studio gang completes 40 tenth's 'solar carving' glass curtain wall

the glass curtain wall of ‘40 tenth’ — the 12-story office building designed by studio gang — is now complete ahead of the development’s opening in 2019. the project, currently under construction adjacent to new york’s high line, is characterized by its gem-like façade, which has been shaped and engineered to eliminate shadows. the design is the result of studio gang’s ongoing research into tall building connectivity and ‘solar carving’ technology, which involves using the incident angles of the sun’s rays to sculpt the building’s form.

all images by kris tamburello

‘40 tenth’s crystalline glass curtain wall is arguably it’s most important element and its completion represents an important milestone as we prepare to welcome tenants this spring,’ says jared epstein, vice president and principal at aurora capital associates — the firm developing the project in partnership with william gottlieb real estate. ‘we thank our talented team of construction professionals for their work on this cutting- edge and architecturally distinct project, the office crown jewel of the meatpacking district.’

the building’s curtain wall is comprised of 12 different types of glass, including high-performance glass with low-iron, made by italian firm focchi, and installed by walsh metal & glass. per studio gang’s design, it has been geometrically optimized into a pattern of three-dimensional facets that articulate the carved sections of the tower. each curtain wall unit consists of a central diamond-shaped panel tiling downward, surrounded by four triangular pieces that are perpendicular to the slab to achieve typical stack joints. this seeks to block sun glare and heat gain, while creating dynamic corner workspaces.

future tenants of the building, which is slated for completion in early 2019, will have panoramic views of the hudson river and manhattan. the scheme comprises over 20,000 square feet of outdoor space, including a 10,000-square-foot shared roof deck, 8,000-square-foot second-floor outdoor space adjacent to the high line, and eight floors with private outdoor space.

the tower portion of the building’s almost-16-foot ceilings are the tallest in the meatpacking district and considerably taller than the standard for new construction in new york city. in total, the development has more than 40,000 square feet of retail space, featuring 200 feet of frontage on tenth avenue. once complete, the base will be home to the US interactive marketing flagship of genesis, hyundai’s luxury automotive brand. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.