one vanderbilt by KPF opens as one of new york's tallest skyscrapers

‘one vanderbilt’, a 1,401-foot-tall (427 meter) office tower designed by kohn pedersen fox (KPF), has opened in midtown manhattan. located right next door to grand central terminal, the skyscraper is the new headquarters for many of the world’s leading finance, banking, law and real estate firms, and is approximately 70% leased. KPF’s design — photographed here by paul clemence — comprises four interlocking and tapering planes that spiral toward the sky. the skyscraper has a terracotta façade, which incorporates the same distinct ceiling tiles found throughout the neighboring grand central terminal.

all images © paul clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO | video courtesy of SL green

‘the one vanderbilt tower recalls the golden age of new york high rise architecture,’ comments james von klemperer, KPF president and design principal. ‘as a rectangular plan tapered point tower, its prominent top joins the empire state and chrysler buildings on the skyline. at the same time, the design gives the high rise a new relevance of social and environmental purpose. the new building connects both spatially and programmatically to grand central terminal.’

‘the materials of the building reinforce a manhattan DNA,’ continues jeffrey kenoff, KPF design principal. ‘the authenticity and quality of these details are not only critical to their relationship within the tower itself, but also to the neighboring buildings including grand central and the chrysler building. this includes the custom glazed terra-cotta façade and soffits and the bronze podium framing, as well as the main lobby’s bronze ‘art wall’ installation and hammered desk marking the arrival.’

as part of the project, SL green, the real estate investment trust behind the development, invested $220 million USD on public open space and transit infrastructure improvements. these are designed to help ease congestion and overcrowding on subway platforms, improve circulation in and around the terminal, and create new, direct pathways to the regional railroads. specifically, the improvements include a new public transit hall inside the tower and a new pedestrian plaza on vanderbilt avenue between east 42nd and 43rd streets.

the 77-story structure was built using steel rebar made of 90% recycled content, includes 90,000-gallon rainwater collection systems, and regulates insulation for heating and cooling through its high-performance glazing. in the first quarter of 2021, chef daniel boulud will open a restaurant at one vanderbilt, named ‘le pavillon.’ the restaurant will occupy 11,000 square feet (1,021 sqm) with 60-foot (18 meter) ceiling heights located on the southeast corner of the second floor, facing grand central with a view of the chrysler building.

all building tenants will have access to an amenities package that includes a 30,000-square-foot (2,787 sqm) tenant-only floor with large format meeting spaces, a club-style lounge, curated food offerings, and an outdoor terrace that faces grand central. office floors feature floor-to-ceiling slab heights ranging from 14.5 feet to 24 feet (4.4-7.3m), column-free floor plates, and 360-degree views through floor-to-ceiling windows. one vanderbilt will also feature an observatory with views across new york city and beyond. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

project info:

name: one vanderbilt
location: new york city, NY
client: SL green realty corporation, 420 lexington avenue, new york, NY 10170

kohn pedersen fox (KPF) team —
chairman: a. eugene kohn, FAIA RIBA JIA
lead design principal: james von klemperer, FAIA RIBA
managing principals: dominic dunn, AIA | charles ippolito, AIA LEED AP BD+C
design principals: jeffrey kenoff, AIA | trent tesch, AIA NCARB 
managing director: andrew cleary, AIA
senior designer: darina zlateva, AIA
job captain: nicole mcglinn-morrison, AIA

kohn pedersen fox project team and contributors: rachel villalta, katsunori shigemi, alessandro boccacci, steven smolyn, rebecca kent

matthew acer, christopher allen, laura austin, theodore carpinelli, gera feigon, javier galindo, anton gladden, susan green, younhak jeong, algis kalvaitis, jerrod kennard, soroush khajegi, kiyong lee, mark long, meghan malone, stephen martinez, meg mayell, joseph michael, brandon mut, muchan park, jennifer pehr, burgess rice, stephanie rogowski, ian siegel, maxwell strauss, justin whiteford, lucien wilson, xin zhang

consultant team —
eastside access: AECOM, new york, NY
environmental consultant: AKRF, inc., new york, NY
steel consultant: bramco plus LLC, new york, NY
acoustical consultant: cerami associates, new york, NY
code consultant: code consultants professional engineers, new york, NY
façade maintenance: c.s caulkins co. inc., new york, NY
well building consultant: delos, new york, NY
department of city planning, new york, NY
special inspection demolition: domani inspection service, inc., valley stream, NY
programming & interior architect: gensler, new york, NY
landmark consultant: higgins quasebarth & partners, new york, NY
development manager: hines, new york, NY
demolition engineer: howard i. shapiro & associates, lynbrook, NY
security engineer: HMA consulting, houston, TX
building envelope consultant: israel berger & associates, new york, NY
MEP engineer: jaros baum & bolles, new york, NY
community outreach: kasirer consulting, LLC, new york, NY
geotechnical/civil engineers: langan, new york, NY
expeditor: milrose consultants, inc., new york, NY
MTA metro-north railroad, new york, NY
MTA real estate, new york, NY
signage consultant: pentagram, new york, NY
wind/snow/ice: rowan williams davies & irwin, inc. (RWDI), guelph, ON
structural engineer: severud associates, new york, NY
preservation engineer: silman, new york, NY
MTA/NYCTA consultant: stantec, new york, NY
security consultant: stone engineering, new york, NY
threat assessment: T&M protection resources, new york, NY
construction manager: tishman, new york, NY
vertical transport: VDA (van deusen & associates), east hanover, NJ
LEED/energy: vidaris/viridian energy & environmental, norwalk, CT
vibration monitoring: vibra tech, mount holly, NJ
demolition contractor: waldorf demolition, englewood, NJ
stone consultant: wiss, janney, elstner associates, fairfax, VA
environmental consultant: WCD group/emteque LLC, new york, NY
construction consultant: lovett silverman, ramsey, NJ
construction engineering consultant: thornton tomaietti, new york, NY
lighting consultant: tillotson, new york, NY