should certainly be encouraged, but it also looks like Paul Rudolph’s Graphic Arts Center project on Prozac. Is this failure to credit out of self promotion or shameful ignorance?
September 17th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
polishing the Anish Kapoor sculpture in NYC….. not a job I’d want.
September 17th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
i’m spraying cum everywhere
September 17th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
architects should stop trying to defy the concept of tower by stacking numerous different floor plans which results in yet another ‘pixelated tower’ effect. This one, especially looks really messy – i like OMA’s 22nd street way better. Loving Kapoor’s squashed bean tho.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:05 am
it’s the game “jenga”
September 20th, 2008 at 4:38 am
This represents everything that’s wrong with modern tall building architecture. A jumbled stack of glass boxes? Really? Thats what we’ve come to?
September 24th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
The beautiful concept a new aparttyment building in New York Ci
September 25th, 2008 at 11:58 am
pixelated was done long ago by OMA for a campus in Tokyo in ‘04
http://www.oma.eu/index.php?option=com_projects&view=portal&id=570&Itemid=10
September 25th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
stacking boxes is becoming bored…
September 26th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Those slabs will look terrible! Dont leave them just like that, please!
October 24th, 2008 at 2:01 am
This is just not my cup of tea.
If I had to live there, I would alwys have a fear of its tumbling down right in the middle of a climax!
November 22nd, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Disappointing, looks like it should be in Dubai instead. New York is the birth of the “skyscraper” where’s the logical progression in this scheme? Check the old books on planning guidelines for the new york skyscraper, had very cool designs and drawings.
January 24th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Habitat ‘67
Welcome to the cutting edge of 40 years ago.
January 25th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Nobody seem to notice that the “silver bean” sculpture is almost an exact replica of the one in Chicago, so boring!. The building totally looks like a slum building in Kowloon…only way taller, big deal. This really shows no intelligent design or truly forward thinking, just marbelized WOW factor…again, boring!
April 21st, 2009 at 12:45 am
Looks good. Bit tessellic & cluttered!
June 30th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
i think, cheungvogl designed this a few hours before hdm – not that high, but much cooler!
http://cheungvogl.com/alexander_house_ny.htm
July 5th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
completly agree – cheungvogl rock!
July 7th, 2009 at 9:49 pm
Dear Chandelier,
Dear Jack,
Thank you for the appreciation of our design!
We see our design and the design of Herzog & de Meuron as completely independent from each other, as both react separately and reasonably in their own way, depending on requirements, brief and aim for approach, as obviously very different situations.
Reading through the ongoing controversial discussion, we think, as designers we can agree, that almost none of our ideas is born out of the innocence of pure innovation, but driven from the ‘good ideas’, which were implemented into our thinking (as reference to Rudolph) by seeing and realizing good ideas. Cheungvogl formulated the sentence “Yesterdays thought is the ground of today’s thought to grow from.” some time ago. Rudolph, OMA and many others might have explored the idea of the “pixilated high rise” before – nevertheless, it lacks of the successful realization of this beautiful concept until today – and if HDMs’ design can be described as ’pixilated high rise’, we would be very happy, to see this beautiful project being realized.
We in cheungvogl believe that HDMs’ design is a beautiful, functional form-follows-function design, which successfully stands against many form-driven high rise proposals, these days.
Our own project, Alexander House NY, sets itself into the given surrounding in a very different way. We respect adjacent context and regulations as environmental studies, to organize our project in a very integrative way, as it is set in the situation as a mid rise building in a mid rise surrounding – context and integration are very much different from the bespoke project.
Nevertheless, we follow the discussion with deepest interest, as we as cheungvogl appreciate very much the democratic and inspirational interchange on dezeen.com.
Christoph Vogl, cheungvogl
July 9th, 2009 at 3:05 am
makes the surrounding buildings look like prison architect, brilliant although kapoor contribution looks like the building had just done a …… nevermind
July 10th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Cheungvogl and Herzog and De Meuron show two truely beautiful contributions to New York.
The only way they show any simularity is: they are both beautiful.
September 17th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
i like the renderings but i can barely see the difference between this tower and oma’s new tower in singapore? so i wouldnt exactly call it innovative..
http://www.oma.eu/index.php?option=com_projects&view=project&id=1156&Itemid=10
November 24th, 2009 at 9:53 am
don’t they have a website?
the only herzog de meuron site with a good project overview I found is:
http://www.swissmade-architecture.com/?seite=3
Does anyone know their webaddress?
May 14th, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Interesting when viewed from say 25 to 50 feet away. The massing and parts and overhangs could be quite striking. Especially as Sun and Shadow has a play on it. But the overall tower when viewed from far away (as a whole) is a bit haphazard and unappealing. It looks like a precarious tower cobbled together by people who know nothing of engineering (or architecture for that matter). – but of course it must be ingenious in its engineering to be built.
The interior spaces and their relationship to views to the city could also be quite interesting.
May 31st, 2010 at 4:12 am
I voyeurs delight .. I am sure you know how many NYers own these super binoculars to gaze at anything else but stars.
For the structure itself I cant wait to hear the wind whistle along all these edges.
Talk about the utmost ANTI aero dynamic structure ever.
Like one of these super tall club sandwiches that ….always…somehow
sooner than later fall over..
June 30th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Indeed, an innovative approach, in essence redefining or reinventing the high-rise residential morphology. Any objections to this work, arise out of sheer ignorance of the psycho-social requirements of residential high density architecture. Units are unique and independent, with their own private balconies…single family homes stacked to the sky. Out of this simple idea, emerged a new aesthetic.
Bravo to my colleagues !
Michael A. Vidalis
Architect
Athens, Greece
July 28th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
The closeup pics are beautiful, but the overview building pics looks like a powerhouse in the centre of NYC.