One Vanderbilt’s outdoor observation deck may tie for highest in NYC

November 1, 2017

Nearly a year ago, developer SL Green confirmed that their 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt, set to be the city’s second tallest building behind One World Trade Center, would boast a 1,020-foot observation deck, which would have made it the third-highest indoor-outdoor observatory in the city after the forthcoming 1,100-foot deck at 30 Hudson Yards and the 1,050-foot deck at the Empire State Building (One World Observatory is at 1,250 feet, but it’s not outdoors). However, new details and diagrams uncovered by NY Yimby show that it may actually stand at 1,100 feet, tying for the city’s highest.

Other than the possible height increase, the most significant new detail is that the observation deck’s glass may appear quite different in color than the rest of the tower due to the fact that it will use non-reflective glass. Architects at Kohn Pedersen Fox are also considering several options for the deck’s configuration and the indoor portion’s window layout and size.

As of last year, Montreal-based GSM Project was heading up planning for the observation deck. The firm is responsible for the decks at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa (the world’s tallest building) and London’s Shard Tower. At the time, KPF president and project architect Jamie van Klemperer said the deck would be a “four-part contrapuntal structure will feature a transparent topper” that will function as “a public event space and observatory.”

Construction as of October 22, 2017 © NyConstructionPhoto/Flickr

No additional details on the observation have been released at this time, but after the $3.1 billion tower’s first steel column was installed in June, construction is now several floors above street level. The anticipated completion date is the end of 2021.

[Via NY Yimby]

All renderings and diagrams via Kohn Pedersen Fox

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