14:18:10 | 2012-04-06
(New York City) — Since Phase I of the High Line first opened in 2009, numerous tourists and New York natives have paid a visit to the imaginative Manhattan structure, just to gaze upon the design and construction of this building. The High Line represents the future of New York architecture and hint at what is to come as the city only continues to expand. However upon marveling at the latest development in modern New York architecture, visitors to the area can notice two other examples of New York architecture that were recently regarded as excellent examples of modern design. An examination of these buildings can quickly show any New Yorker not only where we are in terms of building design and architecture in New York but understand the new direction the city is headed in.
Near the High Line is the famed IAC Headquarters Building; a structure created in 2007 by Frank Gehry. Gazing upon the building which resides at the corner of West 18th Street and 11th Avenue, will have anyone awing at the building’s pure creativity. The massive 10-story structure looks as though it has had a white cloth laid over it. The internal lighting which causes the white glass on the exterior of the building to change from white to opaque gives a foggy effect to the outside of the structure. Most notably, like many works of modern architecture of today, the building is designed to be a complete work of art. There is no backside or no side of the building that is not meant to be seen, the entire building is a piece of art and it can be enjoyed from any angle.
Directly across from this building lies a structure that shows yet another example of modern architecture in Jean Nouvel’s apartment tower on 11th and 18th Street. What is most interesting about this structure and how it represents the current modern architecture of the city, is how starkly it contrasts the IAC building. The building, although modern, is not one giant piece of artwork to be admired from all sides, but has a front made of jarring glass structures, and sides and a back formed of brick, making for a large juxtaposition not only in the different sides of the building but in the way the building contrasts in neighboring IAC building.
With new modern building designs appearing all over New York and with big projects on the horizon, like Phase II of the High Line, New Yorkers can see the direction that New York architecture is taking. With these buildings as a guide, one can only imagine what new creations will soon be grazing the streets of New York.
—Email rlorenzen@brokerpulse.com
