aka The Park Imperial

208m/684ft
52 floors
completed in 2003
designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

When completed, the Random House project will bring to New York City for the first time a truly integrated mixed-use tower. To express the dynamic nature of the building's Broadway address, a granite base will serve as the podium from which the glass tower rises to form three sliding crystals in Manhattan's skyline. Wrapped by sculptural granite on the north and south faces to define the headquarters of Random House, the design both unifies and delineates the very different uses of the single building.

Taking advantage of views to Central Park and the Hudson River, the top 23 floors of the building will comprise the residential component of the project in the form of luxury condominiums. The residential component sits above 25 floors of class A office space that will become home to the headquarters of Random House, while project's ground floor will provide prime retail spaces together with separate grand entrances for both the Random House and residential lobbies.

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/9/randomh01current_367.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v156/AtlanticaC5/random.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/9/randomhouse_e3_219.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/9/randomhouse_e2_219.jpg

http://img51.photobucket.com/albums/v156/AtlanticaC5/random2.jpg

http://www.som.com/resources/projects/2/1/9/randomhouse_e4_219.jpg

7/10

7

Messy...

Neither true coherence nor true contrast.

6.5/10

Interesting, but screwed up, 7

7/10

Its elegant and slim but bland.

7/10 Quite nice glass-house

It looks really good in the renderings but the real thing is less than perfect. Looks boring and I dont think the white parts on the side work well.

7/10

7/10

7.5/10 somehow i find this building really cool and interesting. but that's my opinion.

Nice styling, but the massing is very ackward. Also, I imagine that the chnaging facade was also meant to break up the building's bulk from the street, but what it really does is make it seem even bigger, by presenting the shape of a tower with side podiums (like the old Grand Central Tower). It would have looked better if the tower was on the end of the building towards midblock (north?)...

6.0/10

Originally posted by Aquamadoor

7

Messy...

Indeed! 6.5/10

7/10


the white parts of the building took out the charm of the tower.

Originally posted by Aquamadoor

7

Messy...

i agree

6/10

7.5

8/10
I find it interesting.

7/10...Final product is a disappointment compaired to the renderings, the overall shape is good. The base and white portion is horrible, it has no relation to the rest of the building, if it was gone, the tower could've looked much better and would've had a great soaring effect.

This is gross.

3/10

Intesting design and slim !!
8.5/10

The upper part is quite beautiful but I really don't like its base. :bash:
5.5/10...

Cool 8.0

Huh. For some reason, that's not what I expected Random House to look like. Oh well, with any hope, I'll be working there within the next few years.

Looks great. 8/10

8.5/10...beautiful.

Well the top is nice but I don't like the rest that much. It's too wierd and just deosn't work for me. 5.5/10

7/10

This is what I call a unique scraper. 9.0

4.5

What the Hell went wrong..... looks like it's been dropped a couple times. The top half is somewhat redeeming

It's supposed to look like books, I think. Strange. But kinda cool. 7.

7/10

8.5 at least its not another boring block

If it's possible for a building to be too blue, this may be it. I give it a 7.5/10.

Very random design, :lol:, 8

9/10

7/10.

I don't like the white parts on the side, 7.5/10

7.5.

8/10

7.5/10, the lower part is messy

Its a lovely little tower

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/4418/dscf01578dw.jpg

If it's possible for a building to be too blue, this may be it. I give it a 7.5/10.
yes its so blue..... that its actually black. the sky's reflection makes it look blue.

8/10

The tower looks great, but the lower parts are not that great... ;) 8/10

the top of the tower looks nice when viewed from central park. but from other views, it can look rather awkward. the glass helps to make the tower look sleek, but that masonry base make it look rather unprofessional.

7

Nice. 8.5/10.

looks great 9/10

original 7/10

8/10 It looks like 4 buildings glued together

The perfect explanation why one should never trust renderings.

6

8,5/10

ugly base... 6/10

7/10 nice but kinda weird

6.5/10 The glass is nice but that part looks like it's flanked by two separate bland buildings.

6/10 :(

7/10.

On the renderings it looks nicer then IRL. 7/10

It's one of those " whatever buildings". 6/10

I gave this one an 8.

6,5/10 strange

6.5/10 love the trunk of the tower and the top and it looks fantastic from far away, from all angles, especially from the north, Central Park West looking south. But when you get close and you see those awful white arms that have no business being there... thumbs down.

A 10

This is a great looking tower...much better in person, great sliver like height !! :)

One of my new favorite towers of the hundreds! it was named buidling of the year when it opened!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v109/nyctowers/rh1.jpg

truly is random... 7.5 10

7/10

6/10

interesting blend of styles 7/10

8/10

9/10

8,5/10

7/10

I'll give it about a 7.5. If it exceeded 1,000 feet I'd give it a 9.5.

7.5

without the white towers on the side a 9 ,with them still a 8/10

not bad! 7

fantastic, 9/10

8/10

8.

7.5/10

The glass in the center and main part of the tower conflict with the buildings stone colored base.

8/10

8/10

7.5/10

8/10, quite good looking

6/10

8/10. Sleek.

6/10
interesting idea, but to messy

8/10 I like it. :)

i like it. 8/10

7/10

Nothing's interesting for me. A 7/10.

5/10

7.. not my taste

7/10

8/10.

Nice one, a 7,5 out of 10.

7.5/10

6/10

7/10

3.5/10

7/10.

9/10

boxy, nice. 7/10

7.5/10

7.

8/10

There is something of the heritage of New York architecture incorporated in the design. It is vaguely reminiscent of the Rockfeller Centre or some other Art Deco buildings, I feel. At the same time, it is resolutely modern in appearance.
That's a subtlety I really appreciate :-)
8.5/10

a solid 7.

hot 8

10/10

10/10

8/10

9,5/10

8/10

8. Good building. Regards.

8/10

8/10

10/10:)

9/10

8/10

9/10