Architecture firm Oiio has come up with a conceptual design for a structure they call The Big Bend, which would be the longest (not the tallest) building in the world. This project has been proposed for Manhattan’s 57th street, a major thoroughfare that hosts a growing number of supertall structures — including One57 and 432 Park Avenue. This controversial “Billionaires’ Row”, has generated a great deal of debate, calling into question the economic conditions and zoning policies that have brought about the current situation.
Oiio Proposes The Big Bend Skyscraper
In response, Oiio has designed The Big Bend, a single building that doubles back on itself at its peak to form an inhabitable arch. The conceptual scheme takes advantage of the city’s zoning laws to create a structure with a huge amount of saleable square footage, without worrying about height limits. Despite meeting the ground at two separate points, the project retains a relatively small footprint.
On its website, Oiio describes its reasoning for the concept as such:
Oiio Proposes The Big Bend Skyscraper
“New York city’s zoning laws have created a peculiar set of tricks through which developers try to maximize their property’s height in order to infuse it with the prestige of a high rise structure. But 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”.
Some locals have voiced concerns about the towers, complaining that they will overshadow Central Park.
Oiio Proposes The Big Bend Skyscraper
