New tower to transform NYC’s skyline

Everyone knows the familiar shapes that make up New York’s skyline. There’s the Art Deco curved crown of the Chrysler Building, the sweeping isosceles triangles that twist around One World Trade Center, the stepped limestone and granite rectangles of the Empire State Building and the triangular prism of the Flatiron Building.

And now, a multi-billion-dollar tower featuring floor-to-ceiling glass will add another dimension to the cityscape, according to new details unveiled by New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week.

Stretching up 62 stories, a planned office tower at 350 Park Avenue will provide space for more than 6,000 jobs, plus 1.8 million square feet of commercial office space, according to a press release. It will be funded by Vornado Realty Trust, Kenneth Griffin, founder and CEO of global investment firm Citadel, and building and management company Rudin.

White columns will frame a new public concourse at the base of the new building on Park Avenue, complete with green space, seating and art displays, images show.

Above, landscaped terraces will top each section of the glass-clad tower which will house the offices for Citadel and market making firm Citadel Securities.

Adams hailed the project in the release, saying it will help “supercharge our economy and expand New York City’s iconic skyline,” building on “continued efforts to energize Midtown Manhattan as the world’s most important business address and an economic engine for working-class New Yorkers.”

Architects Foster + Partners have designed the building, which will replace the existing 30-story tower currently at the site in Midtown Manhattan just a few blocks away from landmarks like the Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Grand Central Station.

“This investment opens a new chapter for Midtown — and closes the book on those who predicted its demise,” said deputy mayor for operations Meera Joshi.

Building this new office space comes at a fraught time for the commercial real estate market as businesses struggle to entice workers back to the office after years of working from home.

This has left vast tranches of office space vacant or underused, causing the value of such buildings to plummet at the same time as historically high interest rates have made it harder for real estate developers — who often take out huge loans to finance projects — to make good on their repayments.

The project will begin the city’s public review process early next year and the tower is expected to be completed by 2032. (SD-Agencies)

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【大堂】 dàtáng concourse 

a large space in a public building such as a station or airport that people meet in or pass through

【暴跌】 bàodiē plummet 

fall very quickly and suddenly

我们都熟悉纽约的天际线：克莱斯勒大厦具有装饰艺术风格的弧形顶、世贸中心一号大楼侧翼的等腰三角形、帝国大厦大理石和花岗岩的阶梯状矩形立面以及熨斗大厦的三角棱柱造型。

上周，市长埃里克•亚当斯公布了详细计划，一座耗资数十亿美元、采用玻璃幕墙的新大楼将为纽约增添新景观。

据一份新闻稿称，计划中的办公大楼位于公园大道350号，共62层，将带来6000多个工作岗位，以及180万平方英尺的商业办公空间。该项目将由沃纳多房地产信托公司、城堡投资公司创始人兼首席执行官肯尼斯•格里芬以及鲁丁建筑管理公司共同出资。

图片显示，位于公园大道的新大楼底层是公共空间，周围饰以白色立柱，内设有绿地、休息座椅和艺术品展示。

塔楼上部外立面是玻璃幕墙，每一部分都设有景观露台，将作为城堡投资和城堡证券的办公场所。

亚当斯在新闻稿中对该项目表示欢迎，称其将有助于“激活本地经济，延申纽约标志性的天际线，为曼哈顿中城注入新动力，助其成为世界上最重要的商业区域，给纽约工人带来新的工作机会”。

建筑设计公司福斯特事务所设计了这座大楼，它将取代目前位于曼哈顿中城的一座30层高楼，该地块距离洛克菲勒中心、圣帕特里克大教堂和中央车站等地标性建筑仅几个街区之遥。

负责城市运营的副市长梅拉•乔希说：“这项投资为中城翻开了新篇章，打了那些预言中城衰落的人的脸。”

新项目公布正值商业地产市场危机四伏之时。经历长期在家办公之后，企业正努力吸引员工回归办公室。

大量办公空间空置或使用率低下导致写字楼估值急剧下降；与此同时，利率维持在历史高位也使得地产开发商（他们往往通过巨额贷款为项目融资）更难偿还贷款。

该项目将于明年初向政府报批，预计2032年竣工。(Translated by Debra)