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Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Gizmodo- Nordstrom Tries to "Sneak" Into Being Tallest Tower in NYC?

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Sneaky Nordstrom Tower Adds 71 Feet to Be the Actual Tallest US Building

14,565
1
Alissa Walker
Filed to: SPIRE WARS 6/16/15 8:55pm
Sneaky Nordstrom Tower Adds 71 Feet to Be the Actual Tallest US Building
Last time we checked in with the Nordstrom Tower, a superskinny supertall going up in Midtown Manhattan, a sneaky spire had been added to make it a hair taller than the US’s tallest spire at the World Trade Center. Now, new documents show another stealth move: The actual roof height will be taller than previously planned—taller than the current tallest US building, the Willis Tower.
Who can keep up with these supertall races? New York Yimby has the scoop:
The documents show the building’s curtain wall will top out at 1,521.83 feet above street level, meaning 217 West 57th Street will officially stand 71 feet taller than Chicago’s Willis Tower, the country’s current title holder of ‘tallest roof,’ ahead of 432 Park Avenue and One World Trade Center.
So what’s more important, you might ask: Tallest roof or tallest spire? It depends how you measure skyscraper height. As Gizmodo’s own Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan points out, without those pointy little tips known as “vanity spires,” 60 percent of the world’s supertalls wouldn’t be supertalls at all. Anyone can add a spire but roof height is special—it’s kind of where it counts.
It was once thought that the Nordstrom Tower would keep its spire below the WTC’s 1,776 feetas part of a respectful “gentleman’s agreement” to allow WTC to retain its tallest-spire title (and therefore also the “tallest” building in the US). Technically, that could still happen even with these higher floor levels; the roof height would raise but the spire height could stay the same. Perhaps the developers suddenly decided that it was more impressive to beat the Willis Tower than WTC.
Meanwhile, the same architects of the Nordstrom Tower—Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill—announced today that they’ll be designing what will be the world’s new tallest commercial tower, the Burj 2020, although the height has not yet been announced. The current tallest commercial tower in the world? The World Trade Center.
Image by Extell
1 40Reply
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The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.
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  • Bwleon7Alissa Walker
    6/16/15 9:42pm
    Whats Willis Tower? Never heard of such a building. Pretty sure the Sears Tower has the tallest roof height though. 
    7Reply
  • Bradley's BallsAlissa Walker
    6/16/15 9:23pm
    Curious on the name. Is this the Nordstrom family from Seattle? Are they still raking it in from their department stores? I thought department stores were dying. Perhaps they are raking it in from real estate now? They better not blow all their $ on this puppy, they are an important part of a future Zombie Sonics ownership group.
    Reply
  • mwhite66Alissa Walker
    6/16/15 9:16pm
    The architect of the Chrysler Building did the same thing, hiding the spire inside the shell of the building and hoisting it into position later.
    7Reply
      • Michael Walshmwhite66
        6/16/15 9:49pm
        The Empire State Building tried a similar stunt with a telescoping mast that would allegedly permit Zeppelins to dock in midtown. It was never actually tried (the picture is a fake), but it does appear in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. 
        3Reply
      • JSharkeAlissa Walker
        6/16/15 9:42pm
        I think these buildings are amazing. It’s fashionable in NYC at the minute to bitch about them being “monstrosities” and reel off some shopworn slogans about the rich - well it is if you’re a transplant from Wisconsin who moved here a year ago and are already telling people how much you miss the “old New York.” These idiots love telling you that these superskyscrapers are “ruining the skyline” and “look out of place.” Shit, if there’s one place tall buildings are going to look right at home it’s Manhattan. One57 is a beautiful example of retro-futuristic architecture and if you look up at it from the corner of 57th and 7th you cannot help but whistle, it’s amazing. The tall slender tower at Park Avenue looks elegant and refined, and this new one is just going to look, well, awesome. 
        I could not care less if I’ll never afford an apartment in one of them. I love my little walk up in the East Village. Just being part of my skyline, well that’s enough for me. Fuck they’ve even taken to bitching about the shadows they’re going to cast in the park now. Bunch of miserable Debbie Downers the lot of them. 
        6Reply
      • WittynameAlissa Walker
        6/16/15 9:32pm
        It's going to be sad when the tallest building (however defined I guess) isn't accessible by the general public. Right now anyone can go to the top of the tallest few buildings in the Western Hemisphere. 
        2Reply
        • bobwebsterWittyname
          6/16/15 10:18pm
          honest question... Why should the general public be allowed in these buildings? 
          They can’t get into 99% of other commercial buildings, why should the developers/investors of a super tall building need to build/pay for extra floors and infrastructure just so Mr(s). Public can look out over a city?
          Reply
          • Wittynamebobwebster
            6/16/15 10:37pm
            You misunderstand. I’m not saying “it’s a shame they aren’t allowing the public into these buildings” but rather “it’s a shame that the new round of ‘tallest’ buildings are not intended for any public access.”
            1Reply
            • sprocketdroxWittyname
              6/17/15 1:14am
              Surely there is a tax break or tourism incentive reward to be picked up by adding an observation lounge to these buildings?
              Reply
            • ChrisMD123Alissa Walker
              6/16/15 9:33pm
              I’m a Sears Tower fanatic, but thank goodness. Let’s get rid of the jingoistic 1776 feet nonsense as soon as humanly possible.
              6Reply
              • SheriffTrumanChrisMD123
                6/16/15 9:43pm
                Please let them jump it now. The artificial cap can't be allowed to stand, especially for such a low, unimaginative building. 
                Reply
              • ArkenAlissa Walker
                6/16/15 9:17pm
                If Nordstrom Tower is going to respect the WTC, someone else won’t. There will be a taller tower in New York City within the next 20 years. There’s nowhere left in Manhattan to go but up.
                1Reply
              • BlubyaAlissa Walker
                6/17/15 12:19am
                I thinks its worth mentioning that 8th ave and 57th street is the top of a hill, as you go closer to it you are building on a higher level of ground. I think hight above sea level should be a measure worth mentioning, this one looks like its on the ramp up to the top of the 8th ave hill, so it would probably win regardless of hight add-ons. 
                Reply
                • Hawkeye-15Blubya
                  6/17/15 1:01am
                  That is a terrible idea. If we went by highest above sea level all of the country’s tallest buildings would be anything in Alma, Colorado, which sits over 10,000 feet above sea level.
                  Reply
                • rcalcagno3Alissa Walker
                  6/16/15 9:27pm
                  So the two tallest buildings in New York City will either be the generic memorial that seems scared of its own shadow or the billionaire middle-finger to the peasants below. Go figure.
                  4Reply
                  Load More
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                    on Deadspin

                  Sneaky Nordstrom Tower Adds 71 Feet to Be the Actual Tallest US Building

                  14,565
                  1
                  Alissa Walker
                  Filed to: SPIRE WARS 6/16/15 8:55pm
                  Sneaky Nordstrom Tower Adds 71 Feet to Be the Actual Tallest US Building
                  Last time we checked in with the Nordstrom Tower, a superskinny supertall going up in Midtown Manhattan, a sneaky spire had been added to make it a hair taller than the US’s tallest spire at the World Trade Center. Now, new documents show another stealth move: The actual roof height will be taller than previously planned—taller than the current tallest US building, the Willis Tower.
                  Who can keep up with these supertall races? New York Yimby has the scoop:
                  The documents show the building’s curtain wall will top out at 1,521.83 feet above street level, meaning 217 West 57th Street will officially stand 71 feet taller than Chicago’s Willis Tower, the country’s current title holder of ‘tallest roof,’ ahead of 432 Park Avenue and One World Trade Center.
                  So what’s more important, you might ask: Tallest roof or tallest spire? It depends how you measure skyscraper height. As Gizmodo’s own Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan points out, without those pointy little tips known as “vanity spires,” 60 percent of the world’s supertalls wouldn’t be supertalls at all. Anyone can add a spire but roof height is special—it’s kind of where it counts.
                  It was once thought that the Nordstrom Tower would keep its spire below the WTC’s 1,776 feetas part of a respectful “gentleman’s agreement” to allow WTC to retain its tallest-spire title (and therefore also the “tallest” building in the US). Technically, that could still happen even with these higher floor levels; the roof height would raise but the spire height could stay the same. Perhaps the developers suddenly decided that it was more impressive to beat the Willis Tower than WTC.
                  Meanwhile, the same architects of the Nordstrom Tower—Adrian Smith and Gordon Gill—announced today that they’ll be designing what will be the world’s new tallest commercial tower, the Burj 2020, although the height has not yet been announced. The current tallest commercial tower in the world? The World Trade Center.
                  Image by Extell
                  1 40Reply
                  All replies
                  The following replies are approved. To see additional replies that are pending approval, click Show Pending. Warning: These may contain graphic material.
                  Show pending
                  • Bwleon7Alissa Walker
                    6/16/15 9:42pm
                    Whats Willis Tower? Never heard of such a building. Pretty sure the Sears Tower has the tallest roof height though. 
                    7Reply
                  • Bradley's BallsAlissa Walker
                    6/16/15 9:23pm
                    Curious on the name. Is this the Nordstrom family from Seattle? Are they still raking it in from their department stores? I thought department stores were dying. Perhaps they are raking it in from real estate now? They better not blow all their $ on this puppy, they are an important part of a future Zombie Sonics ownership group.
                    Reply
                  • mwhite66Alissa Walker
                    6/16/15 9:16pm
                    The architect of the Chrysler Building did the same thing, hiding the spire inside the shell of the building and hoisting it into position later.
                    7Reply
                      • Michael Walshmwhite66
                        6/16/15 9:49pm
                        The Empire State Building tried a similar stunt with a telescoping mast that would allegedly permit Zeppelins to dock in midtown. It was never actually tried (the picture is a fake), but it does appear in the film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. 
                        3Reply
                      • JSharkeAlissa Walker
                        6/16/15 9:42pm
                        I think these buildings are amazing. It’s fashionable in NYC at the minute to bitch about them being “monstrosities” and reel off some shopworn slogans about the rich - well it is if you’re a transplant from Wisconsin who moved here a year ago and are already telling people how much you miss the “old New York.” These idiots love telling you that these superskyscrapers are “ruining the skyline” and “look out of place.” Shit, if there’s one place tall buildings are going to look right at home it’s Manhattan. One57 is a beautiful example of retro-futuristic architecture and if you look up at it from the corner of 57th and 7th you cannot help but whistle, it’s amazing. The tall slender tower at Park Avenue looks elegant and refined, and this new one is just going to look, well, awesome. 
                        I could not care less if I’ll never afford an apartment in one of them. I love my little walk up in the East Village. Just being part of my skyline, well that’s enough for me. Fuck they’ve even taken to bitching about the shadows they’re going to cast in the park now. Bunch of miserable Debbie Downers the lot of them. 
                        6Reply
                      • WittynameAlissa Walker
                        6/16/15 9:32pm
                        It's going to be sad when the tallest building (however defined I guess) isn't accessible by the general public. Right now anyone can go to the top of the tallest few buildings in the Western Hemisphere. 
                        2Reply
                        • bobwebsterWittyname
                          6/16/15 10:18pm
                          honest question... Why should the general public be allowed in these buildings? 
                          They can’t get into 99% of other commercial buildings, why should the developers/investors of a super tall building need to build/pay for extra floors and infrastructure just so Mr(s). Public can look out over a city?
                          Reply
                          • Wittynamebobwebster
                            6/16/15 10:37pm
                            You misunderstand. I’m not saying “it’s a shame they aren’t allowing the public into these buildings” but rather “it’s a shame that the new round of ‘tallest’ buildings are not intended for any public access.”
                            1Reply
                            • sprocketdroxWittyname
                              6/17/15 1:14am
                              Surely there is a tax break or tourism incentive reward to be picked up by adding an observation lounge to these buildings?
                              Reply
                            • ChrisMD123Alissa Walker
                              6/16/15 9:33pm
                              I’m a Sears Tower fanatic, but thank goodness. Let’s get rid of the jingoistic 1776 feet nonsense as soon as humanly possible.
                              6Reply
                              • SheriffTrumanChrisMD123
                                6/16/15 9:43pm
                                Please let them jump it now. The artificial cap can't be allowed to stand, especially for such a low, unimaginative building. 
                                Reply
                              • ArkenAlissa Walker
                                6/16/15 9:17pm
                                If Nordstrom Tower is going to respect the WTC, someone else won’t. There will be a taller tower in New York City within the next 20 years. There’s nowhere left in Manhattan to go but up.
                                1Reply
                              • BlubyaAlissa Walker
                                6/17/15 12:19am
                                I thinks its worth mentioning that 8th ave and 57th street is the top of a hill, as you go closer to it you are building on a higher level of ground. I think hight above sea level should be a measure worth mentioning, this one looks like its on the ramp up to the top of the 8th ave hill, so it would probably win regardless of hight add-ons. 
                                Reply
                                • Hawkeye-15Blubya
                                  6/17/15 1:01am
                                  That is a terrible idea. If we went by highest above sea level all of the country’s tallest buildings would be anything in Alma, Colorado, which sits over 10,000 feet above sea level.
                                  Reply
                                • rcalcagno3Alissa Walker
                                  6/16/15 9:27pm
                                  So the two tallest buildings in New York City will either be the generic memorial that seems scared of its own shadow or the billionaire middle-finger to the peasants below. Go figure.
                                  4Reply
                                  Load More
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