I don't mind the balconies. I actually prefer them to a bland glass wall. They give it the all-important sense of human scale, which a single-colored glass wall simply doesn't do. I also like the stepbacks with the pools/hot tubs, and of course the CVC angled side. Everything else about this building is pretty boring.
And I'm sorry, but the Independent is not unique. There are a bunch of existing stacked-boxes buildings around the world. In fact, the Independent is nearly indistinguishable from the one in Jersey City (of which there will be three when all are built):
https://skyrisecities.com/news/2017/03/69-storey-jersey-city-rental-launches-leasing
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