Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Ambition pushes us higher. The never-ending quest for generational advancement is no more evident than in the buildings indicative of an era. In recent years the number of supertall buildings has increased exponentially, and nowhere in the United States is this more evident than in New York City.

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has set the height criteria for supertall as “a tall building over 984´ (300 m) in height.” As of July, CTBUH lists 123 total completed buildings that exceed this criterion. New York became home to the inaugural supertall when the Chrysler Building’s spire rose to 1046´ (319 m) back in 1930. The rise to #1 was short lived when the Empire State Building surpassed it 11 months later in 1931 when it topped-out at 1454´ (443.2 m) and held this reign for 40 years. Today, the architectural icon remains the fifth tallest building nationally and 28th tallest in the world, though a new crop of supertalls – many in Midtown Manhattan (The New New York Skyline) – will continue to push these historic towers further down the list. This next wave of supertalls is being facilitated by development practices which permit the transfer of air rights from nearby buildings not maximizing their full entitlement. In cities where the options to expand horizontally are limited, embracing the vertical expansion is on the rise.

As a participant in the construction of custom, high-performance facades, Enclos finds itself on a handful of recent and upcoming supertalls including 432 Park Avenue which was the 100th supertall constructed in the world when it became the tallest residential tower in the western hemisphere upon completion in late 2015. Other supertalls under construction with Enclos’ involvement include 30 Hudson Yards at 1268´ (386.6 m, 73 floors, 2019), 53W53 at 1050´ (320 m, 77 floors, 2018) and Comcast Technology Center at 1121´ (341.7 m, 59 floors, 2018).  53W53, as well as 220 Central Park South – though just shy of supertall status at 950´ (289.6 m, 66 floors, 2018) – will join 432 Park Ave in the high-end residential boom soaring over Central Park. In these residential structures, great value is placed on views, heightening the importance of the performance and aesthetics of the building facade.  Additionally, higher winds, congested sites, delivery of units into the city, all are reasons that point to the prefabricated unitized curtainwall.