A teaser of the short film “55 Hudson Yards” produced by KPF.
Included in the Architecture Video of the Year category, the KPF-produced short film follows four project team leaders as they recount the design process and their quest for creating a true “New York building.”
Designing one of the first projects in the Hudson Yards development, the team at KPF had limited context to inform the design of the new office tower. To be constructed at the corner of 34th Street and 11th Avenue, the project was also constrained by the site’s location above a subway station. KPF Principals Trent Tesch and Lauren Schmidt, along with Senior Associate Principal Lane Rapson and Associate Principal Jaclyn Jung, shared how they saw these challenges as opportunities to develop a building inspired by the city, referencing the movement of the Highline and the iconic Manhattan street grid.
The material palette for 55 Hudson Yards heavily features gunmetal and aluminum, echoing the industrial Meatpacking District nearby. The window frames are cast in stepped frames with curved corners, enforcing the building’s human-scaled character. Double-height terraces are carved into the structure, offering office tenants the option of fresh air high above street level. The stone used prominently in the lobby maintains a rustic finish, reminiscent of its origins. Straying from the typical reflective glass of office towers, 55 Hudson Yards uses advanced glass coating technology to produce a high level of transparency and a low level of reflectivity, allowing those passing by a peek into the space and activities taking place within.
Now in its fourth year, the annual Dezeen Awards celebrates architecture, interiors, studios, and the individuals who specialized in those projects. The shortlist for the awards will be announced in early September, followed by public voting in mid-October, with final winners announced in November. View the full longlist from Dezeen here.