53W53's Sculptural Exoskeleton Is Starting to Take Shape

One of the most distinctive features of Jean Nouvel's MoMA-adjacent skyscraper on 53rd Street is its exterior: the architect employed a diagrid, which functions as both structural support and its own sculptural element. (For example, the grid will create different patterns in each of the building's apartments.) As the tower continues its ascent, the grid is beginning to take shape: Some new images by NYConstructionPhoto show concrete beams that will ultimately make up the building's exoskeleton being put into place. The building is expected to be completed by 2018.