LG has come forward with a new plan for their proposed Englewood Cliffs headquarters, and it's being lauded as a win from all sides. The international electronics giant revised their original proposal for a 143-foot-tall structure that would, at that height, peak out of the trees and mar the protected vista of Jersey's Palisades just north of the George Washington Bridge. A release by LG states that the building's new design tops out at 70 feetor five storiesalong its northern wing, and has a three-story southern wing. According to the Times, the new design "effectively substitutes width for height, a longer building instead of a taller one" on the building's 27-acre campus. LG says it will also employ "landscape, lighting, and other design features" to reduce the 360,000-square-foot building's effect, particularly on migrating birds.
Even at its drastically reduced height, the building may still be visible along the treeline. At half the height of what was formerly proposed and double the height of nearby buildings, the new design is still being lauded as a sound compromise at the end of a two-year trial.
The new design is the result of a collaboration between LG, preservationists, and local stakeholders. LG has reached settlement with a slew of conservation groups, including Scenic Hudson, the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Clubs, the Natural Resources Defense Council, New Jersey Conservation Foundation and New York-New Jersey Trail Conference, that sued to stop the company from building the proposed behemoth, allowing LG to get on with securing approvals for the project to move forward.
Stakeholders like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose Cloisters looks out onto the Palisades, have voiced their support for the compromise,
More than half a century ago, the Rockefeller family donated pristine land on both sides of the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey to make sure it remained free of obstructive development for the enjoyment of all future citizens. Today, LG's hearteningly responsible decision to lower the height of its planned new headquarters in Englewood Cliffs ensures that this remarkable natural wonder will endure unscathedwithout inhibiting corporate expansion in New Jersey. On behalf of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was the original beneficiary of the Rockefeller philanthropy when first bestowed, and whose branch museum, The Cloisters, will now be able to continue offering visitors glorious views of the Palisades, we thank the community, environmental, and heritage groups who have so strongly supported this much-needed compromise. We express particular gratitude to the corporate citizens who lead LG for acting with such sensitivity to demonstrate that business interests, the environment, and culture can all continue to thrive in harmony on these historic shores.
· LG Englewood Cliffs [official]
· LG to Reduce Height of Headquarters, Preserving Palisades Horizon [NYT]
· All LG coverage [Curbed]
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