One57 Building

The One57 Building is a Contemporary skyscraper designed by Christian de Portzamparc, in association with SLCE Architect LLP, and built between 2009 and 2014, for a reported $1.50 billion dollars, in New York, NY.

Its precise street address is 157 West 57th Street, New York, NY. You can also find it on the map here.

It took the deveolper 15 years to acquire all the plots that the building occupies, plus the air rights necessary to reach the, back then, unprecedented rights that the One57 reaches.

It held the record of being the tallest residential building in the world until the construction of 432 Park Avenue.

Christian de Portzamparc was the architecture firm in charge of the architectural design, in association with SLCE Architect LLP.

That being said, architecture is a complex discipline involving many professionals from different fields, without whom this building would have not been possible. We will surely be leaving out a lot of names here, but here is a list of the people we do know also played their part in making the One57 Building a reality:

• WSP Cantor Seinuk in charge of Structural Engineering
• Bovis Lend Lease as the Main Contractor
• Permasteelisa Group in charge of Facade Consultancy
• Extell Development Company as the Main Developer
• Thomas Juul-Hansen and Yabu Pushelberg in charge of Interior Design

The One57 Building can be categorized as a Contemporary building.

The One57 Building uses a frame structure made of concrete columns and reinforced concrete slabs.

A frame structure uses a combination of beams and columns to sustain the building's weight. The walls in this case are non-load bearing, which allows for more flexibility when distributing the interior spaces.

The facade uses a non-load bearing curtain wall system. This means the curtain wall modules are anchored to the building's structural frame, typically by being attached to the edge of the floor slabs. The curtain wall system connects to the slabs using brackets, anchors, and mullions, which transfer the loads imposed by wind and temperature changes, to the building's primary structural elements.

This setup allows the curtain wall to accommodate differential movement between the facade and the structural frame, such as thermal expansion, floor deflection, or sway from wind forces. This system's integration with the slab edges also allows for continuous insulation and weatherproofing layers.

From an aesthetic point of view, the facade features a continuous surface of glass and metal that articulates the building's verticality and dynamic form. The curtain wall system is composed of high-performance glazing in varying shades of blue, creating a subtle gradient that reflects the sky and surrounding urban environment.

On the north and south elevations, vertical fins and mullions accentuate the tower's slender profile, while the east and west facades incorporate a series of cascading setbacks and gentle curves.