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New original research from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) has employed data to develop graphic features showing the progression of tall building development in New York City, USA. The study highlights shifting trends in the neighbourhoods where tall buildings are sited, analyses the purposes that these buildings serve, and draws connections to the historical contexts that have impacted these projects and, in doing so, shows how they have significantly shaped the modern metropolis.
This new Tall Buildings in Numbers study offers insights on tall building construction in New York City over more than a century through several interactive features.
The color-coded Map of Skyscrapers in New York City Region examines data on the function and location of skyscrapers to exemplify several key trends in skyscraper development: the increase in luxury residential construction, the evolution toward “ultra-slim” buildings, and the rise of tall building construction in non-traditional neighbourhoods away from Lower and Midtown Manhattan. The Timeline of Skyscrapers in New York City Region 1906-2018 highlights key events and eras represented on the graph to illustrate how skyscraper construction aligned with social or political events in history.
Notable examples are the inactivity in construction concurrent with World War II and the scarcity of building materials available at the time, and the surge of development that occurred in the 1980s right along with an economic boom on Wall Street. In both of these graphics, users can link to additional detail on each building on the CTBUH Skyscraper Center, the premier source for accurate, reliable information on tall buildings around the world. The study also depicts the skyline elevation of 57th Street, looking north, highlighting four planned supertall buildings that are slated for completion by 2019. Finally, the report features two pie charts that show the breakdown of 100-metre+ buildings by function and neighbourhood.
This study is a celebration of the world-class city, and a nod to the tremendous impact New York has had on skyscrapers around the world. New York: The Ultimate Skyscraper Laboratory will also feature in Issue IV of the CTBUH Journal, which will debut on October 26 at the Conference.
Nick Myall
News Editor