Archinect - News

Hadid, Koolhaas and Rogers Losing Designs for Park Avenue Tower Unveiled

2012-10-18T11:53:00-04:00

“For us, it was really a blend of what’s the right concept for Park Avenue, a place that has not had a new building for almost 50 years, an avenue that is quite possibly the most important commercial boulevard in New York City, quite possibly the United States, and what is the place of a new build down the street from Seagrams and Lever House, two of the greatest buildings ever built,” Daivd Levinson said.

Four very different schemes for an office tower in New York. Who's your pick?

Lord Foster Beats Rem, Zaha, Rogers for Unusual NYC Office Tower

2012-10-03T12:42:00-04:00

“We are grateful to each of the firms for the thoughtfulness and creativity they demonstrated throughout the process. There is no doubt that each group was fully capable of helping us realize our vision of a 425 Park Avenue tower that redefines the modern office environment while also respecting and enhancing the timeless allure of the Plaza district.”

In one of the most unusual assignments around, Foster, Rogers, Koolhaas and Hadid were asked to tackle a New York City office building on Park Avenue. A famous address with two famous towers, but really, the rest of them stink. The catch for 425 Park, one of those middcentury stinkers, is that the zoning for the existing 1957 building was modified a few years later so any new building on the site would be smaller than what is there now. The developer figured out that if he tore down most but not all of his tower and built back up from there, he could keep his zoning envelope. Check out Lord Foster's fascinating design for this challenging project.

Norman, Zaha, Rem and Richard Compete to Design 425 Park Avenue in Manhattan

2012-07-12T14:38:00-04:00

The developer David W. Levinson could have set for himself the simple task of commissioning a better-designed tower for 425 Park Avenue than the one that’s been there since 1957. But that would have been a very low bar. He has engaged four of the world’s leading architects to compete for the job: Norman Foster of Foster & Partners, Zaha Hadid of Zaha Hadid Architects, Rem Koolhaas of OMA, and Richard Rogers of Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners.

The Lloyd's building is a time machine

2011-12-22T18:59:47-05:00

Richard Rogers's 1986 headquarters for the insurers Lloyd's of London has just been listed Grade I. This makes it, along with the Royal Festival Hall, one of the few 20th-century structures to be placed at the same level as, say, St Paul's. But, like the gothic cathedrals it so closely resembles, Lloyd's was not meant to be an entirely finished product. Look up to the top of its facade, and you'll find cranes are still there...

One Hyde Park sells an 'apartment' for $221,000,000 three months after completion

2011-04-19T00:48:50-04:00

So far 33 flats have been registered at the Land Registry with a combined value of £727.4m [$1,182,243,220]. According to Project Grande, total completed sales to date – about 45, although not all have been registered – have amounted to £963.5m [$1,565,976,550]. There are about 30 still to be sold, with deals worth about £125m expected this quarter.

The $221,000,000 apartment was purchased by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov. Many newspapers and media sources had been scrambling to discover the discrete mystery buyer who had conducted the deal through proxy; however, the Financial Times was first to discover the identity of the buyer. Details of the apartment, as reported by The Guardian, Forbes and Gawker, are that the penthouse apartment was created by joining two five-bedroom 12,500 square-foot units into a 25,000 square-foot apartment complete with a wine cellar.

The unit was sold as a shell with the buyer reportedly contracting design- and development-firm Candy & Candy to complete the interior for $97,000,000.

One Hyde Park, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and engineered by Ove Arup & Partners, is a collaboration between Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani and Candy + Candy through the company Project Grande Limited. The 86-unit project features a bronze-and-bulletproof glass facade offering a total of...

Rogers' team wins Stirling Prize for Maggie's Centre

2009-10-18T00:19:00-04:00

British architecture gives its top award to Richard Rogers in the year of his bruising public row with Prince Charles.
British architecture gives its top award to Richard Rogers in the year of his bruising public row with Prince Charles.

The cancer support centre in west London was commissioned by Charles Jencks, whose wife Maggie died of the disease. There are already five Maggie’s Centres in Scotland, including designs by Frank Gehry (Dundee) and Zaha Hadid (Fife).

In his acceptance speech Rogers said: ‘The one person missing here is Maggie. She will certainly be the person I am thinking of.’

This prize tops a turbulent year which saw Rogers fall out with Prince Charles, who he saw as responsible for his removal from the £1bn Chelsea Barracks scheme. Rogers has previously won the Stirling Prize in 2006 for his Madrid Barajas airport terminal.

RIBA President Ruth Reed, who presented Rogers with the award, said: ‘The shortlist for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize was of an exc...