Ninety years later, in 2015, construction began on the Tower. Steinway Hall, designed by Warren and Westmore architects, opened on what’s now known as Billionaire’s Row in 1925. Back in 1864, the company had opened a hall at 109 East 14 th Street, a Downtown New York street that used to be known as Piano Row.īut after Andrew Carnegie’s eponymously named Carnegie Hall opened in 1891, becoming a mecca for musicians, the company knew it was time to move on up to chase those piano sales. The Tower is an extension of Steinway Hall, a landmark building built as a recital hall and store for the piano maker Steinway & Sons. However, How Stuff Works reports that because it can sway up to three feet, some people have experienced nausea. To abate any vibrations in Steinway Tower, there’s an 800-ton tuned mass damper. Carleton Strength of Material Laboratory, reassured that even a common office building moves but workers tend to not notice. Meanwhile, Adrian Brügger, who directs Columbia University’s Robert A. They’re just designed in a way to make anyone inside them not actually feel it. The firm has also been involved in the 34 th Street Station – Number 7 Subway, 7 World Trade Center, two buildings in Hudson Yards, and the super-slender building 53w53, New York (previously called MoMA Tower), among others.īut exactly how sturdy is a supertall, thin building like this? Inside Science answered the question: John Ochsendorf, who is an MIT structural engineer that was not involved in this particular project, revealed that buildings of great height will, of course, sway. Structural engineering was provided by WSP, a professional services firm whose New York roots date back to 1885. It also has more than 5.5 million feet of rebar. This means it has a height-to-width ratio of just 24:1.Īlthough from the outside it may look remarkably fragile with its glass curtain walls, the Tower is reinforced by what’s reported to be the world’s highest-strength concrete. The building stands 1,428 feet high, making it the Western Hemisphere’s second tallest residential building. The recently opened Steinway Tower is being heralded as the world’s skinniest tower. After all, it takes high-quality engineering and materials to make a thin building sturdy. Slender architecture further implies architectural prowess and innovation. And while some might think such slender buildings might recede behind other architectural gems, they stand out, demanding attention, because they are so unique. Fewer units available quite obviously leads to greater exclusivity. In crowded cities, where property is counted in square feet instead of acres, slender buildings represent prosperity. Suddenly, super skinny skyscrapers began shooting up along its skyline. In contrast, Hong Kong was building itself up as a financial capital, which was reflected in its architecture. Brutalist architecture was practical architecture that served the common man. The city was rife with economic struggles that led even to sanitation being cut. The New York of the 1970s was perhaps typified by Brutalism: an ode to concrete.
Rising toward the sky was a building so tall and so skinny it disrupted the skyline - Steinway Tower. Such was the culture of Midtown, where busy executives folded their pizza slices in half to eat as they power walked to their next meeting.įor the next few years, my friend and I spent countless lunch breaks meandering up Fifth Avenue and into Central Park.
When I explained that my office was renting out two of the floors in the building, she remarked that she knew whoever was in the elevator couldn’t be someone already working there because no one held the door open. “What are you doing here?” she asked as we squealed and hugged. I heard shuffling and held the elevator door open - and in walked one of my closest friends, whom I’ve known since first grade. Now, I was pushing my way past tourists and businessmen wearing ties and Italian leather shoes. For most of my career, I’d worked in quieter, artsy neighborhoods of New York.
Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox.Īs I waited for the elevator doors to close behind me, I steadied myself to adjust to working in a new office. Welcome to Thomas Insights - every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry.
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