Recent advancements in structural design, combined with the loosening of density and zoning requirements, has opened the door for the so-called "superslim skyscraper."
From New York to Melbourne to Vancouver, developers are planning high-rise structures on postage-stamp-sized parcels (OK, not that small, but we're talking lots as narrow as 22 feet) in dense urban locations.
Developers love the building type because they can finally take advantage of land that was previously unusable for large multifamily and mixed-use structures.
Some projects, like the Beach & Howe Tower in Vancouver (see No. 2 below), utilize a narrow form to accommodate multiple structures on a given site.
To be considered "superthin" or "slender," a tower must have a height-to-width ratio of at least 10:1. A typical skyscraper, such as the Willis Tower, falls in the 7:1 range. The new crop of skinny towers blows those ratios out of the water. For example, the 111 West 57th Street project in New York City has a height-to-width ratio of 22.5:1.
Here's a quick look at some prominent skinny skyscraper projects in the works:
1. 111 West 57th Street, New York
Building Type: multifamily (100 units)
Height: 1,350 feet, 77 fours
Width: 60 feet
Building Team
Developer: JDS Development
Architect: SHoP Architects
Structural engineer: WSP Cantor Seinuk
More on 111 West 57th Street via CTBUH's Skyscraper Center
2. Beach & Howe Tower, Vancouver
Building Type: multifamily (407 units)
Height: 493 feet, 49 floors
Width: NA
Building Team
Developer: Westbank Corp.
Architects: Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), James KM Cheng Architects
Structural engineer: Glotman Simpson Group
MEP engineer: Cobalt Engineering
More on the Beach & Howe Tower via CTBUH's Skyscraper Center
3. Phoenix Apartments, Melbourne, Australia
Building Type: multifamily (28 units)
Height: 290 feet, 29 floors
Width: 21 feet, 11 inches
Building Team
Developer: Equiset
Architect: Fender Katsalidis Architects
More on the Phoenix Apartments via Sidney Morning Herald
4. One57, New York
Building Type: mixed use, with hotel (210 rooms) and multifamily (92 units)
Height: 1,005 feet, 79 floors
Width: NA
Building Team
Developer: Extell Development Company
Design architect: Christian de Portzamparc
Executive architect: SLCE Architect LLP
Structural engineer: WSP Cantor Seinuk
MEP engineer: AKF Engineers
Exterior performance consultant: Israel Berger Associates
Interior designers: Yabu Pushelberg (hotel), Thomas Juul-Hansen, LLC (residential)
Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease
More on One57 via CTBUH's Skyscraper Center
5. 464 Collins Street, Melbourne
Building Type: mixed use, with multifamily (37 floors, 185 units) and office (13 floors)
Height: 593 feet, 50 floors
Width: 36 feet, 1 inch
Building Team
Developer: Equiset
Architect: Bates Smart
More on 464 Collins Street via Urban Melbourne
6. 432 Park Avenue, New York
Building type: multifamily (125 units)
Height: 1,397 feet, 85 floors
Width: 50 feet
Building Team
Developers: CIM Group, Macklowe Properties
Architects: Rafael Vinoly Architects, SLCE Architects
Structural engineer: WSP Cantor Seinuk
MEP engineer: WSP Flack + Kurtz
Contractor: Bovis Lend Lease
More on 432 Park Avenue via CTBUH's Skyscraper Center
7. 54 Clarke Street, Melbourne
Building Type: multifamily (256 units)
Height: 787 feet, 73 floors
Width: 39 feet, 4 inches
Building Team
Developer: Matrix & Cube
Architect: BKK Architects
Structural engineer: Macleod Consulting
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Revamped hotel-turned-condominium building holds on to historic style
The historic 89,000-sf Hotel Stowell in Los Angeles was reincarnated as the El Dorado, a 65-unit loft condominium building with retail and restaurant space. Rockefeller Partners Architects, El Segundo, Calif., aimed to preserve the building’s Gothic-Art Nouveau combination style while updating it for modern living.
| Jan 21, 2011
Sustainable history center exhibits Fort Ticonderoga’s storied past
Fort Ticonderoga, in Ticonderoga, N.Y., along Lake Champlain, dates to 1755 and was the site of battles in the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. The new $20.8 million, 15,000-sf Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center pays homage to the French magasin du Roi (the King’s warehouse) at the fort.
| Jan 21, 2011
Library planned for modern media enthusiasts
The England Run Library, a new 30,000-sf glass, brick, and stone building, will soon house more than 100,000 books and DVDs. The Lukmire Partnership, Arlington, Va., designed the Stafford County, Va., library, the firm’s fourth for the Central Rappahannock Library System, to combine modern library-browsing trends with traditional library services.
| Jan 21, 2011
Virginia community college completes LEED Silver science building
The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore.
| Jan 21, 2011
Upscale apartments offer residents a twist on modern history
The Goodwynn at Town: Brookhaven, a 433,300-sf residential and retail building in DeKalb County, Ga., combines a historic look with modern amenities. Atlanta-based project architect Niles Bolton Associates used contemporary materials in historic patterns and colors on the exterior, while concealing a six-level parking structure on the interior.
| Jan 21, 2011
Research center built for interdisciplinary cooperation
The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute at Texas Children’s Hospital, in Houston, the first basic research institute for childhood neurological diseases, is a 13-story twisting tower in the center of the hospital campus.
| Jan 21, 2011
Music festival’s new home showcases scenic setting
Epstein Joslin Architects, Cambridge, Mass., designed the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Mass., to showcase the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, as well at the site’s ocean views.
| Jan 21, 2011
GSA Recognizes the Best in Public Architecture
The U.S. General Services Administration recognized the best in public architecture and civilian federal workplaces at the 2010 GSA Design Awards in Washington, D.C. This year's 11 award winners showcase the federal government's commitment to cutting-edge architectural design and its focus on sustainability.
| Jan 20, 2011
Houston Dynamo soccer team plans new venue
Construction is scheduled to begin this month on a new 22,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo. The $60 million project is expected to be ready for the 2012 MLS season.
