50 Hudson Yards, a 78-story office building by Foster + Partners, has officially opened in New York.
Covering an entire block, the tower is a distinctive piece of the city that mindfully sits within New York’s urban grid. It contains almost 3 million square-feet of flexible office space while providing an abundance of retail facilities and new public spaces at ground level. The building acts as a gateway to New York’s vibrant new neighborhood, offering a direct underground connection to the adjacent subway station. The LEED Gold-designed tower forms an integral part of the Hudson Yards district.
Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, said: “Our project is a response to the site within Hudson Yards, but its geometry also respects the wider context of the New York street grid. The innovative elevator strategy and unique space planning provide prime users of the tower with their own lobbies, exclusive access and separate identities. Column free floor plates and generous ceiling heights provide high quality workspaces with maximum flexibility for change in the future. A purpose-built tunnel connects the building directly to the subway while the lobby floors are connected by a delicate feature stair from which one can enjoy both views of Hudson Yards and the large-scale work of art by Frank Stella.”
The office tower gives back to the city with new shops, restaurants, bike parking and transport connections at street level. Its lively public entrance lobbies are animated by two large-scale artworks by Frank Stella, which celebrate the creative heritage of the city and draw people into the building.
Movement through the building is intuitive and efficient, with dedicated lobbies and private elevators for anchor tenants. Visitors enter the tower through the activated street edges and traverse through the building from north to south. The design utilizes conventional, double decker and twin elevators for the first time in a New York commercial office building. Floor to ceiling glazing and generous ceiling heights allow natural light to flood the office spaces, enhancing employee wellbeing.
Nigel Dancey, Head of Studio, Foster + Partners, said: “By minimising the building’s core, we have been able to provide unique lobby spaces for anchor tenants such as Meta and BlackRock. The building’s primary structure has also been pushed outwards to create column-free floorplates which support collaborative ways of working and can be easily reconfigured. The careful planning of the core and building section also allows for a range of servicing options which futureproof the building.”
The tower offers panoramic views of Manhattan, with the Hudson River to the west and the Empire State Building to the east. A communal amenity on the 32nd floor features a variety of meeting and event spaces. The top of the tower features a domed stainless-steel lighting installation, designed in collaboration with Jamie Carpenter, which catches the light during the day and illuminates the building at night. The expressed structural elements of the building are clad in Viscount White stone which was carefully chosen for the project.
James Barnes, Senior Partner, Foster + Partners, added: “We are delighted to see 50 Hudson Yards opening on schedule, despite the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a testament to the hard work of the whole team whose collaborative efforts delivered this landmark project. We look forward to seeing the first tenants move into the building, later this year.”
