The first completed tower in the massive Hudson Yards development in New York has opened its doors, giving fashion brand Coach a new global headquarters (+ slideshow).
Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF) designed the 52-storey skyscraper to straddles the top end of the popular High Line park on Manhattan's far West Side.
Measuring 895 feet (273 metres) tall, the glass-sheathed building tapers upwards and is topped with an angled triangle.
A stone-clad retail podium is located at the building's base. A few levels up, the structure bridges over the elevated rail line that was transformed into the High Line park by a team including Diller Scofidio + Renfro, which also designed the 15 Hudson Yards tower under construction nearby.
"The tower bridges over the elevated park to create a dramatic 60-foot public passageway extending through the structure," said KPF. "The building's dialogue with the High Line continues with a cantilevered bridge that extends out over the elevated park."
The first tenant to move in is American luxury fashion label Coach, which has taken 700,000 square feet (65,000 square metres) of space inside the tower.
The brand's new global headquarters has its own lobby for staff and guests, and includes a 15-storey column-free atrium with floor-to-ceiling glass.
"The monumental atrium will serve as a visual anchor for the High Line," KPF said.
L'Oréal, SAP, The Boston Consulting Group, VaynerMedia, Intersection, and Sidewalk Labs are among other companies due to move in – bringing the total occupancy to 7,000 employees.
10 Hudson Yards is the first of three KPF-designed towers on the 28-acre (11.3 hectares) Hudson Yards site, which the firm masterplanned.
The whole development is being constructed on two platforms over the Eastern Rail Yards, allowing trains on their way to Penn Station to pass underneath.
KPF's second tower at 30 Hudson Yards will be joined to the recently completed building by a seven-level glass retail podium, which will house shops and restaurants.
At 90 storeys and 1,280 feet (391 metres) high, the skyscraper will be the tallest on the site.
"The two towers, of differing heights, form a dynamic relationship upon the Manhattan skyline," said the firm.
"One faces the city and the other turns towards the Hudson and with the angled geometry, the towers and the space between change as one views the pair from different vantage points in the city."
Others among the 16 skyscrapers on the site will include 35 Hudson Yards, designed by David M Childs of SOM. The entire project is due to finish in 2024.
The bulky towers buck the current trend in New York for skinny skyscrapers known as super-slenders – one of which is proposed by KPF at 111 Murray Street.