BIG architects: west 57th residential building, new york

'west 67th' by bjarke ingels group in new york city
all images courtesy bjarke ingels group


internationally renowned danish architects bjarke ingels group has revealed their design of 'west 57th',
a new 600-unit residential building in new york city. located between 11th and 12th avenues adjacent
to the hudson river, the building is the firm's first project in norther america.

'new york is rapidly becoming an increasingly green and livable city. the transformation of the hudson river
waterfront and the highline into green parks, the ongoing effort to plant a million trees, the pedestrianization
of broadway and the creation of more miles of bicycle lanes than the entire city of my native copenhagen
are all evidence of urban oases appearing all over the city. with west 57th, we attempt to continue this
transformation into the heart of the city fabric - into the center of a city block,' says bjarke ingels, founder of BIG.



street view


sampling from both european and american typologies of density housing, the design explores
a new hybrid standard that combines a traditional courtyard building with manhattan's highrise form.
after compactness and efficiency is achieved through a perimeter block organization, the north-east corner
is pulled up vertically to a height of 142 m. by keeping the other three corners low to street level,
the courtyard is opened towards the hudson river, providing views and sunlight into every unit.





the dynamic form of the building shifts dramatically according to the viewer's vantage point:
from the west site highway, the building takes on a warped pyramid-like appearance while on
west 58th street, the residential complex resembles a slender glass spire. the courtyard remains
visually accessible from the street to serve as an extension from the adjacent greenery of
the hudson river park.



hudson river park



view from a unit












view from west 58th street



street front



night view



a cross between a traditional manhattan high-rise with a european perimeter block



schematic diagrams



resulting form facilitates natural daylight and views



physical model






from the hudson river