World's tallest residential skyscraper tops out in NYC

The world's tallest residential skyscraper has passed a major milestone on the road to completion. The impressive building, which overlooks New York City's Central Park, has now reached its maximum height of 1,550 ft (472 m).

As we noted in our previous coverage of the project, Central Park Tower is the world's tallest residential skyscraper, which is an important point, as Dubai's mixed-use Burj Khalifa, which contains residential, office and retail space, is taller. Central Park Tower is also the second-tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, behind only SOM's One World Trade Center. In the world rankings, it sits at 15th place, between China's Wuhan Greenland Center and Russia's Lakhta Center.

The building is being developed by Extell Development Company and is designed by AS+GG (Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill), which is the firm behind the world's first kilometer-tall skyscraper, the Jeddah Tower. Adrian Smith also designed the Burj Khalifa back when he was at SOM, so definitely knows a thing or two about the challenges of tall building.

Indeed, its eye-catching cantilevering design is partly intended to mitigate the wind pressures that come from building to such a height in Manhattan, which has unpredictable wind patterns due to all the densely-packed buildings, the firm told The New Yorker. The design also ensures that all north-facing apartments will boast choice views of Central Park.

The interior of the 131-story building includes an outdoor terrace area, lots of amenities like a pool, spa, and gym, and an exclusive member's club. Most of the rest of the available floorspace is taken up by 179 ultra-luxury residences. These offer between two and eight bedrooms, and measure from 1,435 sq ft (133 sq m) to over 17,500 (1,625 sq m).

We've still no word on the expected completion date of Central Park Tower, though with prices starting at US$6.5 million and rising to over $100 million, you should probably start saving now if you want to live there.

Sources: AS+GG, Central Park Tower, Extell Development Company