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Extell Taps World's Tallest Tower Architect for 57th Street

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Extell isn't messing around with the 1,500-foot-tall tower that the developer is erecting on 57th Street just east of Broadway. Gary Barnett told the Journal that the firm has chosen Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture to design the new skyscraper, and while the name may not ring a bell, it certainly is a noteworthy pick?Smith was the lead designer for the world's tallest tower, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, when he worked at Skidmore Owings & Merill. The 88-story building at 217-225 West 57th Street is just up the street from Extell's One57, and it will rise 300 feet taller than the Empire State Building. If One WTC did not have a spire, it would easily top that as well. Demolition work on existing buildings at the site is already underway, but a true groundbreaking is still a ways away, as Extell still needs construction financing for the building. Extell also noted that the plans are "very preliminary," and the precise height could change, so the final structure may be even taller than we think.

Extell also considered SHoP Architects and starchitects Herzog & de Meuron. But Nordstrom, which will be occupying 285,000-square-feet of the skyscraper as the anchor tenant, recommended Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill. Extell anticipates a 2018 opening for the building, which will have a hotel on floors seven through 12 above the department store, and the rest of the building will be filled with condos and mechanical equipment.
· Extell's Chief Thinking Tall For Midtown [WSJ]
· Extell Files Permit For New 88-Story Building on 57th Street [Curbed]

217 W 57th St

217 West 57th Street, Manhattan, NY 10019