Announcing 6sqft’s 2021 Building of the Year!

The votes are in. The 2021 Building of the Year title belongs to Lantern House, the pair of bubbled towers on the High Line. The Chelsea condo project edged out the competition with 618 votes, or 23.9 percent of the 2,587 votes cast. Developed by Related and designed by Heatherwick Studio with SLCE Architects, Lantern House contains a mix of 181 one- to four-bedroom units split between the two towers, one which rises 10 stories and the other, 22 stories. This year’s contest was a photo finish, with The Brooklyn Tower in a close second place with 615 votes, or 23.8 percent of the total votes.

Photo: Colin Miller

Notable not only for being Thomas Heatherwick’s first residential project in North America, but Lantern House is also one of the most unique looking new developments in New York. Heatherwick Studio, the firm behind Vessel at Hudson Yards and Little Island, designed Lantern House as a “reinvention of the bay window,” with its exterior made to resemble a lantern. The unusual shape allows for lots of light and expansive views of the Hudson River, as 6sqft previously reported.

“For our first residential project in North America, we wanted to design something that is interesting to look at and could be part of the view,” Heatherwick said in a press release last year. “People love to live in memorable places. For Lantern House, it was important that our design feel rooted in and of New York as much as possible.”

Designed by March and White Design, the residences boast super tall ceilings and luxury open-plan kitchens. Sales at Lantern House launched last January, starting at $1.395 million for a one-bedroom and going up to $17 million for a four-bedroom.

Amenities include a glass lobby that connects the two buildings and is actually pierced by two beams from the High Line, an Equinox-curated health club, a landscaped rooftop, and a private courtyard designed by Hollander Design Landscape Architects.

Rendering: Binyan Studios

This year’s honorable mention is The Brooklyn Tower. The Downtown Brooklyn skyscraper, formerly known as 9 DeKalb, topped out at a height of 1,066 feet this year, becoming the borough’s first supertall and tallest tower.

Developed by JDS Development Group and designed by SHoP Architects, the project incorporates the landmarked Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn and boasts over 100,000 square feet of amenities. With sales expected to launch at the building next year, we have a feeling this won’t be the last time The Brooklyn Tower ranks high in our annual competition.

Overall rankings:

1. Lantern House: 618 votes
2. The Brooklyn Tower: 615 votes
3. 200 East 83rd Street: 315 votes
4. The Olympia Dumbo: 145 votes
5. 130 William: 133 votes
6. & 7. 200 Amsterdam and Greenpoint Landing: 122 votes
8. One Wall Street: 89 votes
9. The Towers of the Waldorf Astoria: 76 votes
10. 111 West 57th Street: 74 votes
11. Rose Hill: 54 votes
12. Brooklyn Point: 52 votes
13. Central Park Tower: 51 votes
14. 30E31: 50 votes
15. Quay Tower: 40 votes
16. Third at Bankside: 31 votes

Thanks for voting and congratulations to all the teams represented.

See all past Building of the Year winners here:

• Oops! 2020 did it again! We have TWO Buildings of the Year
• Announcing 6sqft’s 2019 Building of the Year!
• Announcing 6sqft’s 2018 Building of the Year!
• Announcing 6sqft’s 2017 Building of the Year!
• Announcing 6sqft’s 2016 Building of the Year!
• Announcing the Winner of 6sqft’s 2015 Building of the Year!
• Announcing 6sqft’s 2014 Building of the Year!