NYC’s Latest Skyscraper Likened To ‘Coffee Stirrer’—It Even Swishes A Little

Image via JDS Development Group

Chicago has “The Bean,” Seattle has the joe, and New York City has the “coffee stirrer” to mix it all together. Thanks to its dramatically slender form, Manhattan’s latest skyscraper has been compared to a drinking utensil by the Guardian.

At 84 stories and 1,428 feet tall, Steinway Tower at 111 West 57th Street is the third-tallest building to highlight the city’s skyline. It’s also billed as the skinniest skyscraper in the world. How skinny is it, you ask? Well, it’s a 24:1 ratio between its height and width.

60 apartments occupy this swanky tower, including a triplex penthouse at the top, and prices run anywhere between US$7.75 million and US$66 million.

Whoever moves into these should welcome swaying as part of the package deal, as the development’s thin structure leaves the upper levels predisposed to a little swishing in high winds. Coffee stirrers do that, so…

The building isn’t an, ahem, standalone with this design challenge. Skyscrapers just can’t help but sway, MIT structural engineer John Ochsendorf told Inside Science in January (via Smithsonian Magazine). It’s not a safety hazard, and architects and engineers just have to design the structures so people don’t notice any rocking.

Residents can thus rest easy that the condominium complex is constructed with “the highest-strength concrete in the world,” a representative assured Hyperallergic. So, take a deep breath and admire those panoramic views of Central Park that come with the privilege of peering from this vantage.

[via Hyperallergic, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, cover image via JDS Development Group]