Jeanne Gang, the architect behind Chicago’s iconic Aqua Tower, recently unveiled her design for a dazzling new building along the High Line. Called the Solar Carve Tower, the glass structure features corners that are cut away to allow the sun’s rays to shine on the park. The innovative design respects public space while responding to the rapidly increasing real estate needs of the area.
As the High Line expands, more and more glassy residential towers are popping up along the elevated park. With new structures hugging the park’s edges, much of the sunlight that would otherwise be reaching the park is blocked, casting unsightly shadows across lawns and bench areas. Luckily, Gang’s innovative cutaway design keeps sunbathers in mind. The carved corners of the 213-foot-tall glass building are angled to let 200 more hours of sunlight fall on visitors to the High Line each year.
Solar Carve Tower would be the first Gang-designed building in New York City and would accommodate 186,700 square feet of premium office and retail space on 10th Avenue between 13th and 14th streets. An old meatpacking plant still rests on the proposed site, which would be developed by William Gottlieb Real Estate. Studio Gang Architects was chosen to design the building based on their previous projects incorporating the movement of the sun with architecture.
Although the sketches and plans are preliminary, the project is expected to be completed by 2015, barring a zoning variance from the Board of Standards and Appeals.
