Snøhetta's design for a 775-foot tall condominium tower at 50 West 66th Street calls for a series of sculptural excavations, with several slices up the structure and narrowing upward from its base. 

According to Wallpaper, the Upper West Side tower developed by Extell Development will feature textured limestone, glass storefronts and bronze details. As the building tightens in size, the tall windows with bronzed frames will be set into the stone facades. On the tower’s 16th floor, the firm is planning a stepped outdoor terrace to serve as a shared amenity space, as well as sweeping views of the Hudson River and Central Park. 

Upon its completion, the 127-unit tower on 66th Street will be the tallest on the Upper West Side, passing by the 668-foot tall tower proposed for 200 Amsterdam Avenue.

In February, Extell unveiled renderings of a new condo near Central Park West at 36 West 66th Street, for which they acquired for $45 million in 2015. Three office buildings were razed for the project, but the synagogue of Congregation Habonium will be incorporated into the design. the synagogue’s entrance will be on the street side of 65th Street.

According to Snøhetta’s website, because the tower sits just steps from the Lincoln Center and Central Park, their design references the “area’s architectural character with a natural palette of refined materials.” At street level, the building’s podium features handset and textured limestone with bronze and glass storefronts. The building’s northern entrance will be clad in burnished bronze and limestone.

The 16th-floor terrace will feature a pool, seating areas and planting, split over two levels to fit the building’s angular design. Above the terrace, the design becomes slender as it rises and the building’s opposing corners are sliced away to make way for balconies. According to the firm, “50 West 66th will glow as a warm lantern, a new friend in the New York City skyline.”

Snøhetta designed the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion, which opened in 2014. And last month, the firm was tapped for a $300 million renovation of Philip Johnson’s iconic AT&T Building. 

As 6sqft reported, criticism of Snøhetta’s redesign of 550 Madison Avenue came swiftly, with many in the architecture community protesting the firm’s design and rallying to designate it as a city landmark.