STATUS
COMPLETED
CLIENT
The Durst Organization
TYPOLOGY
Residential
SIZE M2/FT2
77,202 / 831,000
SHARE
VIA 57 West introduces an entirely new typology to New York City: the Courtscraper. The 830,000 sq ft high-rise combines the density of the Manhattan skyscraper with the communal space of the European courtyard, offering 709 residential units with a lush 22,000 sq ft garden at the heart of the building.
Located on the west side waterfront of Manhattan, framed by a power plant, a sanitation garage, and the West Side Highway – the site needed an oasis in the middle of all the infrastructure. BIG essentially proposed a courtyard building that is on the architectural scale – what Central Park is at the urban scale – an oasis in the heart of the city.
THE SITE
— The site is on the west side waterfront of Manhattan, framed by a power plant, a sanitation garage and the West Side Highway. The site needed to become a place; it needed an oasis in the middle of all the infrastructure.
COURTYARD
— The courtyard creates a sanctuary for the residents in the heart of the block.
DENSIFICATION
— To reach Manhattan density, the north-east corner is raised to 470 ft.
PRESERVING VIEWS
— The receding silhouette leaves the water views uninterrupted for the adjacent Helena Tower, which is also owned by the Durst Organization.
A hybrid between the European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise, VIA combines the advantages of both: the compactness and efficiency of a courtyard building with the airiness and the expansive views of a skyscraper. By keeping three corners of the block low and lifting the north-east corner up towards its 450 ft peak, the courtyard opens views towards the Hudson River, bringing low western sun deep into the block and graciously preserving the adjacent Helena Tower’s views of the river.
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The grand stair leads to access and views to the central courtyard. The courtyard, which is inspired by the classic Copenhagen urban oasis, can also be seen from the street and serves to extend the adjacent greenery of the Hudson River Park into VIA.
The slope of the building allows for a transition in scale between the low-rise structures to the south and the high-rise residential towers to the north and west of the site. The highly visible sloping roof consists of a simple ruled surface perforated by terraces – each one unique and south-facing. The fishbone pattern of the walls is also reflected in its elevations.
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“In recent decades, some of the most interesting urban developments have come in the form of nature and public space, reinserting themselves back into the postindustrial pockets, appearing around the city; the pedestrianization of Broadway & Times Square; the bicycle lanes, the High Line and the industrial piers turning into parks. Located at the northern tip of the Hudson River Park, VIA continues this process of 'greenification,' allowing open space to invade the urban fabric of the Manhattan city grid. In an unlikely fusion of what seems to be two mutually exclusive typologies, the courtyard and the skyscraper, the Courtscraper is the recent addition to the Manhattan skyline, showing that we don’t have to limit our choices to one or the other - we get to have both.”
Every apartment gets a bay window to amplify the benefits of the generous view and balconies. At the upper levels, the apartments are organized in a fishbone layout orienting the homes towards the view of the water. Large terraces are carved into the warped façade to maximize views and light into apartments, while ensuring privacy to the residents.
The material concept for the interior design of the project is “Scandimerican,” another layer of the European-American hybridity: classic modern Scandinavian material sensibility blended with local New York materials. The primary materials of the apartments are oak wood floors and cabinets, with white porcelain tiles in the bathrooms.
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The 22,000 sq ft courtyard is complimented by other building amenities – a VIA gym and fitness lounge, a 25-yard swimming pool, a mini golf venue, basketball courts and a variety of resident lounges.
The form of the building shifts depending on the viewer’s vantage point. While appearing like a pyramid from the West Side Highway, it turns into a dramatic glass spire from West 58th Street.
WEST ELEVATION
SOUTH ELEVATION
NORTH ELEVATION
Bjarke Ingels Thomas Christoffersen Daniel Sundlin Beat Schenk Beat Schenk Pauline Lavie-Luong Sören Grünert Francesca Portesine Ivy Hume Aaron Hales Alessandro Ronfini Alessandro Ronfini Alvaro Garcia Mendive Benjamin Schulte Birk Daugaard Brian Foster Christoffer Gotfredsen Christoffer Gotfredsen David Brown David Brown Gabrielle Nadeau Hongyi Jin Hongyi Jin Jenny Chang Lauren Turner Lucian Mihail Racovitan Marcella Martinez Maya Shopova Mina Rafiee Ola El Hariri Rakel Karlsdottir Tara Hagan Tara Hagan Thomas Fagan Tiago Barros Valentina Mele Valentina Mele Valerie Lechene Yi Li Gül Ertekin Aleksander Tokarz Alessio Valmori Celine Jeanne Eivor Davidsen Felicia Guldberg Florian Oberschneider Ho Kyung Lee Ho Kyung Lee Julian Liang Julianne Gola Laura Youf Maria Nikolova Mitesh Dixit Nicklas Antoni Rasch Riccardo Mariano Stanley Lung Steffan Heath Thilani Rajarathna Tyler Alexander Polich Xu Li Dominyka Mineikyte
AWARDS
ULI NY Award of Excellence for Multi Family, 2021
ASLA NY Merit Award, Residential Landscape Architecture Design, 2018
London Design Awards, Gold Winner, 2017
AIA Housing Award for Multifamily Housing, 2017
AIA New York State Design Award for Residential for Multi Family, 2017
ArchDaily, Housing Building of the Year, 2017
ACEC New York Engineering Excellence Diamond Award, 2017
Brick in Architecture Award for Paving & Landscape, 2017
The Emporis Skyscraper Award, 2016
The International Highrise Award, 2016
CTBUH Best Tall Building Americas, 2016
Residential Architect Design Award for Multifamily Housing category, 2016
Interior Design Best of Year Award for Residence: Lobby & Amenity Spaces, 2016
American Architecture Prize Residential Architecture Silver Award, 2016
ENR New York Best Residential Project, 2016
World Architecture Festival Best Housing Category Finalist, 2016
Concrete Industry Board Award for Quality Concrete Special Recognition, 2015
P/A Progressive Architecture Awards, Citation, 2015
AIANY Design Award, Merit Award for Future Project, 2012
COLLABORATORS
SLCE Architects
Starr Whitehouse Landscape
Thornton Tomasetti
Dagher Engineering
Langan Engineering
Hunter Roberts
Enclos
Philip Habib & Assoc
Nancy Packes
Van Deusen & Assoc
Cerami & Assoc
CPP
AKRF
Vidaris Inc.
Brandston Partnership Inc.
