One Vanderbilt: The latest addition to the New York City skyline
New York is home to some of the most famous skyscrapers in the world. The Freedom Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Chrysler building to name a few. Those city icons over the years have become household names and common identifiers for this bustling metropolis. In recent years, the skyline has received a significant amount of new skyscrapers. New developments at The Hudson Yards and World Trade Center complex have gained a lot of media attention having contributed several all glass structures in the last decade to New York City’s growing infrastructure. One structure in particular that has gone up recently is a solo structure that contributes a combination of office and retail space, pedestrian plazas, new subway access, and an incredible observation deck on its top floors in the heart of Midtown.
One Vanderbilt, a 93-story super tall skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, has recently joined the party in New York City. Located at the corner of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue, this glass structure stands between the iconic Empire State Building and Chrysler building. The project first broke ground in October 2016 and was completed in September 2019. Despite the pandemic, the building was opened to the public in September 2020 with the Summit experience opening in 2021.
One Vanderbilt is now the fourth tallest building in New York City with it’s skyscrapers roof about 1,301 feet (397 meters) high and a spire that is 1,401 feet (427 meters) above ground. It ranks fourth against One World Trade Center, Central Park Tower, and 111 West 57th Street. It is also deemed, unofficially, the tallest office building in Midtown Manhattan.
Architectural and Structural Features
From an engineering perspective this structure is nothing short of impressive. With its steel transfer trusses, perimeter columns were eliminated from the design and floors were able to cantilever out. This contributed to the architectural element that allowed Grand Central Terminal (GCT) to be seen from the corner of 42nd Street and Madison Avenue looking Northeast.
The facade is made mostly of glass curtain walls, while the spandrels between each story are made of terracotta. Each piece of glass was custom built to accommodate the tapered shape and diagonal members that stretch to the top of the building. Comprised of 8,743 pieces in 1,060 distinct shapes, the facade covers approximately 753,500 sq ft (70,000 m²). The architectural feature that really makes One Vanderbilt stand out is the group of pavilions at varying heights that taper to the antenna known as “the crown”. The crown is the collective combination of “C”-shaped screens on the east and west sides between the main roof on the 60th floor and a point just above the 66th floor. It is home to the observation deck and the summit experience that you will hear about shortly!
The superstructure rests on a concrete mat foundation which was deemed one of the largest concrete pours in Manhattan at the time. With over 4,000 yd³ of continuous pouring, the foundation measures 9.5 feet (2.9 meters) deep with 8,438 short tons of concrete. The foundation also contains approximately 1 million pounds (450,000 kg) of steel rebar and is anchored to the underlying bedrock using about 83 tiebacks. The superstructure itself is made up of a steel and concrete mechanical core surrounded by steel framing. The structure alone uses more than 26,000 short tons of steel and 74,000 yd³ of concrete.
So how does this building impact the lives of New Yorkers today?
The building, while impressive in height, size, appearance and constructibility, is also responsible for bringing more life to this otherwise business heavy area. The structure partnered with the Metropolitan Transit Authority to improve accessibility to the subway beneath GCT that provided extra capacity for over 65,000 people. Commuters who work in or near One Vanderbilt can now exit the station and wind up in the new lobby. Commercial and dining space brings visitors and tourists back to a corporate section of the city. Additionally, the rezoning of 42nd and 43rd street allowed a pedestrian plaza to be built between One Vanderbilt and GCT. In a big city like New York, outdoor space is essential. In a post-covid world, outdoor space is of the utmost importance. It can feel overwhelming living in a big city and being able to enjoy the fresh air and a bit of nature can change the entire trajectory of your day, week, month, etc.
The Steel Institute of New York praised One Vanderbilt as a model of sustainable transit-oriented development. The building includes sustainable design features such as a cogeneration system, rainwater collection, and high-performance glazing. They claimed that integration with New York City’s transit network is some of the building’s most forward-looking attributes. Additionally, the 14,000 square-foot car-free pedestrian plaza is a prime example of how we should be prioritizing our city’s pedestrian traffic over vehicular traffic.
I recently visited the Summit at One Vanderbilt and the experience was nothing less than spectacular.The full experience starts right at the ground floor. You enter a mirrored elevator at level one and within seconds you are shot up 91 floors. You exit and walk down a long, completely white hallway until you step into a gigantic mirrored room with East, South and West views of the entire city. The Empire State Building feels like an arms reach away and the Freedom Tower is glistening in the distance. Knowing how the structure was designed and built added an extra layer of appreciation for it when I was able to physically stand in it. Seeing sometimes really is believing and I can say with absolute certainty that this structure is one of the best additions to New York City.
When we look at projects like One Vanderbilt, Civils.ai one goal comes to our minds, to take all engineering and construction knowledge and put it in the hands of each and every engineer in the world. The power of automation is limitless and Civils.ai has the potential to one day contribute to the complex design of a multi-use skyscraper anywhere in the world. The process of designing a 93-story skyscraper comes with a ton of calculation iteration. Civils.ai is building a solution that could revolutionize the way we consider steel and concrete design. It puts the manufacturing information in the hands of its designers and can create a cohesive workflow for future projects where engineers and contractors can seamlessly transfer information.
