On Friday I had the opportunity to tour Hearst Tower with Hearst Senior V.P. for Integrated Media, Jeff Hamill.
Hearst Tower is Norman Foster's magnificent creation on 57th & 8th Avenue in NYC and is the new home to the Hearst Corporation.
Foster preserved six stories of Joseph Urban's original Hearst Building to serve as a base for his new tower design. Using the original building's outer structure creates a wonderful open atrium at the base of the new Hearst Tower.
Hearst Tower is the first office building in NYC to receive a Gold LEED rating from the US Green Building Council.
The atrium includes the Icefall sculpture, a two-story structure of 595 separate hand cast glass blocks with constantly varying computer controlled water flowing. The Icefall cascading waterfall is fueled by rainwater collected on the roof of the building. The sculpture provides a wonderful welcome to visitors as well as serving to humidify the atrium.
Icefall serves as a base for Richard Long's enormous Riverlines fresco which is the primary focal point in the atrium.
Hearst Tower is a marvel of design and efficiency. It is supported by a steel diagrid and twelve angled mega columns. From the exterior the building looks like a series of four story triangular frames.
The building layout is just amazing. The 44th floor offers spectacular views of the city and offers conference and meeting facilities for staff. Hallways on the 43 and 44th floors are lined with spectacular art from the Hearst collection including several pieces from Chinese installation and pyrotechnic artist Cai Guo-Qiang.
I had the opportunity to see the Good Housekeeping test labs on the 29th floor of Hearst Tower. Here Good Housekeeping Magazine tests and evaluates a wide range of products and awards the Good Housekeeping Seal. The Good Housekeeping lab was designed by the New York firm C& R Partners in conjunction with Foster & Partners.
I was impressed by the Hearst Tower and the company's setup in their new home. Its a dramatic improvement for the company and its employees.
photos: Foster + Partners
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Great pics! Beautiful building...
Posted by: the happy gentleman | November 13, 2008 at 08:47 PM
I think another great building will be the Visionaire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJs1BKV518I), which is aiming for platinum LEED certification.
Posted by: Adrian P | November 20, 2008 at 09:10 PM
This is another great example of LEED Certification in a unique landmark building.
Posted by: Plumber Plano Tx | January 21, 2011 at 01:34 PM