An Eye on New York Architecture
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OCULUS an eye on new york architecture The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Volume 51, Number 7, March 1989 ew Co lumbus Center proposal by David Childs FAIA of Skidmore Owings Merrill. 2 YC/AIA OC LUS OCULUS COMING CHAPTER EVENTS Volume 51, Number 7, March 1989 Oculus Tuesday, March 7. The Associates Tuesday, March 21 is Architects Lobby Acting Editor: Marian Page Committee is sponsoring a discussion on Day in Albany. The Chapter is providing Art Director: Abigail Sturges Typesetting: Steintype, Inc. Gordan Matta-Clark Trained as an bus service, which will leave the Urban Printer: The Nugent Organization architect, son of the surrealist Matta, Center at 7 am. To reserve a seat: Photographer: Stan Ri es Matta-Clark was at the center of the 838-9670. avant-garde at the end of the '60s and The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects into the '70s. Art Historian Robert Tuesday, March 28. The Chapter is 457 Madison Avenue Pincus-Witten will be moderator of the co-sponsoring with the Italian Marble New York , New York 10022 evening. 6 pm. The Urban Center. Center a seminar on "Stone for Building 212-838-9670 838-9670. Exteriors: Designing, Specifying and Executive Committee 1988-89 Installing." 5:30-7:30 pm. The Urban Martin D. Raab FAIA, President Tuesday, March 14. The Art and Center. 838-9670. Denis G. Kuhn AIA, First Vice President Architecture and the Architects in David Castro-Blanco FAIA, Vice President Education Committees are co Tuesday, March 28. The Professional Douglas Korves AIA, Vice President Stephen P. King AIA, Secretary sponsoring a panel discussion on Affiliates Committee have organized a James L. Garretson AIA , Treasurer Educating Artists and Architects for Chapter-wide program on "Getting in Wendy Evans AIA, Director Collaboration with panelists Elisabeth Print in New York and How to Get More Harold Fredenburgh AIA, Director Egbert, artist; Melvin H. Pekarsky, Work from It." Those of you who rail Margaret Helfand AIA, Director Ronnette Ril ey AIA, Director artist/professor; and Tim Prentice FAIA, because some newspaper or magazine John Winkler AIA, Director architect/sculptor. Donald Cromley AIA, has (a) covered only the most seemingly Margot Wooll ey AIA, Director chairman of Pratt Institute's inconsequential part of your project, (b) undergraduate architecture department, mauled your building, or ( c) ignored Lenore M. Lucey AIA, Executive Director Cathanne Piesla, Executive Secretary will be moderator. 6:15 pm. The Urban your story idea, will take great interest in Center. this program. Panel members are six star Chapter Staff editors and reporters from the New York Regina Kelly Tuesday, March 21. The Religious media, whose beats vary from real estate Rosa Ri vera Judith Rowe Architecture Committee is presenting to preservation to lifestyle. They will tell Stephen Suggs the second lecture in its series on how they decide what makes a good "Sacred Architecture: Places for story for their readers, how they develop © 1989 The New York Chapter of Worship." Percival Goodman FAIA and their articles, and how they want facts the American Institute of Architects Edgar Tafel FAIA will present slides and delivered to them. Public relations All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole panels of their work and lecture on the specialists Joan Capelin and Renee or in part without wri tten permission is specific architectural attributes that give Sacks will moderate and discuss such strictly prohibited. some places of worship a certain sacred topics as how to use an article to get OCULUS , published ten times a year, quality. 6 pm. The Urban Center. For more business for your firm. Call Chapter September through June, is a benefit of reservations: 838-9670. The series will headquarters for details at 838-9670. NYC/ AIA membership, toward which $32 continue on April 18 and May 23. of membership dues are applied. New York Foundation fo r Architecture public member subscription rates: First Class Mail $45 Overseas First Class Air Mail $85, Overseas Surface Mail $45. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Executive Committee or Staff of the NYC/ AIA. For more information on professional and public memberships please call the Chapter, at 212-838-9670. MARCH 1989 3 COLUMBUS CENTER PROJECT Testimony prepared by NYC/AJA Columbus Center Task Force for the City Planning Commission Hearing, City Hall, New York, 1February1989: Joseph Wasserman FAlA New Columbus Center proposal as i t Terrance R. Williams FAIA would appear in contex t with ex isting Lenore M. Lucey AIA buildings and Central Park. In 1985 The Metropolitan Transportation circulation; there was no study of a coalition of organizations filed suit. Authority and the Public Development whether in urban design terms a building Early in December of that year Salomon Corporation issued requests for of mandated maximum FAR on this Inc. dropped out of the project. Three proposals for the sale and development unusually large site was desirable. days later the State Trial Court barred of the Columbus Circle Coliseum site. the sale of the property because of the Proceeds were earmarked for mass Fourteen proposals were submitted on mandated zoning bonus provision. transit improvements. The RFP called May 1, 1985, and Boston Properties/ for both financial and design Salomon Inc. were designated as Boston Properties entered into a series components, but stated forthrightly on developers on July 11th of that year. of discrete negotiations with page one: "The sponsor intends to sell Their architect was The Office of Moshe representatives of the coalition to the site to the applicant whose proposal Safdie. Mr. Safdie's scheme was an determine if mutually acceptable most successfully meets the sponsor's exuberant asymmetrical arrangement criteria could be established which goals, particularly the goal of realizing of towers rising out of the mandated base would make it feasible to continue. As a the highest financial return from the defining Columbus Circle. result of these and other discussions, sale." 1982 revisions to midtown zoning Boston Properties decided to continue had raised the allowable floor ratio Unanimously approved the City with the project. They retained the (FAR) for the site to a base of 15, with Planning Commission in December 1986, services of David Childs, FAIA, of optional 20% bonuses, which could bring public organizations remained Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) to the allowable maximum FAR to 18. The vociferously opposed. Although issues design a new building without the bonus, Columbus Circle RFP mandated that all such as bulk (the 20% mandated bonus), and more responsive to public criticism. competitors include the use of the 3 FAR height (925'), the resulting increase in bonus in their proposals. shadows on Central Park, and ill Description of Present Proposal considered site circulation were raised Totally absent was any consideration as as pertinent, any assessment of the NYC/ AlA commends Boston Properties to the kind of project which would opposition must include widespread for their good faith in realizing that the contribute most to the present and objections to the Safdie design. earlier proposal was floundering and future life of the city. The City Planning responding seriously to specific department played a minimal role Soon after the Board of Estimate criticism. The mandated bonus has been confined to pedestrian and subway approved the proposal in February 1987, removed, thereby reducing the project 4 NYC/AJA OCULUS -, ] I I ; I 'I ) u L, I --~--- - - -· .• ----"- r-.. · · -··• - • --...--..- r • ~ 6TH AVENUE :·u·.: ·-.·\.. ~~ '· ,· J\· : •: , ' I ~p..'< y,~Of'.O Ground floor plan of ---- new Columbus Center project. FAR from 18 to 15; the reduction in bulk In an urban context a number of factors building wall around the Circle is has resulted in a concomitant reduction have contributed to the significance of extended as far as possible, fully in height, from 925' to 850'; and further, the redesign. Perhaps the single most enveloping the existing subway kiosk, to commercial square footage has been important change has been the fact that help define the presently amorphous, reduced while retail and residential massing and vocabulary have become unresolved space. square footages have been increased. distinctly New York. The complex The redesign retains 640 parking spaces, appears comfortably in context and in SOM has proposed the redesign of the considerably more than currently scale with the surrounding buildings. Circle so that it both functions as, and permitted. The building elements are suitably looks like, the major focus in the differentiated with distinct expression of Manhattan cityscape that it was always This redesign means that the base must base, middle, break points, shafts, and meant to be. We strongly recommend unite all components into what can be building crowns, all of which relate well that the City implement this major legally defined as a single building in to both newer buildings on 57th Street public proposal for traffic rationalization which no residential units can be and older buildings along Central Park and urban beautification. positioned below the highest level of West. The suggested materials are warm office space. These constraints act as in color and sympathetic with In the immediate environment of the major determinants in the design. neighboring buildings; there are no large building, traffic circulation itself has expanses of glass. been handled in a felicitous manner. All Evaluations of the Present Proposal truck loading bays are located within the The architects have taken full advantage building mass at the western edge of the The SOM proposal is sensitive to of the Large Scale Development site with a complete one-way circulation virtually all the urban design issues of provisions of the Zoning Resolution to loop entered from 58th Street and context, scale, and street wall enclosure; distribute bulk in a manner creating less exiting at 60th Street.