Imposing Big Bend skyscraper in New York
New York, the city of luxury and new opportunities
For many, New York City is a promise of good business, for others a suitable location for creative architectural designs and transformation of the setting. Revival of the residential market and a desire for attractive real estate make the perfect playing field for wealthy investors. Nevertheless, given the strict new zoning laws and city bylaw stipulating the maximum height of buildings, builders have started thinking about alternative ways of developing the city, which is currently only “growing upwards”. A new surprising architectural solution is the replacement of height with length.
The Big Bend – View from the heavens
The Big Bend is a revolutionary tower lined with a glass wall. The E-shaped skyscraper looks like it started growing towards the sky, turned around and descended back to earth. From a distance, it looks like a horseshoe. The building will rise in Manhattan’s 57th Street, which is the site of an important traffic thoroughfare and several of New York’s tallest buildings. The unique, prestigious and luxurious building was designed by Greek architect Ioannis Oikonom and his team a OIIO studio. Big Bend is roughly 1,219 metres long, and proposes the connection of two locations into an unprecedented inverted U structure. One of the highlights is undoubtedly the highest point of the building, which uses a central arch to create the highest ceiling of the “tower”. This location offers an incredibly luxurious view of Manhattan.
Interesting features
The architects have thought everything through to the final detail. There would be two entrances into the building from each of the imaginary “legs” of this luxurious skyscraper. A very interesting attribute are the unique elevators in the Big Bend, which would be capable of travelling in arcs, horizontally and in continuous loops. This will be achieved through an innovative route-changing system, eased by the horizontal connection of two shafts located in the upper and lower side, thus creating a connected loop.
The unique shape of the upside-down U will make the building the tallest skyscraper in the world. Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which took top spot to date, won’t even reach to its ankles. The question is whether an investor can be found for this monumental work.
What does the “U-shaped” building remind you of?
