For architects of urban towers, the sun is a double-edged sword, producing cheap warmth and light in buildings, but also unneighborly shadows. The taller the building, the more likely it is to throw shade. This problem is of particular note when your neighbor is New York City’s High Line.

But the designers of 40 Tenth Avenue in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District managed to prevent pools of darkness from flooding the High Line next to it by sidestepping the sun. The commercial tower’s glass curtain wall recedes and breaks into eye-catching facets on the north and south sides, allowing concentrations of solar rays to find their way to the elevated park and nearby streets.