678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: ODA Architecture
ODA’s Eran Chen, an architect known for Jenga-like, staggered building designs, is again playing with blocks, this time at a Billionaires’ Row site at 678 Lexington Avenue (aka 139 East 56th Street). Over the past month, the architecture firm has released a series of designs that experiment with building envelope configurations for a site purchased last year by MRR Development and Zahi Hagag for $104 million. All three designs are drastically distinct from one another yet are also very alike, with each form being a different take on disassembling the archetypical skyscraper box.
678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: ODA Architecture
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678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: ODA Architecture
Blocky sections seem to “drop off” off the tower in the “Hybrid” iteration, forming a “standard” glass box supported by a “pile” of staggered sections. Another version called “Pixel” fully embraces ODA’s trademark shifting-block aesthetic. “Cascade” is perhaps the most original concept, with a form that rises in dynamic setbacks like a craggy cliff. At this point, it appears that the firm is leaning towards “Hybrid,” as indicated by a sketch posted on ODA’s Instagram yesterday, which keeps the general form but presents a cohesive, square-window fenestration throughout the tower, an improvement over the original.
Regardless of the design, the building program is all but set, with around 140,000 to 142,000 square feet of residential condominium space, slightly over 5,000 square feet of commercial (presumably ground-floor retail), and 5,000 to 6,000 thousand square feet of outdoor space. The greatest variable is the amount of area dedicated to residential terraces, which is by far the highest in “Pixel.” The building would stand 345 feet high and count between 27 to 31 floors.
678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: ODA Architecture
678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: ODA Architecture
The building will be a welcome addition to the long-dormant corner site at the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and 56th Street, which has sat empty since around 2012. The lot also includes several adjacent buildings, including a mid-block site that stretches to East 57th Street (at 126 East 57th Street), qualifying the future building as Billionaires’ Row proper. Sunrise at East 56th, a brand-new, 15-story, traditionally-styled, upscale senior living facility, stands across the street at 139 East 56th Street.
678 Lexington Avenue. Credit: Ondel Hylton
Pre-existings building prior to the site being cleared (Google streetview)
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