Four years after the project’s initial announcement, Foster + Partners has finally revealed designs for JPMorgan Chase’s new headquarters in Manhattan.
At 60 stories, the 1,388-foot-tall tower will be the largest such development in the city and promises to feature an array of high-tech building systems with space for up to 14,000 employees in what is billed as a renaissance of traditional offices under the new Midtown East rezoning plan.
Announcing the new design, Norman Foster said the building would rise “to the challenge of respecting the rhythm and distinctive streetscape of Park Avenue, while accommodating the vital transport infrastructure of the city below.” He added: “The result is an elegant solution where the architecture is the structure, and the structure is the architecture, embracing a new vision that will serve JPMorgan Chase now and well into the future.”
The controversial project is part of the financial institution’s “long-term investment” in physical office space in what is seen as a rebuke of the remote-work movement. JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon, an outspoken proponent of return-to-office for some time, hopes to lure workers back to physical workplaces with a slate of health and wellness amenities integrated into the new 270 Park Avenue facility.
Foster + Partners' announcement touts this as an entirely net-zero project from start to finish, with 100% of its energy use reportedly being taken from renewables and 97% of the construction materials derived from reused and recycled sources.
All of the green innovation in the new building is to be taken with a grain of salt, however, given the tremendous public outcry which took place prior to the demolition of its SOM-designed midcentury predecessor. The previous structure, originally known as the Union Carbide Building, had earned LEED energy-efficient status upgrade in the year prior to the new project's announcement, prompting the local AIA chapter to issue a statement in which it expressed concern over the "precedent this may set for sustainable design in New York."
The AIANY lobbied the city and JPMorgan Chase to consider the site for an adaptive reuse project in its stead, citing the fact that razing the 50-story structure would constitute the largest such demolition in history.
Nevertheless, the development continued unabated after being granted the final go-ahead in the spring of 2019. Construction began earlier this fall and is expected to be completed sometime in 2025.
Archinect will share more updates as they become available.
16 Comments
This is really terrible.
It has a bunch of cool elements, but taken together it is awful.
This is really nice. I love that the structure is the architecture. And I love the nod to Art Deco. And the use of sustainable tech is amazing.
#rickitect
so ugly but the public thinks it's art deco and great for some reason
Was LORD Foster too busy counting his money that he didnt even take a look at this ill proportioned monstosity?
This is what a proper art deco 100 story building looks like.
Why didn't they just develop the short backside and keep the original (classic modern) tower? Park Ave quickly losing its magic and becoming Shanghai Jr.
Do Ivy League yuppies really chose to work for Chase over Amex because they have more space for yoga studios? Hmmm.
Either way, it needs to get rid of like 3 less wafers.
The implication has been that everyone went along with the demolition of the SOM tower because Foster and Chase would build something new of equal or better architectural quality. They haven't done that.
LOL anyone who believed that would be the case. The original justification was all about square footage, which turned out to be unnecessary post-pandemic. Now they have switched to greenwashing justifications for an "all-electric tower" when the original was already LEED platinum and could have plugged into the same electric grid.
All things in perspective; not like the world will get to appreciate the architecture anyway. Here's the Chrysler Building from the street view for example. I think the reality is, stuff is being designed and built all around us, constant, that's outside everyone's control and purview, unless it's publicized.
#rickitect
If we have to have these bloated buildings, this one is pretty cool! Looks like Foster is trying to do a building that might actually have lasting appeal. Hope this trend continues.
at least until the next government bailout is needed by Chase!
This is a big building! The renders from the fat side make it look rather unflattering.
bravo
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