April 14, 2016
Thirty-eight years after the publication of his acclaimed book "Delirious New York," Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his global architecture firm the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) seem to have finally landed their first ground-up New York City commission. Excavation is already underway at the 22,000-square-foot project site located at 122 East 23rd Street and will soon host a pair of block-through residential towers articulated by faceted elevations and chiseled corners. While there has been no official announcement that Koolhaas is on board, several consultant websites and Linkedin profiles indicate that the Pritzker Prize-winner has been tapped, while New York-based SLCE will serve as the architects of record.
To mark the occasion, and as we eagerly await the design unveiling, 6sqft has rounded up Koolhaas' prior unlucky attempts to build in the city. The proposals befell to the usual suspects that typically stymie bold architecture in the city—community opposition, economic downturns, and the conservative nature of the city's developers and public sector.
*Update 4/21: OMA has confirmed their involvement in the project and share that Shohei Shigematsu, partner and director of the firm's New York office, is leading the design effort.
See it all right here