Snøhetta and SL Green Realty Corp. have recently unveiled SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the new four-story observation complex located 1,000 feet above Midtown Manhattan in the KPF-designed One Vanderbilt building. The complex brings together spaces for art and gathering.
The observatory offers panoramic views of all five boroughs from a collection of curated multi-sensory viewing and lounge spaces. Upon arrival in the observation complex, visitors are greeted by the Hall of Light, an illuminated walkway that recreates the sky’s real-time color, hue, and brightness. On cloudy days the hallway is cool and dewy. On sunny days it shines a blueish white.
Beyond the Hall of Light a two-story mirrored gallery installation designed by Kenzo Digital reorients visitors’ perception of the skyline by reflecting the city into infinity. In adjacent areas Snøhetta designed transitional spaces marked by changes in materials, softly rounded corners, and curving soffits that anchor the more hard-edged areas of the observatory in order to balance its immersive installations.
The Summit Lounge, at the top of the observatory, is a welcoming space that contains a sculptural, heavy timbered panorama bench and hanging fireplace. The Summit Lounge has the atmosphere of a ski lodge and creates another zone in the observatory focused on the quieter aspects of experience.
Outside, an L-shaped terrace offers dark granite bar tables carved from monolithic stone and solid wood benches. Mountain shrubs, high meadow perennials and grasses, and rough-hewn materials approximate a traditional alpine mountain summit experience. An outdoor bar completes the social atmosphere.
Related Stories
| Dec 17, 2014
11 predictions for high-rise construction in 2015
In its annual forecast, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat predicts that 2015 will be the "Year of the Woodscraper," and that New York’s troubled B2 modular high-rise project will get back on track.
| Dec 16, 2014
'Wedding dress' tower to be tallest in Africa
The $1 billion tower will have 114 stories, alluding to the 114 chapters of the Koran.
| Dec 16, 2014
Architect Eli Attia sues Google over tall building technology
Attia and tech company Max Sound Corp. have brought a lawsuit against Google because of Flux, a Google X-developed startup launched in 2014. Flux creates software to design environmentally-friendly buildings in a cost-effective way.
| Dec 12, 2014
SOM names winner of One World Trade Center photo contest
Gerry Padden's winning photo offers a striking juxtaposition of the Brooklyn Bridge with the sparkling One World Trade Center tower.
| Dec 4, 2014
10 tallest buildings to be completed in 2015
This year has seen the completion of many signature tall buildings, including the One World Trade Center. CNN reports that 2015 promises to be another busy year for skyscraper construction across the globe.
High-rise Construction | Dec 1, 2014
ThyssenKrupp develops world’s first rope-free elevator system
ThyssenKrupp's latest offering, named MULTI, will allow several cabins in the same shaft to move vertically and horizontally.
| Nov 29, 2014
20 tallest towers that were never completed
Remember the Chicago Spire? What about Russia Tower? These are two of the tallest building projects that were started, but never completed, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The CTBUH Research team offers a roundup of the top 20 stalled skyscrapers across the globe.
| Nov 24, 2014
Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill-designed crystalline tower breaks ground in southwestern China
Fitted with an LED façade, the 468-meter Greenland Tower Chengdu will act as a light sculpture for the city of Chengdu.
| Nov 24, 2014
OMA morphs Miami condo tower development plan
Initially, the design included six slim towers to be set on the Miami shoreline, but the cylinders have been nudged into pairs to form three larger towers.
| Nov 11, 2014
Renzo Piano's third building at London Bridge Quarter approved, will be built adjacent to the Shard
Renzo Piano Building Workshop has been granted planning approval for its residential building at London Bridge Quarter—a 26-story apartment tower dubbed Feilden House.
