Dezeen Magazine

The Spiral by BIG

Supertall skyscraper The Spiral by BIG reaches full height in New York

Architecture firm BIG has topped out a 314-metre-high supertall skyscraper in New York that is set to become the headquarters of coronavirus vaccine maker Pfizer.

Due to complete in 2022, The Spiral will feature landscaped terraces in a stepped design around its exterior, as shown in new visuals released by BIG to coincide with the building reaching its full height.

At 314 metres the building is now the 13th tallest in the city, just behind the Chrysler Building.

Tishman Speyer celebrates The Spiral topping out
Top: BIG released new renderings of The Spiral. Above: Tishman Speyer celebrates the buildings topping out

The 65-storey tower occupies an entire city block in Manhattan's Hudson Yard neighbourhood, where the High Line elevated park meets Bella Abzug Park.

As the final steel beam was hoisted into position on 27 January 2021, developers Tishman Speyer announced that half of the office space in The Spiral has been let.

Renderings of the ziggurat-style profile of The Spiral
The Spiral's stepped back levels will be wrapped in terraces

Pfizer, the American biopharmaceutical company that co-developed one of the coronavirus vaccines, will take over 14 floors of The Spiral for its head offices.

Law firm Debevoise & Plimpton and asset management firm AllianceBernstein will also have offices in the building.

The Spiral by BIG in Manhattan's Hudson Yard
The tower will complete next year

BIG designed The Spiral so that each floor will have access to landscaped outdoor spaces. Its design steps back as it ascends, in a nod to the design of existing towers in the city.

"The Spiral combines the classic ziggurat silhouette of the premodern skyscraper with the slender proportions and efficient layouts of the modern high-rise," BIG founder Bjarke Ingels said when the design was first released in 2016.

Lansdcaped terraces for a skyscraper designed by BIG
Each floor will have access to landscaped terraces

Tishman Speyer is offering a variety of office types in the building, including individual suites, with tenants able to gain access to amenities such as a corporate lounge, meeting spaces and fine dining venues.

"The Spiral represents the ideal collaborative workspace, now more important than ever, combining sustainable design with an elevated hospitality experience," said Rob Speyer.

"The continued rise of The Spiral is a testament to our vision and optimism for New York City's future."

The Spiral is located near BIG's Via 57 West project, the studio's first project in the US, which was recently named among USModernist director George Smart's ten favourite modernist buildings in North America.

It will eventually be joined on the New York skyline by a 500-metre-tall skyscraper designed by engineering firm SOM called 175 Park Avenue that's slated to complete in 2030. The tallest building in New York is still SOM's 540-metre-high One World Trade Center.

Images courtesy of Tishman Speyer.