Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has completed One High Line, a pair of winding travertine-clad towers in Chelsea. The buildings, named for their proximity to the High Line, include luxury condos and a hotel. To keep the view from the High Line to the Hudson River, the facades of the two towers are set apart at their bases.
One High Line began construction in 2016 and was initially known as “The XI. ” In 2021, the project’s original developer, HFZ Capital Group, took over the project. This temporarily stopped the structure of the towers, which until then had reached their maximum height.
The project was eventually rescued by Witkoff and Access Industries and completed earlier this year. The new developers opted to replace the name of the development, but kept its overall design.
Before construction could even begin, intense architectural work was required to get the project off the ground. Firstly, the land, which had in the past been used as a parking lot, needed primary remediation work as it was considered a commercial wasteland beyond commercial use.
In addition, the foundations of the towers were built on most of the reclaimed land that was once part of the Hudson River. This required piles drilled deep to reach the bedrock through layers of debris. Due to the project’s proximity to the High Line, the structure team also took care of the foundation of the expanded park.
According to zoning regulations, architects were required to design the towers on a podium in the floor. The courtyard in the middle of the podium used to create a carriage door. In addition to containing a front corridor and residential services. spaces, the podium also houses profitable work floors.
Since ending beneath the High Line, the proponent has provided space at the other end of the widened tracks for a small park.
Zoning also dictated tower heights, resulting in a 402-foot west tower and a 302-foot east tower. The east tower houses the hotel’s apartments and apartments, while the west tower is made up of condominium units only.
The towers of One High Line are, in many ways, an homage to two skyscrapers designed by Gordon Bunschaft: the W. R. Grace Building, across from Bryant Park, and the Solow Building on West 57th Street. In addition to curved geometry, which the 3 percent – Bjarke Ingels encouraged through Bunschaft’s use of travertine. In particular, One High Line borrows the contrast of the dark oblong windows and white travertine of the W. R. Grace.
In reference to Chelsea’s commercial past, the windows of One High Line are perforated in relief, alluding to the main points discovered in the neighboring warehouses.
The towers’ unique twisted shape is structurally less confusing than it seems. This was achieved by imposing inclined elevations supported by stepped columns.
“Most of the columns stick out about a foot to accommodate the slope of the building,” said Beat Schenck, BIG’s spouse. “Almost part of the spine rests on the column below. “
In the rare cases where the slope of the structure was too steep and the columns did not overlap, vulnerable columns were used to make up the difference.
In reference to Chelsea’s commercial past, the windows of One High Line are marked in relief, alluding to the main points found in nearby warehouses.
Instead of moving the glazing into position, as would be typical in a curtain wall installation, developers needed to install the windows from inside the structure.
“Once you have the superstructure, you can frame the openings and then the window installers bring all the sets to the ground with the lift and install them one by one,” explains Andreas Buettner, BIG’s spouse. “They didn’t want to use a crane on top. This is a very effective way to fence off the floor as temporarily as possible. “
Subsequently, mass climbers were installed on the travertine panels, cellular platforms that climbed to the outside of the buildings.
One High Line has been in the works for a long time. Chronologically, the commission is BIG’s moment in New York, after VIA 57 West, but it has been preceded by the completion of other works, such as The Spiral, a very tall glass tower inaugurated last year.
“The task was suspended for a while. Obviously, it’s never better to have a structure that’s open to the elements,” Buettner said. “So, when the owners were in a position to leave, we had to do a lot of ‘It’s wonderful for the consumer to get that back and keep the vision alive. ‘