On the first 3D renderings, it’s hard to understand why Tower Fifth is so talked about. Classic, in glass and steel, without any particular charm, without apparent eccentricity, or innovative details. Then, when you take a step back and it takes shape in the New York skyline, it’s obvious! This super skyscraper takes everyone high and will become, if it ever emerges from the earth, the highest in the city by its ceiling thanks to its 474 meters, the second by its total size, behind the One World Trade Center.
Tower Fifth would become the tallest building in the city by its roof. TMRW via Gensler
The man behind this new monster in the world capital of oversized buildings is none other than Harry Macklowe, the promoter behind another recent tower in New York and already iconic, 432 Park Avenue by architect Rafael Viñoly. This time he hired Gensler law firm, to whom we owe the Shanghai Tower, the second tallest building in the world.
Macklowe has just submitted his file to City Planning and it will still have to receive the approval of the community. Not only from the city, but also from its neighbors, notably St Patrick’s Cathedral, another of the city’s most famous monuments.
To convince the community to accept the project, Gensler designed a bright lobby open to the neighborhood. TMRW via Gensler
And this is where the shoe pinches. The approximately 120,000 m² on 96 floors of Tower Fifth, on the 5e avenue between 51e and 52e streets and its appearance very similar to that of 432 Park Avenue do not appeal to everyone, in the midst of the frenzy of very tall buildings in New York (Jean Nouvel, Christian de Portzamparc, all the architects involved in the transformation of Hudson Yards, the new towers of NoMad…).
In its defense, the Fifth Tower has arguments. Its lobby, open and bright, promises not to ruin the view, nor the perspective, on the cathedral, and its innovative and ecological “skin” should reduce its ecological impact. Finally, the tower will offer one of the best observatories in the city, in the first of the three “blocks” that make up its summit.
If it stands out for its size, the design of Tower Fifth is not very original and is very similar to that of the 432 Park Avenue tower. TMRW via Gensler
What convince New Yorkers to accept a new bar on their skyline, the most famous on the planet? Opinions are divided on forums and social networks … But the budget, which certainly exceeds one billion dollars, should weigh in the balance at the time of discussions with the city. Response during the year.
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