BIG dresses The Spiral skyscraper in New York with green cascading terraces

The Spiral conceived by Bjarke Ingels Group is slowly taking shape and emerging into the iconic skyline of New York city, replete with sparkling glass facades and stepped landscaped terraces dressing its mammoth form. Claiming to be an example in human centric, sustainable design, the 314m tall skyscraper is located at the intersection of the High Line and the newly developed Hudson Boulevard Park on Manhattan’s new western frontier. “The Spiral extends the green space of the former train tracks in a spiraling motion towards the sky – from High Line to the skyline,” shares the globally famous Danish firm led by Bjarke Ingels.

Planned over 65 levels, The Spiral is yet another project that forms the Hudson Yards mega-development in Manhattan, New York City, joining the Vessel designed by Heatherwick Studio and 50 Hudson Yards by Foster + Partners, among others. The design for The Spiral was revealed by the BIG for developers Tishman Speyer back in 2016, who have disclosed that half of the tower has been let, ahead of its completion in 2022. One of the primary tenants is American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation, Pfizer, who will relocate their headquarters here.    

The Spiral boasts of column-free floor plates and flexible, open floor plans that host 2.85 million sq. ft. of new office and retail. The high rise is designed such that each floor has access to the continuous green pathway and green outdoor spaces, as well as impressive views to the concrete jungle.

“The Spiral sets a new standard for the contemporary workplace, where nature becomes an integrated part of the work environment while spatial features are continuously adaptable to the changing needs of the tenants and their organisations,” says Bjarke Ingels.

Like a modern ziggurat, the form borrows heavily from the architecture of New York City’s classic stepped setback skyscrapers and “is the natural evolutionary step in the Tishman Speyer portfolio”, according to the design team. The silhouette of the skyscraper also references the revered architecture of the Rockefeller Center. By employing modern materials and detailing, The Spiral emerges at the “forefront of contemporary high-rise design on a path to become a future classic on the Manhattan skyline,” they continue.

The form gradually slims and tapers towards the top, with green spaces circling towards the zenith from the bottom. “This creates unique floor configurations that will cater to a diverse community of tenants making the building a lively place for businesses of different scales, giving tenants a stake in the buildings iconic skyline presence,” shares BIG. The terraces and amenity spaces originate at the main entrance that sits on the 34th street and Hudson Boulevard.

Every terrace becomes a double height atrium inside The Spiral with a planned mélange of formal and informal settings to host meetings, events and recreative activities. These connect multiple levels inside the tower, “offering an alternative to elevators that encourage physical activity and interaction amongst colleagues,” explains the design team.  

From the podium levels that start at the bottom, the high-profile tower will accommodate offices, co-working, a few dining and retail spaces up till penthouses that have been placed at the top floors. The uppermost floor hosts ZO. Clubhouse with an open-air terrace at the southeast corner of the 66th floor, breathtaking panoramic views to the city, a furnished lounge, all day grab-and-go food and beverage options as well as spaces for special programs and events.

“For the city’s foremost industry leaders, The Spiral is the future of the workplace, a statement of ambition, and an opportunity to stage the next era of growth in the most significant new addition to the city’s skyline in years,” shares the tower’s official website.

Project Details

Name: The Spiral
Location: New York, USA
Area: 2,64,775 sqm
Client: Tishman Speyer
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group
Partners-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Daniel Sundlin, Thomas Christoffersen
Technical Director: Douglass Alligood
Project Manager: Nicholas Potts, Carolien Schippers
Project Designer: Dominyka Voelkle, Jennifer Wood
Project Architect: Armen Menendian
BIG Landscape: Kate Cella, Kelly Neill, Emily Chen, Giulia Frittoli, Varat Limwibul, Manon Otto, Simon David
BIG Ideas: Tore Banke, Kristoffer Negendahl
Team: Benjamin Johnson, Ute Rinnebach, Beat Schenk, Daniele Pronesti, Stephen Kwok, Dylan Hames, Brian Rome, Peter Lee, Sarkis Sarkisyan, Lawrence Olivier Mahadoo, Adam Sheraden, Alvaro Velosa, Gabriella Den Elzen, Joshua Burns, Veronica Acosta, Francesca Portesine, Christopher Tron, Tracy Sodder, Adrien Mans, Kurt Nieminen, Cheyenne Vandevoorde, Ali Chen, Simon Lee, Thea Gasseholm, Ibrahim Salman, Davide Maggio, Deborah Campbell, Christopher David White, Janice Rim, Otilia Pupezeanu, Seoyoung Shin, Wells Barber, David Brown, Cadence Bayley, Benjamin Caldwell, Hung Kai Liao, Terrence Chew, Yaziel Juarbe, Julie Kaufman, Maureen Rahman, Dong-Joo Kim, Jack Lipson, Jan Casimir, Zoltan David Kalaszi, Rachel Coulomb, Erin Yook, Jan Leenknegt, Lucio Santos, Yenhsi Tung, Martynas Norvila, Phawin Siripong, Mateusz Rek, Lisbet Christensen, Josiah Poland, Denys Kozak, Maria Eugenia Dominguez, Veronica Moretti, Juan David Ramirez, Andrew Lee, Will Fu, Michael Zhang, Ryan Duval, Haochen Yu, Luke Lu, Megan Van Artsdalen, Gabriel Jewell-Vitale, Anton Bashkaev, Gaurav Sardana, Margaret Tyrpa, Mackenzie Keith, Agla Egilsdottir, Janie Green, Ryu Won