Superstructure work on 175 Greenwich Street – aka Three World Trade Center, designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners – remains stalled, but that has not stopped the tower’s facade from rising. The first cladding has now been installed along the western side of the building’s podium, giving an early taste of what the 1,170-foot tower will eventually look like.
Most of what has risen so far is simple ventilation paneling that will surround much of the retail base, and not glass. The facade is punctuated by large, alien-looking exhaust pipes, though renderings of the project would indicate those are not permanent, which is good because they look bizarre.
The few panels of tower glass that have been installed are very reflective – in line with the tower’s neighbors, though unlike One World Trade Center and 150 Greenwich, 175 Greenwich’s facade will not be seamless. Instead, the glass will be broken up by an enormous amount of metal work, though the cross-bracing elements have been reduced to a minimum – the biggest difference between the new plans and earlier iterations, besides the minor height decrease.
No news has been broken on possible tenants, and it seems the World Trade Center is currently losing against Related’s Hudson Yards in the competition to attract big-name companies. This is a result of the subsidized rents at the Hudson Yards, as well as the general disarray at the World Trade Center – even as One World Trade and 150 Greenwich open next year, much of the site will remain a construction zone.
Past speculation that GroupM would lease 175 Greenwich has not been quenched, so perhaps the media giant will end up taking the space – but until a formal commitment is made, superstructure work will continue to remain on hold.
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