Snøhetta reveals ‘excavated’ bronze tower that will be the Upper West Side’s tallest

Of-the-moment firm Snøhetta has revealed their design for a 775-foot condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street, set to be the tallest on the Upper West Side (h/t Wallpaper) The Extell-developed building will feature 127 units and a series of “sculptural excavations” that the architects say are “evocative of the chiseled stone of Manhattan’s geologic legacy.” On the lower levels, the tower will be clad in textured limestone with bronze window frames; its narrower upper portion will have a glassy facade and chamfered corners that create a series of open-air loggias.

In February, Extell unveiled renderings of another new condo near Central Park West at 36 West 66th Street, which they acquired for $85 million in 2015. Three office buildings were razed for the project, which will be a 25-story, 150-unit condo. At that same point, they bought the adjacent 50 West 66th Street site, which houses the synagogue of Congregation Habonium, for an additional $45 million.

Snøhetta will incorporate the synagogue into their design, adding an entrance on the 65th Street side of the podium. This street-level section features handset and textured limestone with bronze and glass storefronts. The building’s northern entrance will be clad in burnished bronze and limestone.

On the tower’s 16th floor will be a stepped outdoor terrace to be used as a shared amenity space with sweeping views of the Hudson River and Central Park. It will feature a pool, seating areas, and plantings, split over two levels to fit the building’s angular design.

Above the terrace, the design becomes slender as it rises and the building’s opposing corners are sliced away to make way for balconies. According to the firm’s website, “50 West 66th will glow as a warm lantern, a new friend in the New York City skyline.” And because it sits just steps from Lincoln Center and Central Park, their design references the “area’s architectural character with a natural palette of refined materials.”

Snøhetta designed the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion, which opened in 2014. And last month, the firm was tapped for a $300 million renovation of Philip Johnson’s iconic AT&T Building. As 6sqft reported, criticism of Snøhetta’s redesign of 550 Madison Avenue came swiftly, with many in the architecture community protesting the firm’s design and rallying to designate it as a city landmark.

Extell has not yet made any filings with the Department of Buildings, but they hope to begin construction during the first half of 2018. If completed, the tower will take the record of tallest building on the Upper West Side from the 668-foot tall tower proposed for 200 Amsterdam Avenue.

[Via Wallpaper]

RELATED:

• Extell reveals renderings of new Central Park West condo tower
• City approves the Upper West Side’s tallest building, a 668-foot tower in Lincoln Square
• Snøhetta tapped as lead architect for $300M Sony Building restoration

All renderings courtesy of Binyan Studios/ Snøhetta