The first renderings are up for a new mixed-use tower at 470 Eleventh Avenue, located on the southeast corner of 11th Avenue and 38th Street. Crain’s first reported on the project last month, when developer Black House acquired the parcel; the price of acquiring the lot and air rights was approximately $115 million, and the skyscraper will encompass 320,000 square feet. Images of the building come from Archilier Architecture, which won a competition to design the structure.

470 Eleventh Avenue will stand 720 feet tall, and the tower will have 51 luxury residences and 410 hotel rooms; per Archilier, the skyscraper is inspired by “traditional Chinese lanterns,” and the firm “created a tower of alternating volumes and dramatic terraces and sky pools.”

Black House is also developing The Soori High Line, which will also boast private heated swimming pools. The firm’s projects certainly have a running theme, though whether the amenity catches on in new developments across Manhattan remains to be seen; regardless, the common thread between Black House developments is certainly unique, and distinguishes their properties from other new buildings coming to market.

In terms of design, 470 Eleventh Avenue seems a bit cutting-edge for comparisons to traditional Chinese lanterns, but the inspiration has led to a distinct form, with unheard-of amenities. While lower levels are relatively plain, the upper floors — which will house the condominiums — offer an unprecedented take on high-rise living. Instead of isolating inhabitants from the elements, the building is replete with terraces and private pools, which are typically confined to elevations significantly below 500 feet.

Besides the condominium amenities, the building includes several terraces for the hotel portion, as well as what looks to be a sky-lobby approximately two-thirds of the way up; while most ‘sky lobbies’ are anything but — and are typically enclosed in glass — major portions of the aerie at 470 Eleventh Avenue are literally open-air.

Though the tower’s massing may be unconventional, the premise behind 470 Eleventh Avenue pushes the envelope of design forward, and will hopefully create an impetus towards integrating more outdoor spaces into New York’s new skyscrapers. Tall buildings are easy to create, but crafting structures that are livable, breathable, and harken back to nature is a step that architecture needs to take — and in that regard, Archilier has succeeded in creating something that breaks boundaries.

Work on 470 Eleventh Avenue is apparently imminent, as completion is expected in 2017.

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