America: The New Millennium Skyscrepers

XX century American altitude civil engineering is a basic reference standard for most countries. Design achievements tested on the construction of American skyscrapers and well-tried constructive methods represent the gold portfolio of world high-rise construction. What happens in high-rise architecture of the United States in the new century? Whether there are exciting ideas, innovative, unique technologies and think outside of the box solutions? In our brief review we have attempted to present the most striking pieces of modern vivid palette of the American highrise construction.

First of all, we should mention that the very idea of the need to build skyscrapers in the United States have been extremely important in this new century by several factors. First, the transition to the next millennium has generated a wave of interest in creating visible symbols of power and significance of the human genome (or a separate company-customer) through the new images and techniques that have appeared on the turn of the century. In the second place is the fact that at that time American society has experienced the biggest upheaval since the end of World War II.

Terrorist attack and the destruction of the WTC Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 in its public response were comparable only with the shock of the Japanese assault operation at Pearl Harbor. And because the tragedy was directly related to the skyscrapers, the principles and requirements for their construction and use have undergone radical changes. All this together made the architects and engineers thoroughly review the technological matters, and extremely elaborate options for safe and efficient operation of new facilities.

Another challenge in the new century was the American and then global financial crisis that has significantly affected long-term projects. A lot of construction projects have been frozen and perspective plans already approved projects - removed. But even nowadays at such an alarming devastation background American high-rise construction shows admirable persistence and tenacity. There are some geographic localization points of famous specialists’ teams.

Skyscrapers are designing and building in ever-contending New York and Chicago. Major projects have been implemented in Las Vegas, Charlotte, Philadelphia and other big cities. One of the fundamental factors that have exerted influence on the development of this branch is a special attention to environmental issues and energy conservation. This global trend in architecture and construction is particularly relevant at erection skyscrapers, because just at that spot the “size matters” (including operating costs).

If during the construction of skyscrapers in other countries compliance with LEED standards distinguished as particular advantage, as for American sky-rises the accordance to U.S. Gold or even Platinum LEED standard (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the end of the first decade of the century came to be seen rather as a necessary condition for the successful emergence of a new skyscraper. NYC still holds a special place among the leaders of the national high-rise construction. In addition to focusing on the development of projects for the site of the destroyed WTC, that has become the main concern of the city government in current decade, New York eager to acquire a new high-rise masterpiece also at other sites.

The building of the Bank of America Tower at Bryant Park completed in 2009 is a perfect illustration of this tendency. The US$1 billion exquisite project was designed by Cook+Fox Architects to be one of the most efficient and ecologically friendly buildings in the world. It is the second tallest building in New York City, after the Empire State Building, and the fourth tallest building in the United States. Bank of America Tower is the first skyscraper designed to attain a Platinum LEED Certification.

According the customer urging the new skyscraper has to ensure the maximum healthy atmosphere in the premises and provide the least possible adverse impact on the environment. As a result the Bank of America tower is constructed using a concrete manufactured with slag, a byproduct of blast furnaces. The mixture used in the tower concrete is 55% cement and 45% slag. The use of slag cement reduces damage to the environment by decreasing the amount of cement needed for the building, which in turn lowers the amount of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas produced through the normal cement manufacturing process.

Temperature control and the production of some of its energy are accomplished in an environmentally friendly manner for the tower. Insulating glass reduces thermal loss, lowering energy consumption and increasing transparency. In appearance the new Manhattan skyscraper is a transparent pale blue crystal with a 78-meter spire, soaring above the surrounding buildings and the park area. This effect is achieved not so much by the actual height, but because of the light breaks of diagonal planes of the building, giving visual lightness and fragility to the giant construction.

Despite its impressive real physical parameters the Bank of America looks more intricate and elegant compared to the more massive volumes of surrounding skyscrapers. The New York Times Tower in its exterior image is a striking antithesis compared to the Bank of America. Designed and built in the middle of the decade (2003-2007), this is a 52-storey refined version of neomodernism, which has survived after the fascination with hi-tech and postmodernism so typical for the last quarter of the twentieth century.

The tower was designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and FXFOWLE Architects, with Gensler providing interior design. It is a highly professional sample of the most advanced designs and technologies, concentrated in a rational and pragmatic organized a high-rise prismatic volume (228 m, spired 319 m). Engineering support during the implementation of this project was entrusted to a very reputable Thornton Tomasetti. The design incorporates many features for increased energy efficiency. The building is promoted as a Green structure, though it is not LEED certified.

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MARIANNA MAEVSKAYA text,
photos ALEXEI LYUBIMKIN