56 Leonard Construction

On the walk along Canal Street from the Subway to work, I have been able to watch 56 Leonard, designed by Herzog & De Meuron, as it progresses in construction.  It has about 1/3 of its height left to be built before it reaches its final 821 feet and because of its location and unique design, will be a prominently visible landmark in Lower Manhattan.  

56 Leonard from Canal St

The design features tapering boxes near the top of the building and balconies dynamically protruding from the facade.  It will feature a large public sculpture outside the lobby by Anish Kapoor, famous for the Chicago Millenium Park bean sculpture.  Each unit interior is custom designed by the famous Swiss firm and despite high price tags for the units, all but 2 have been sold. 

Interior Rendering

Exterior Rendering

Fulton Center

Although just completed in about twice the amount of time and amount of money as originally planned, Fulton Center is now open and gives NYC another beautiful station to go along with Grand Central and the still under construction World Trade Center PATH station.  The center occulus filters light into the depths of the station in a grand contrast to most of the current claustrophobic stations that lack natural light that commuters have to traverse each day.  While it is obviously not without its problems (the connection from the A-C to the J is still a bit awkward),  it is an inspiring interior space that makes a subway commute just a little bit more enjoyable.