56 Leonard Street

Successfully stacked

In the historical Tribeca District of New York, most buildings only comprise six storeys. In these surroundings, the 253-metre-high residential tower at 56 Leonard Street stands out all the more: 57 floors with 146 apartments and communal areas are stacked on a floor area of 30 x 38 metres.

Reference details

Type of Building Apartment buildings
Product areas Windows
Schüco Systems AWS 75 BS.HI+
Features New build Design and Aesthetics
Location New York, New York
Completion 2017
Architects Herzog & de Meuron
Specialist company Alubon LTD
Picture credits © Alexander Severin Architectural PhotographyPlease contact us at info@alexanderseverin.com

Lightness and liveliness

Despite its height, the skyscraper exhibits both lightness and dynamism, as it tapers upwards and impresses with its extraordinary shape with offset levels. The design concept for the stacked and fragmented construction is based on the development of the tower from its use. The aim was to create the private living experience of a family home within the metropolis of New York, with maximum individuality for every residential unit. This has been successfully achieved as across the 146 apartments with areas of 98 to 645 m² only five of the residential units are identical.

Living space and meeting area

While the lobby and retail areas are located at street level, as is the large, mirrored art installation by Anish Kapoor, the different storey heights, projections and recesses of the first seven floors reflect and respond, in terms of the urban design, the building lines of the surrounding structures. Here, for example, there are two parking levels, a spa area with a pool, an activity room for children, a small theatre and a lounge with meeting rooms. From the eighth floor upwards, the apartments are stacked vertically. The very top floors are home to 10 penthouse suites with ceiling heights of up to 7 m.

Opening vents: special construction feature

The building envelope is made up of insulating glass installed in stainless steel profiles and floor-to-ceiling aluminium windows, which are all arranged in different modular units with widths of 0.90 to 1.50 m and heights of 3 to 4.30 m. The windows have a feature that is unusual for high-rise buildings: they can be opened manually. Some can be tilted for ventilation, while others can also be fully opened by the façade cleaning team, so that the outer façade can be cleaned as well. Fixed glazing and opening units are alternated for this purpose. The design of the window rhythm is clearly visible through the strong block profiles and also reflects its use, just like the cubature of the building itself.

Product information

AWS 75 BS.HI+

Schüco Window System AWS 75 BS.HI+

Highly thermaly insulated block window with concealed vent for sophisticated design requirements

With outstanding thermal insulation values and a slimline design without visible vent contours, Schüco AWS 75 BS.HI+ (Block System High Insulation) meets the highest energy-efficiency and architectural requirements with the greatest possible transparency.

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