17 February 2024 , 10:25
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A ‘’skybridge’’ connecting two soaring skyscrapers in Manhattan’s new mega-development has been revealed.
The 615-foot tall buildings will be connected by a cantilevered “skybridge”, delivered by architects Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). A rooftop infinity pool will also feature, in the new project, as well as two hotels, restaurants, bars, an art gallery a viewing platform, and a subterranean casino. Big described the 50,000-gallon infinity pool as “one of the largest rooftop pools in North America.”
The two behemoths will sit south of the United Nations building and will neighbour the new Freedom Plaza development along with two other residential towers, a three-block-long public park, retail spaces and the new “Museum of Freedom and Democracy.” The site, which has been largely unused since 2000 is the size of Maddison Square Park.
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The midtown Manhattan site will overlook the East River, and is currently occupied by the art installation “Field of Light,” by British Artist Bruce Munro, commissioned by the charitable arm of Soloviev Group, the property developer behind the plan.
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If planning goes ahead the currently unused site will feature the largest infinity pool in North-America (Bjarke Ingels Group)Bjarke Ingels, the Danish founder and creative director of BIG, said: “We continue to build on these architectural principles by uniting three city blocks to form a public green space reaching from 1st Avenue to the East River overlook, creating a green connection all the way to the water’s edge.” One hotel will be New York’s first five-star Banyan Tree property, as well as a hotel run by casino operator Mohegan.
The architecture of the 50 and 60-story residential towers, will nod to the modernist New York City buildings of the 1950s and 1960s featuring striped glass and aluminium facades.
This is the latest addition to several projects gunning for gaming licenses after the state’s gaming commission approved three new casino licenses. The Soloviev Group has said it would designate 513, or nearly 40% of the development’s 1,325 apartments as affordable housing if they win the license after local residents raised concerns about the site.
The site has been largely unused since 2000 (Bjarke Ingels Group)Ray Pineault, CEO and President of Mohegan said: “The revenue generated by the project’s entertainment and hospitality component will allow Freedom Plaza to deliver the affordable housing program and expansive publicly accessible green space, with many more details yet to be announced.”
Additionally, Soloviev Group promised some percentage of the gaming profits, will go to an independently run non-profit community fund, as well as offering a $5 million donation.
BIG has also designed a new “Museum of Freedom and Democracy” that Ingles said “celebrates the origin and evolution of one of the most impactful inventions of mankind and our continuous struggle to build, maintain and protect the institutions that uphold it.” The new museum will contain pieces of the Berlin Wall and works from the Soloviev Group’s art collection.
The two behemoths will sit south of the United Nations building (Bjarke Ingels Group)Michael Hershman, CEO of the Soloviev Group said: “Our plan is to develop this site in a way that delivers benefits for the local neighbourhood and the city as a whole, worthy of its skyline and waterfront location, and befitting New York City’s key role as a leader in the global cultural economy.”