VIA 57 WEST Story by Decospan VIA 57 WEST
Product Spec Sheet

ElementBrandProduct Name
Exterior Metal FacadeRigidized Metals Corporation
ManufacturersDecospan
ManufacturersGROHE
ManufacturersVitro Architectural Glass
ManufacturersFritz Hansen
ManufacturersTOTO

Product Spec Sheet
Exterior Metal Facade
Manufacturers
Manufacturers
by GROHE
Manufacturers
Manufacturers
Manufacturers
by TOTO

VIA 57 WEST

BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group as Architects

VIΛ 57 West- the Courtscraper, designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group features the communal space of the European courtyard, offering 709 residential units with a lush 22 000 sq ft garden at the heart of the building.It also offers uninterrupted views towards the Hudson River Park and the waterfront. The building’s volume changes depending on the viewer's vantage point; from the west, it is a hyperbolic paraboloid or a warped pyramid and from the east, it appears to be a slender spire. The courtyard, inspired by the classic Copenhagen urban oasis transforms from a shaded forest in the east, to a sunny meadow in the west and the fishbone pattern of the walls is also reflected in its elevations.


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VIΛ 57 West, designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group for the Durst Organization, introduces a new typology to New York City: the Courtscraper. The 830 000 sq ft highrise combines the density of the American skyscraper with the communal space of the European courtyard, offering 709 residential units with a lush 22 000 sq ft garden at the heart of the building.


VIΛ occupies nearly a full city block at the corner of West 57th Street and the West Side Highway, with uninterrupted views towards the Hudson River Park and the waterfront. The Durst Organization commissioned BIG to design a building for the site in the spring of 2010, and construction commenced in 2011. The 32-story building has welcomed residents since May 2016 with the construction completing this Fall. Earlier this year, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) named VIΛ the Best Tall Building in the Americas as part of its 2016 Tall Buildings Award.


“We are very excited about the building, and the activity has exceeded our expectations in terms of velocity and the rents. We always were thrilled with the building but even more so now.” Douglas Durst, The Durst Organization


The VIΛ Courtscraper is a hybrid between the European perimeter block and the traditional American highrise. The building peaks at 450 feet at its north-east corner, thereby maximizing the number of apartments and graciously preserving the adjacent Helena Tower's views of the river. VIΛ's volume changes depending on the viewer's vantage point. From the west, it is a hyperbolic paraboloid or a warped pyramid. From the east, the Courtscraper appears to be a slender spire.


The shared green space at the heart of the block is derived from the classic Copenhagen 'urban oasis'. The courtyard has the exact same proportions as Olmsted's park, just 13,000 times smaller – a bonsai Central Park. In a similar accumulation of natural landscapes, the courtyard transforms from a shaded forest in the east, to a sunny meadow in the west. Designed by landscape architecture firm Starr Whitehouse, it features 80 newly planted trees and lawns, and 47 species of native plant material.


“In recent decades, some of the most interesting urban developments have come in the form of nature and public space, reinserting themselves back into the postindustrial pockets, freeing up around the city; the pedestrianization of Broadway & Times Square; the bicycle lanes, the High Line and the industrial piers turning into parks. Located at the northern tip of the Hudson River Park, VIΛ continues this process of greenification allowing open space to invade the urban fabric of the Manhattan city grid. In an unlikely fusion of what seems to be two mutually exclusive typologies – the courtyard and the skyscraper, the Courtscraper is the most recent addition to the Manhattan skyline.” Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.


By keeping three corners of the block low and lifting the north-east portion of the building, the courtyard opens views towards the Hudson River and brings the low western sun deep into the block. While the courtyard is a private space and a sanctuary for residents, it can still be seen from the outside, creating a visual connection to the greenery of the Hudson River Park.


The building is predominantly residential units of different sizes with cultural and commercial program at the street level and the second floor. The lower levels of VIΛ have a strong relationship to the courtyard. The lobby is connected directly to the courtyard via a grand stair which invites residents into the courtyard space. The generous amenities at VIΛ include lounges and events spaces, a golf simulator, movie screening room, a pool, a basketball court, gym and exercise studios, and game rooms for poker, ping pong, billiards and shuffle board, and are all constructed around the courtyard to create a strong physical and visual connection between the interior and exterior communal spaces.


At the upper levels, the apartments are organized on a fishbone layout, orienting the homes towards the view of the water. Large terraces are carved into the warped façade to maximize views and light into the apartments, while ensuring privacy between the residents.


The material concept for the interior design of the project is "Scandimerican", another layer of the European-American hybridity. They blend classic modern Scandinavian material sensibility blended with local New York materials. The primary materials of the apartments are oak wood floors and cabinets, and white porcelain tiles in the bathrooms.


As an ultimate union of Scandimerican design, the event spaces feature the Via57 chair, designed in collaboration with BIG and KiBiSi for Danish heritage brand, Republic of Fritz Hansen. The design translates the distinct tetrahedronal shape of the building into a multi-functional piece of furniture, bringing a piece of the Manhattan skyline into shared spaces for VIΛ residents.


The building also features a complementing eight-story sculpture by Stephen Glassman entitled “Flows Two Ways,” anchored on the façade of the adjacent Helena tower. Once completed, the ground floor commercial space will host such public amenities as a restaurant from the Livanos Restaurant Group, a Landmark Theatres movie cinema and the first U.S. retail store for the American Kennel Club.


11/Feb/2013


VIA is a hybrid between the European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise, combining the advantages of both: the compactness and efficiency of a courtyard building with the airiness and the expansive views of a skyscraper. By keeping three corners of the block low and lifting the north-east corner up towards its 450 ft peak, the courtyard opens views towards the Hudson River, bringing low western sun deep into the block and graciously preserving the adjacent Helena Tower's views of the river. The form of the building shifts depending on the viewer's vantage point. While appearing like a pyramid from the West-Side-Highway, it turns into a dramatic glass spire from West 58th Street. The courtyard which is inspired by the classic Copenhagen urban oasis can be seen from the street and serves to extend the adjacent greenery of the Hudson River Park into VIA. The slope of the building allows for a transition in scale between the low-rise structures to the south and the high-rise residential towers to the north and west of the site. The highly visible sloping roof consists of a simple ruled surface perforated by terraces - each one unique and south-facing. The fishbone pattern of the walls are also reflected in its elevations. Every apartment gets a bay window to amplify the benefits of the generous view and balconies which encourage interaction between residents and passers-by.

VIA 57 WEST

Decospan as Manufacturers

It looks like a pyramid on the banks of the Hudson in New York. The building offers space for rental homes in an exclusive setting. The construction of the pyramid is designed so that there invades sunlight in each apartment. In the middle of the building there's a 22,000 square meter courtyard with a nice garden. Virtually all facets of modern construction and architecture are put to the test, including sustainability. To meet the severe requirements, designers opted for a Par-ky oak floor from Decospan.

VIA 57 West

Squint/Opera as Other

Squint/Opera, a multi-award winning creative agency and production house with studios in London, New York, Melbourne and Dubai release this VR 360 film, shot on location in New York and viewable in 4K both on a screen and through Google Cardboard on a device. Using motion graphics and CGI overlays, the exterior of the building completes itself as Bjarke Ingels explains the concept behind the world’s first “Courtscraper", the Hell's Kitchen pyramid shaped tower block that will act as a 'gateway to Manhattan'.


Ingels then stands within the site of the proposed building, as CGI animation falls into place around him, giving us a constant 360 view of the building an its surroundings. The film ends on the 15th floor, and we are invited to look out over views of the Hudson River as further animation of the interior and gardens forms around us. Over the course of the film we experience the building's inception, a truly enthralling experience made possible by the variety of post production and animation techniques harnessed to lay design over reality.

VIA 57 WEST

Montse Zamorano | Architecture Photography as Photographers

I want to share with you some pictures I recently took of the exterior of VIA 57 by BIG


Via 57 West

Rigidized Metals Corporation as Exterior Metal Facade

Rigidized® Metals’ InvariMatte® micro texture clads the exterior of this prominent building in New York City. The micro textured surface reduces the sun’s glare, and is naturally-cleaning, so maintenance costs are low. The durability of the texture on the building enables the surface to last the lifetime of the building itself.

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