Latticed 175 Park Avenue: SOM’s Supertall Among USA’s Tallest

In this piece, we examine Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s forthcoming 175 Park Avenue project, also known as Project Commodore. This dramatic supertall will rise in East Midtown Manhattan.

We unpack the tower’s sculptural lattice facade, its massing and structural strategies. The project aims to create a new transit-focused landmark at Grand Central Terminal.

With a planned height of 1,545 ft (470 m), it would become the third-tallest building in the United States. The tower will complement the city’s skyline while addressing complex underground challenges.

The development is led by RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone. It is targeting completion around 2032.

Design language and massing

The defining feature of Project Commodore is an external steel lattice that is part of the core structural system. Wrapped around a glass curtain wall, the lattice creates a sculptural, tapered silhouette with setbacks stepping up the tower.

The lattice’s metal columns twist into two bundles at 42nd Street. They then fan outward above the base to widen the sidewalk and improve pedestrian circulation outside Grand Central Station.

This design forms a recognizable civic gesture along a major urban corridor. It also helps distribute wind loads and improves building stiffness at high elevations.

The lattice and curtain-wall combination creates a high-performance envelope. This allows for a mostly column-free interior while maintaining a distinctive exterior.

Structural strategy and below-ground challenges

The external lattice works with the glass façade to achieve 83 floors of largely column-free interiors. These spaces are mainly for office use, with a boutique hotel and private outdoor terraces also planned.

The tower’s vertical ambition faces a challenging subterranean reality. The columns must pass through a dense web of rail tracks beneath Grand Central and anchor into limited bedrock.

This underground condition shapes the tower’s footprint and the placement of setbacks. It also drives the engineering approach to ensure stability and constructability.

• Height: 1,545 ft (470 m)
• Location: East Midtown Manhattan, adjacent to Grand Central Terminal
• Structural system: External steel lattice integrated with a glass curtain wall
• Massing: Three setbacks to create landscaped terraces
• Subterranean constraints: Navigation of rail tracks and bedrock anchorage

Urban integration and Grand Central

The project emphasizes urban integration with Grand Central Terminal as a central civic anchor. The lattice and massing are designed to guide public realm improvements and enhance pedestrian flow.

A transit hall at the base is planned to expand Grand Central’s adjacent space. It will also add retail and improve connectivity for pedestrians in East Midtown.

The three landscaped terraces created by the setbacks do more than provide visual interest. They serve as exterior platforms where the structure’s depth and buttressing are visible as part of the lattice.

This approach creates a human-scale experience at street level. It also delivers an engineered solution for wind, vibration, and load transfer through the podium-to-tower transition.

Program, sustainability, and engineering implications

The building’s interior layout benefits from a largely column-free floor plate. This flexibility comes from the lattice-driven structure, which directs gravity and lateral forces to the exterior.

Interior spaces can be adapted for different uses, appealing to tenants who want open, flexible areas. The primary uses are office space, a boutique hotel, and private outdoor terraces.

From an engineering perspective, the project balances tall-building performance with urban design. It addresses the challenges of Grand Central’s rail infrastructure and the limited on-site bedrock.

Timeline, permits, and outlook

Permitting activity on 175 Park Avenue has moved forward. Developers RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone have submitted permits and cleared initial planning steps.

SOM and the project team expect completion around 2032. This timeline will depend on finance, construction logistics, and coordination with Grand Central’s ongoing operations.

For practitioners in architecture and engineering, 175 Park Avenue shows how lattice-based structure can support ambitious supertall forms. It also demonstrates how such designs can enhance the public realm.

 
Here is the source article for this story: Latticed supertall skyscraper will be one of USA’s tallest buildings