VIA 57West

625 W57th St, New York, New York
Architect: Bjarke Ingels Group
Contractor: Hunter Roberts Construction Co.

Project Overview:

A recent addition to the iconic New York City skyline, this 35-story residential and commercial building in Manhattan features a dramatic 467 foot high (142m) sloping roof and fascia of angled windows and stainless steel panels. Each apartment boasts a terraced balcony that overlooks the Hudson River and an inner green space courtyard. At ground level, a large retail space extends into the lobby, ensuring transparency and a feeling of activity. Described as a hybrid between a European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise, VIA 57West was designed by the internationally acclaimed architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group, for the project owner Durst Fetner.

ELEMENT was proud to be a part of this ground breaking project and provided the complex, uniquely shaped, stainless steel panels for the building’s steeply sloped west façade. When faced with the challenge of producing panels to conform to the three dimensional curved surface of the slope wall, ELEMENT was called on to identify materials and fabrication techniques that removed the need to press form each panel to the required shape. Millions of dollars in costs and many months of fabrication time were saved by drawing on our extensive expertise with material technologies. ELEMENT provided mockups for proof of concept and further aided the construction and design teams with numerous other details to simplify and streamline panel production. ELEMENT supplied thousands of pieces of custom cut and formed stainless steel cladding for the building’s exterior trim using over 190,000 sq ft (18,000 sq m) “Invarimatte” stainless steel sheet. A total of 16,430 components were required and all were methodically managed by ELEMENT and delivered in a specific sequence for assembly and installation.

LEED Certification:
  • Built to Achieve Gold Certification
Key Contribution by ELEMENT:
  • Materials: “Invarimatte” stainless steel sheet, stainless steel and structural steel.
ELEMENT Services:
  • Preliminary materials, manufacturing, and engineering assistance, scheduling and budget estimation
  • Presentation of options and solutions for curved wall, including schedule, scope and budgeting aspects of various options.
  • Design, fabrication and installation options and analysis for various aspects of the work
  • Scheduling
  • Prototyping and Samples
  • Fabrication of numerous mockups for visual and performance testing
  • Fabrication
  • Staging and Delivery
Awards:
    • Multifamily Living Category, 2017, AIA Housing Awards
    • Finalist, 2017, Urban Land Institute Global Awards for Excellence
    • Excellence in Engineering National Award, 2017, ACEC
    • Best New Skyscraper of the Year, 2016, Emporis Skyscraper Awards
    • Residential Architect Design Award, 2016, ARCHITECT Magazine
    • Inaugural RIBA International Prize Finalist, 2016, Royal Institute of British Architects
    • NY Design Award, 2016, Society of American Registered Architects (SARA)
    • Best Tall Building Award, 2016, Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
    • International Highrise Award Finalist, 2016, DAM
    • Finalist, 2016, World Architecture Festival Awards
    • Beazley Design of the Year Finalist- Architecture, 2016, London Design Museum
    • Progressive Architecture Award Citation, 2015, ARCHITECT Magazine
    • Roger H. Corbetta Award for Quality Concrete Award of Merit with Special Recognition in Architectural Design, 2015, Concrete Industry Board
    • Merit Award for Future Project, 2012, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter
    Select Publications:
    • “Via 57 West”, 7 Sept. 2016, Architect Magazine
    • “New (residential) icon: introducing Bjarke Ingels Group’s Via 57West”, 25 Feb. 2016, Wallpaper
    • A BIG New York Debut: West 57th”, 7 Feb. 2011, ArchDaily
    • “Via 57 West”, 1 Sept. 2016, Architectural Record
    • “A First Look at the Great Pyramid of West 57th Street”, 4 March 2016, New York Magazine
    • “Pyramid Power”, Nov. 2016, Architectural Digest