This is an intelligent, albite unfortunate, design.
Despite the fact that modern commercial and residential tenants increasingly value towers with outdoor space, much of the space that has been built/planned recently, especially with respect to commercial towers, seems like an afterthought (see 250 W 55th). What Bjarke Ingles is doing here is incredible; he is literally crafting hills and cozy landscapes 1,000 feet over downtown Manhattan. This is the future. From a tenant's perspective, this is likely the best building in the complex and far superior to the Foster design.
From a distance on the skyline, however, I have to agree that this is really an unfortunate turn of events. In my mind the real culprit is the base of the building--it's just far too wide. I understand the limitations of building on a foundation that has already been set and the spacial needs of a media tenant, but from a pure aesthetic point of view, a tower just can't soar when it's that stuck to the ground. All of the elegance it exudes from the West, where the thick bottom slab is hidden, is immediately lost as one moves to either the North or South and catches a glimpse of its awkward proportions.
From those angles this thing looks like it was designed by a poor man's Rem Koolhas: uncomfortable massings, but without the necessary exaggeration to pierce into the avant garde.
I can't blame anyone involved for what has transpired, but I think I'm probably done being excited about watching the WTC rise.
Threaded Mode