Supertall Over the Train Tracks - One Manhattan West Tower

• Published in: Structural Engineering International: Recent Structures and Research in the USA Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 116 - 122
• Main Authors: Petrov, Georgi I., Biswas, Preetam, Johnson, Ronald B., Seblani, Aurelie, Besjak, Charles
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 02.01.2019
• Subjects: moment frame; project delivery; skyscraper; slender tower; supertall; Tekla
• ISSN: 1016-8664; 1683-0350
• DOI: 10.1080/10168664.2018.1516125

As global urban population increases and large cities densify, building departments and developers worldwide are looking to the structural engineering profession to develop ideas that allow vertical construction above transportation infrastructure and maximize the use of valuable real estate in the hearts of city centers. One Manhattan West (1MW) is a supertall building recently designed and engineered by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM). The tower rises above the underground train tracks approaching Pennsylvania Station in midtown Manhattan, New York City. The structural system of the tower consists of a central reinforced concrete core and a perimeter steel moment frame. The proximity of the train tracks prevents the perimeter columns of the 70-story building from coming down vertically and be directly supported on foundations. The primary challenge to the design team was to convert this limitation into an opportunity creating a column-free lobby at the base of a 304-m tall tower. Sloping back of the perimeter columns to the central core at the base not only addresses this challenge, it also gives 1MW the unique distinction as one of the slenderest structures in New York City. Innovative structural engineering design coupled with "out-of-the-box" project delivery method, developed and implemented by SOM, has made 1MW a reality.