[NYguy]

http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2013/0...t_revealed.php

Taller, More Porous Buildings

Somewhat surprisingly, Two Trees said the community and public officials they shared these plans with were totally happy with taller structures if it meant more open space. "If you're standing next to a 400-foot tall building or a 600-foot tall building, you have no idea," said Chakrabarti. "But if a 600-foot building means that you get a park where your kid can graduate, that means something to you."


Locking in the Designs

With big, innovative projects like these, there is always fear that the features that make the architecture interesting could be value-engineered out, but Two Trees doesn't want that to happen. Lombino said the developer is willing to lock in the building envelopes and things like the sky bridges so they can't be worked out of the designs later down the line.

SHoP will design two of the five buildings and curate the architects for the others. "They should be different architecturally," said Chakrabarti. It hasn't been decided which structures SHoP will take, but the donut, which will have a school at the base, is "near and dear" to Chakrabarti's heart. SHoP has currently designed it like "a pineapple": textured on the outside, smooth on the inside. The facade is made of multiple different materials, some similar to the weather steel of the Barclay's Center, and inside the donut hole has a glassy surface that plays with the sunlight.

Not only are they looking to lock in design treatment, but city planning will no doubt lock in some aspect of the designs, haven been disappointed with the Riverside South development. I think the concern here is less the NIMBYs, and more of how city planning looks in on this development. Given that it was already pretty much approved for it's size, the addition of more open space and greater public access can only be a plus. I don't think city planning will be too concerned with the heights.