Skyscrapers reveal a lot about cities, even if they are set high above them. The massive buildings hold the key to city skylines, project cultural ambition and success, predict economic crisis, and generally transfix us with their feats of engineering and human imagination. The recent super-tall, usually super-thin trend in New York represents the logical next step of Manhattan real estate's steady incline. These buildings boast bluechip amenities, full-floor condos, and $100 million penthouses, so it comes as little surprise that foreign investors are utilizing these properties dually as residences and cash stores. Couple these types of intensive private investments with the civic nature of tall buildings, and you get an interesting case like the Nordstrom Tower, a 1,775-foot-tall 'scraper that will top out as the tallest residential building in the world. But this four-digit number is more symbolically loaded than we first imagined. New York skyline in 2020. Image via newyorkyimby.com It will be the tallest roof in the US, at 1,479 feet above street level, surpassing Chicago's Willis Tower. The project is set to open in 2018 on 57th Street, now known as "Billionaire's Row," and will be designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon ...
Skyscrapers reveal a lot about cities, even if they are set high above them. The massive buildings hold the key to city skylines, project cultural ambition and success, predict economic crisis, and generally transfix us with their feats of engineering and human imagination. The recent super-tall, usually super-thin trend in New York represents the logical next step of Manhattan real estate's steady incline. These buildings boast bluechip amenities, full-floor condos, and $100 million penthouses, so it comes as little surprise that foreign investors are utilizing these properties dually as residences and cash stores. Couple these types of intensive private investments with the civic nature of tall buildings, and you get an interesting case like the Nordstrom Tower, a 1,775-foot-tall 'scraper that will top out as the tallest residential building in the world. But this four-digit number is more symbolically loaded than we first imagined. New York skyline in 2020. Image via newyorkyimby.com It will be the tallest roof in the US, at 1,479 feet above street level, surpassing Chicago's Willis Tower. The project is set to open in 2018 on 57th Street, now known as "Billionaire's Row," and will be designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon ...