New York City’s zoning laws have inspired a new type of “superslender” skyscraper which has been dreamt-up to hopefully one day complement the Manhattan skyline. Thanks to the Greek firm, Oiio Studio, ‘The Big Bend’ – the world’s first U-shaped skyscraper – may soon become a reality!
Oiio Studio, founded by Ioannis Oikonomou, is based in both New York and Athens and has sparked the interest of many with their drafts of the Big Bend which would span over 4,000 feet long which is almost twice as long as Burj Khalifa which stands at 2,722 feet tall. If it gets built it will be the world’s longest continual building and would forever change the architectural landscape of New York.
“…What if we substituted height with length? What if our buildings were long instead of tall?…If we manage to bend our structure instead of bending the zoning rules of New York we would be able to create one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan,” Oiio Studio said of the Big Bend on its website.
Oiio Studio also noted the challenges with the proposed project, one of the biggest being the curvature of the building and how an elevator would function to allow people transportation to the top floors. They said it would be “the greatest challenge in elevator history,” but that it is doable and that they are up for the challenge.
Whether or not the world’s first U-shaped building ever becomes a reality is yet to be determined, however it sure has sparked interest and has New York buzzing!
Source: usa.greekreporter.com