New York’s 425 Park Avenue is about to undergo a dramatic facelift, thanks to an international competition victory by London-based Foster + Partners. The original Kahn & Jacobs building occupying the site will be replaced by a three-tiered office tower featuring column-free work spaces. Norman Foster, Hon. FAIA, is expected to present the conceptual design for the new tower for L&L Holding Co. and Lehman Brothers Holdings at the third annual Summit for New York City, to be held by the Municipal Arts Society on Oct. 19.
According to his firm’s press release, Foster can relate to the site because of time spent in New York during his youth: “I have a personal connection with New York, which has been a source of inspiration since my time at Yale, when the new towers on Park Avenue and its neighborhoods were a magnet for every young architect. Seeing first-hand the works of Mies van der Rohe, Gordon Bunshaft, Eero Saarinen and Philip Johnson was tremendously exciting then – I am delighted to have this very special opportunity to design a contemporary tower to stand alongside them.”
Construction is set to begin in 2015 and is expected to be completed in 2017.
