Rendering of 520 Fifth Avenue. Credit: Binyan Studios
The article emphasizes how the mixed-use tower elevates the business district with residential, office, and amenity program and draws “on the architectural history of iconic neighborhood buildings,” marking a departure from the standard commercial design that has dominated the area.
In opposition to the “boxier, more rectangular offices” that characterize the area, 520 Fifth Avenue takes inspiration from the stepped forms and classical arches of nearby landmarks such as Grand Central Terminal and the New York Public Library, modernizing and honoring the traditional architecture of New York. The tower sits in the “middle of the action — the heartbeat” of the city, says Josh Rabina, CEO of Rabina, and is intentionally programmed to enhance the active landscape it inhabits, demonstrating KPF’s commitment to the city.
Designed to align with the evolution of office work, 520 Fifth Avenue combines luxury residences and amenities with full-floor collaborative office spaces that cater to hybrid work and professional wellness. Behind the double-height Beaux Arts arches that line Fifth Avenue and 43rd Street, a shared portico encourages social interaction before tenants, residents, and visitors splinter into separate elevators leading to the offices, residences, and members club. “We have this really unique ability to design what is truly…the first purpose-built, post-COVID building,” says Rabina. The mixed-use program of the 88-story tower is conducive to a vibrant community life, bringing varied individuals together under its vaulted sidewalk porticos.
Read the full article here.