NEW YORK | 432 Park Ave | 426m | 1398ft | 89 fl | U/C

[yankeesfan1000]

Originally Posted by aquablue

Midtown is a business. Romanticizing the situation is pointless really. They. the powers that be, don't care about 'charm' in midtown and it is a rather futile practice to hope that they are going to landmark or leave untouched every pre-war building that looks anyway 'pretty'. It is a cramped space that requires continual renewal and taller towers to deal with upgrading office, retail and attracting more wealth. You can't just target the 'ugly' mid-century buildings first, it does not work like that in the real world of leases and demolition costs. If you only like midtown for its historic charm, I don't think you know NY very well. Midtown is not what anyone would consider charming. It is a power hub full of eclectic styles, and its scale and activity would negate anything that remotely resembles charm in the opinion of many people...

Very, very well said.

What people are not understanding is that Midtown is one neighborhood in Manhattan. They act as though the only historic buildings in the city are in Midtown, when there a many, many, many neighborhoods with far more architecturally significant buildings.

But all this talk is cluttering, and taking this thread off topic. erbse, if I make a thread for this in the Architecture, or NY forum, can we cut this stuff? This discussion is simply not relevant anymore. If the Drake were being demolished, or that process was about to start, then fine but this discussion should be about the tower. Nothing else.

[GunnerJacket]

Originally Posted by kanye

432 Park Avenue

Location: New York City, USA

Height: 426m

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1195971

Everytime I chide the "design" of this structure I'm told that it isn't final, as if there're so many more pending changes that these images merely represent the massing of the tower. So what's the case? Is this the final design? I'll have my barf-bag handy while awaiting the answer.

[ThatOneGuy]

The blueprints and floor plans matched that picture pretty well, in fact almost perfectly, so... I think it is final.

[patrykus]

This is final design (or at least last we got). Imo empty spacings makes huge difference (I don't like it at all on the render posted by Gunner). But I understand some may still don't like it.

[600West218]

Yes the design sucks. But it doesn't matter that much. The significance of this tower is in its height. It, along with One57, 225West57, Torre Verre and others mean that now any building in NY that wants to be considered first rate and command top dollar has to be over 1,000 feet tall.

The NYC skyline will be radically different in 30 years thanks to this tower.

[Funkyskunk2]

Did you guys miss these? edit: nvm

http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/im...0606143514.jpg

http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.c...6/11.jpg?w=900

http://nyoobserver.files.wordpress.c...5-am.png?w=900

[Hudson11]

even if it might be an eye soar during the day it will look interesting at night with the spacings lit

[spectre000]

It needs some color. Some earlier renders showed a greenish-blueish color. I hope it'll have something. Bare looking concrete like the above render is way too bland.

[Eric Offereins]

Originally Posted by patrykus

This is final design (or at least last we got). Imo empty spacings makes huge difference (I don't like it at all on the render posted by Gunner). But I understand some may still don't like it.

I agree, these spacings are a good addition to the design.

[ThatOneGuy]

It's not bare concrete, it will be coated in nickel

[patrykus]

Actually bare concrete is not white, but gray. And this tower will have pure white appearance contrasted with dark glass.

[spectre000]

Originally Posted by patrykus

Actually bare concrete is not white, but gray. And this tower will have pure white appearance contrasted with dark glass.

Pure white and dark glass is still pretty plain IMO. Some vibrant colors would do wonders for this tower.

[Jay]

I remember hearing it was going to be covered in shiny nickel, don't know if that's true or not though.

[patrykus]

Originally Posted by spectre000

Pure white and dark glass is still pretty plain IMO. Some vibrant colors would do wonders for this tower.

We are getting on the field of personal fancys, but I always felt making simple contrasts is the basic idea behind this project. Blueish glass or structure would destroy that effect imo.

Would you rather like something like this more?



This is what I posted some time ago. Existing building in new york by the same architect with quite similar pattern that we are going to get here. The building itself is obviously way less catchy but still it shows well that this pattern looks quite pleasant imo and fits location nicely.

Originally Posted by patrykus

I believe he was talking about Robert. Seems like I'm not the only one who sens his superiority complex after all Aon's fascist facade? You are going down buddy

Anyways maybe something on topic for a change:

I looked trough the other works of Rafael Viñoly the architect of 443. Granted they do love boxes I found the one below, Flatotel in NY. I think this is more or less how the cladding of 443 may actually look like. Maybe it won't be that bad after all. I like how the surface is 3d. At least not another boring flat glass wall.

image hosted on flickr

[dexter2]

At first i loved this tower. And don't get me wrong - I still like it very much. But I'm starting to think that it may be simply too high.
Consider that It'll be in fact twice as high as buildings sorrounding the spot. Boxy shape and ridiculous proportions are not making this situation better - ESB has a spire, It's natural for it to be much higher... But this?
I'm just afraid It will stand out too much in skyline. And in this bad way if you know what I mean - much worse than in case of ESB and old WTC.







The only hope is that not far away will grow some 300-350m towers, so that great stick could blend a little... but not disappear

[patrykus]

Of course it will stick out extremely. We can only hope for some tall surroundings around it as you said. Someone posted a skyline poster with this tower some time ago showing clearly how this will stand out seen from far.

[patrykus]

here it is:

image hosted on flickr


And keep in mind it is even shown along with future towers that aren't there yet.

[dexter2]

This banner is from far, far away... Angles from smaller distances won't make it that tall I hope... but still - to high.

[erbse]

Originally Posted by ThatOneGuy

It's not bare concrete, it will be coated in nickel

Where did you get that from?

[ThatOneGuy]

A few months ago there was a post that specified nickel.