Comprising three occupied floors and approximately 23,000 square feet of above-grade retail with an additional 55,000 square feet of below-grade retail space, The Cubes was conceived as a Jewel Box icon to flank the western edge of the plaza. The glass and steel structure solidifies the plaza's prominence as an active destination by surrounding the plaza, including below grade, with spaces for retail, restaurants and rest. The building employs a parti of several distinct rectilinear volumes shifted in relation to one another, which provides a contrast to the monolithic character of adjacent 3 Bryant Park.