Tour de Verre
New York, New York · 2007 (in progress)
Photo · Courtesy Ateliers Jean Nouvel
A precedent for structural expressionism in supertall design, showcasing an asymmetric, tapering tower with an exposed steel diagrid system that integrates structure and facade aesthetics.
- What we like about this project
- The way the structural diagrid shifts in density and angle as the building tapers to its point.
Materials
- glass
- steel
- aluminum
Visual identifiers
- diagrid-structure
- tapering-tower
- faceted-facade
- supertall-skyscraper
- sloping-walls
Style tags
- high-tech
- structural-expressionist
- contemporary
Visual tags
- high-rise
- structural-expressionism
- urban-density
- glass-envelope
- asymmetric-massing
- Geometry
- An asymmetrical, tapering tower with faceted, sloping surfaces that culminate in a sharp pinnacle. The structural diagrid forms a complex network of intersecting triangles across the facade.
- Facade system
- Glass curtain wall integrated with an external structural steel diagrid.
- Structural guess
- Exposed steel diagrid frame with a concrete core
- Spatial scale
- Supertall skyscraper scale, contrasting sharply with the human-scale street activity below.
- Lighting
- Bright, diffused daylight with a soft glow from behind the clouds, casting reflections on the glass facade and highlighting the metallic diagrid.
- Atmosphere
- A dramatic and imposing urban presence, where the sharp, crystalline form pierces the sky above a bustling street.
- Environmental context
- Dense urban streetscape in Midtown Manhattan, flanked by other high-rise buildings and a busy pedestrian sidewalk.
- Spatial experience
- The tower looms dramatically over the street canyon, its tapering form and faceted surfaces creating a dynamic sense of verticality and movement when viewed from below.
- Composition rhythm
- The diagonal lines of the structural diagrid create a rhythmic, triangular pattern that scales down as the tower tapers upward.
- Style reading
- High-tech structural expressionism
- Program
- Mixed-use residential and cultural tower
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture
- Materials
- glass, steel, aluminum
- Visual identifiers
- diagrid-structure, tapering-tower, faceted-facade, supertall-skyscraper, sloping-walls
- Style tags
- high-tech, structural-expressionist, contemporary
- Visual tags
- high-rise, structural-expressionism, urban-density, glass-envelope, asymmetric-massing
- Geometry
- An asymmetrical, tapering tower with faceted, sloping surfaces that culminate in a sharp pinnacle. The structural diagrid forms a complex network of intersecting triangles across the facade.
- Facade system
- Glass curtain wall integrated with an external structural steel diagrid.
- Structural guess
- Exposed steel diagrid frame with a concrete core
- Spatial scale
- Supertall skyscraper scale, contrasting sharply with the human-scale street activity below.
- Lighting
- Bright, diffused daylight with a soft glow from behind the clouds, casting reflections on the glass facade and highlighting the metallic diagrid.
- Atmosphere
- A dramatic and imposing urban presence, where the sharp, crystalline form pierces the sky above a bustling street.
- Environmental context
- Dense urban streetscape in Midtown Manhattan, flanked by other high-rise buildings and a busy pedestrian sidewalk.
- Spatial experience
- The tower looms dramatically over the street canyon, its tapering form and faceted surfaces creating a dynamic sense of verticality and movement when viewed from below.
- Composition rhythm
- The diagonal lines of the structural diagrid create a rhythmic, triangular pattern that scales down as the tower tapers upward.
- Style reading
- High-tech structural expressionism
- Program
- Mixed-use residential and cultural tower
- Perspective
- Exterior Facade
- Discipline
- architecture