richard meier & partners to develop its tallest residential tower in new york

richard meier & partners has announced the development of its tallest tower, a 42 storey-structure to be located south of the united nations headquarters in manhattan, new york city. ‘685 first avenue’ will be home to 556 rental and condominium apartments overlooking the east river.

685 first avenue will feature an architectural cut-out at the 27th and 28th floors
renderings by bloomimages

working in collaboration with developer east river partners, richard meier & partners‘ design of the residential tower will embody a minimalistic form predominantly wrapped in glass. a sense of transparency, lightness and order is achieved with the curtain wall etched in modular subdivisions and articulated with selective metal panel elements in the form of balconies, canopies and corners. most of all, the tower will be characterized by an architectural cut-out at its 27th and 28th floors.

the black glass curtain wall is a departure from the firm’s trademark white palette

at street level, the construction will provide a mixed-use element designed to promote urban activity by providing retail space along first avenue. residents will have access to a diverse range of amenities located on the second floor, including an indoor swimming pool, fitness center, children’s playroom, tablet/work room, game room, private dining room, and lounge. these amenities and public spaces is marked with a rich palette of colors and textures, and tactile materials.

all living rooms and bedrooms in the building take advantage of views of the surrounding skyline

all living room and bedrooms in the building take advantage of the views of the surrounding skyline with full floor-to-ceiling windows. inside the apartments a light palette—whites, grays and earth tones—complement the exterior and textured surfaces of wood and glass. ‘685 first avenue’ will join 18 other projects by richard meier & partners architects in new york city.

residents of the tower’s 408 rental units and 148 condominiums will have access to distinctive amenities

‘we asked ourselves, can formal ideas and the philosophy of lightness and transparency, the interplay of natural light and shadow with forms and spaces, be reinterpreted in the precise opposite – white being all colors and black the absence of color? our perspective continues to evolve, but our intuition and intention remain the same – to make architecture that evokes passion and emotion, lifts the spirit, and is executed perfectly.’ – richard meier.

the 685 first avenue site occupies a 32,365 sf parcel along the west side of first avenue