Architecture

Manhattan tower boosts floorspace with dramatically cantilevering form

Manhattan tower boosts floorspace with dramatically cantilevering form
The Xadia Hotel's unusual design will allow Marin Architects to increase the number of hotel rooms inside by 68 units
The Xadia Hotel's unusual design allows Marin Architects to increase the number of hotel rooms inside by 68 units
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The Xadia Hotel's unusual design will allow Marin Architects to increase the number of hotel rooms inside by 68 units
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The Xadia Hotel's unusual design allows Marin Architects to increase the number of hotel rooms inside by 68 units
The Xadia Hotel's cantilevering form will jut out 25 ft (7.6 m)
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The Xadia Hotel's cantilevering form will jut out 25 ft (7.6 m)
The Xadia Hotel will be topped by an illuminated "crown" structure
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The Xadia Hotel will be topped by an illuminated "crown" structure
The Xadia Hotel will be located on 57 West 39th Street in Manhattan
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The Xadia Hotel will be located on 57 West 39th Street in Manhattan
The Xadia Hotel will include 173 luxury hotel rooms, as well as a rooftop bar and restaurant, a plaza, and an arcade
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The Xadia Hotel will include 173 luxury hotel rooms, as well as a rooftop bar and restaurant, a plaza, and an arcade
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Marin Architects has revealed its design for an eye-catching new tower in Manhattan, New York City, that will cleverly navigate local planning laws and boost its interior floorspace with a dramatically cantilevering form that juts out 25 ft (7.6 m).

Xadia Hotel will be located on 57 West 39th Street, and will consist of 42 floors, so it will certainly be a substantial tower, though we don't know its exact height yet.

As its name suggests, it will primarily be home to a hotel, and will include 173 luxury hotel rooms inside, as well as a rooftop bar and restaurant, a plaza, and an arcade.

The building will be topped by an illuminated "crown" and will of course be defined by its cantilevering form. Bringing to mind BIG's Vancouver House, the idea for its shape came about due to a relatively compact site and local planning laws. By jutting out over an adjacent building it increases its floorspace significantly, meaning an additional 68 hotel rooms could be installed compared to a simple rectangular tower.

The Xadia Hotel will be located on 57 West 39th Street in Manhattan
The Xadia Hotel will be located on 57 West 39th Street in Manhattan

"The design for The Xadia Hotel utilizes a high-impact design paired with clever navigation of New York City's zoning laws," explained Marin Architects. "Efficiency is at the forefront, converting smaller units into spacious, optimized environments. A 25-foot cantilever was added over the adjacent property, substantially increasing the building's square footage and augmenting an additional 68 units. To make this a reality, The Zoning Lab, Marin Architects' in-house service designed to navigate the complexities of zoning regulations, conducted a zoning analysis, and brought forth solutions to complexities faced throughout."

The project is currently under construction and Archinect reports that it'll be completed in mid-2025.

Source: Marin Architects

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8 comments
8 comments
paul314
They talk all about the zoning complexities that they navigated to get this design, but nothing about engineering or construction issues?
andrew
Nope, no way would I go into that building, I would even feel afraid to walk underneath it....
Marco McClean
The El Tetromino Hotel.
Jinpa
Air rights over the adjacent building must have been a little less than astronomical. As for safety of cantilever buildings, Frank Lloyd Wright perfected that with his Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania. The architects here must have been very careful to control leverage of the upper floors. It is a little like an inverted pyramid.
Karmudjun
And that design is pleasing to someone's eyes?
BlueOak
“clever navigation of New York City's zoning laws," explained Marin Architects

Clever? Legal? How could this thinking possibly go wrong… Why not go full bore, with a building that completely envelopes the buildings underneath it?

1) Buy the surrounding properties, on either side and behind.
2) Build a c-shaped ring of building around the existing building(s)… and fill in the entire space above the existing buidling(s) with a big bridge.
Laszlo
Have nothing against cantilevers in architecture. On the contrary. Todays materials and technologies make it possible to create absolutely safe cantilevered buildings. At the same time architects still have to aim to reach a balance of their design. Ignoring this balance can be "eye-catching" though - by means of radiating anxiety and annoyance. (Look at the many unhappy comments above.) Not the right kind of shocking the public.
Brian M
If it looks wrong, it probably is. Presume the building below has no Heli-pad and they like the shade!

Although not a nice thought, but how would it stand up to another 9/11 attack
How about escape routes in a more conventional accident/fire - There is an obvious bottle neck and reduced escape route choices.

Don't think even a free mini bar would entice me to stay in one of higher floor rooms!