Slender towers rise to dizzying heights on New York City skyline
Changes in building technology and materials in recent years have made it possible to build skinny towers that are among the tallest in the world
In New York City, there’s no escaping the pressure to be taller and thinner – not even for the skyscrapers.
Changes in building technology and materials in recent years have made it possible to build slender towers that are among the tallest in the world. And some of these cloud-puncturing beanstalks are poised to transform the city’s iconic skyline.
So far, the thinnest of all is the recently completed apartment tower at 432 Park Ave. The stark white pillar, just south of Central Park, is 425 metres tall, but each side is only about 28 metres wide.
That’s higher than the Empire State Building, but only as wide as the length of a basketball court.
Plans are in place for another tower just a few blocks away that could be the skinniest skyscraper in the world. The tower, at 111 West 57th Street, would be about 427 metres tall and under 18 metres wide.
Those tiny footprints are a sharp departure from supertall skyscrapers of the past. The base of the Empire State Building, for example, occupies an entire city block.
“It’s a combination of advancements that allows us to build,” said Ahmad Rahimian, US director of building structures at WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, an engineering firm that’s worked on these kinds of projects.
