To the top!: We check in on progress at Herzog & de Meuron's 56 Leonard tower

Construction crews at 56 Leonard, Herzog & de Meuron’s first high-rise in New York, reached the building’s final height this summer, topping out the 60-storey condominium tower, undoubtedly one of the most anticipated architecture projects in the city.
The building’s form – a staggered stack of balconies, becoming glassy as windows go in – has become something of a showstopper. Though its overall shape is certainly head-turning and the subject of much social media, the smaller details inside promise to be just as artful. The architects custom-designed everything down to individual tiles, lighting fixtures and kitchen fume hoods, softening up the building’s tough concrete stance with sensual curves and cool colour tones. Much of the building’s shared space – elevator vestibules, a central staircase – will be left with a raw concrete finish, ratcheting up the contrast between the structure of the tower itself and the interiors of the residences.
Each of the tower’s 145 units has its own unique floor plan and will include access to the holy grail of Manhattan real estate: private outdoor space. On floors nine and ten, the architects included two levels of communal space that will include a lounge, a gym, a sundeck and a 23-metre pool, linked together with a concrete spiral stairway. The developers, a partnership between Alexico Group and Hines, also famously commissioned an Anish Kapoor sculpture, which will be wedged into the structure on the ground level, allowing passersby to view the art.
Design aside, one of the project’s most appealing assets will be its unobstructed views. Set in the midst of Tribeca, the tower finds itself surrounded by buildings with strict height limitations due to its designation as a historic district. The building will continue to be clad in glass through the autumn, readying itself for residents – and Kapoor’s sculpture – by 2016.
One of the most anticipated architecture projects in the city, the building has already become a recognisable icon with its staggered stack of balconies
An uptown view from the Tribeca building's pinnacle
56 Leonard's developers, Alexico Group and Hines, commissioned an Anish Kapoor sculpture for the building's lobby. The piece will be wedged into the structure on the ground level, allowing passersby to view the art
Each of the tower’s 145 units has its own unique floor plan and will include access to the holy grail of Manhattan real estate: private outdoor space
ADDRESS
56 Leonard
56 Leonard Street
New York
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
The Sialia 45 cruiser is a welcome addition to the new generation of electric boats
Polish shipbuilder Sialia Yachts has launched the Sialia 45, a 14m all-electric cruiser for silent running
By Jonathan Bell
-
Tokyo design studio We+ transforms microalgae into colours
Could microalgae be the sustainable pigment of the future? A Japanese research project investigates
By Danielle Demetriou
-
What to see at London Craft Week 2025
With London Craft Week just around the corner, Wallpaper* rounds up the must-see moments from this year’s programme
By Francesca Perry
-
Los Angeles businesses regroup after the 2025 fires
In the third instalment of our Rebuilding LA series, we zoom in on Los Angeles businesses and the architecture and social fabric around them within the impacted Los Angeles neighbourhoods
By Mimi Zeiger
-
‘Fall Guy’ director David Leitch takes us inside his breathtaking Los Angeles home
For movie power couple David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, interior designer Vanessa Alexander crafts a home with the ultimate Hollywood ending
By Anna Fixsen
-
The Lighthouse draws on Bauhaus principles to create a new-era workspace campus
The Lighthouse, a Los Angeles office space by Warkentin Associates, brings together Bauhaus, brutalism and contemporary workspace design trends
By Ellie Stathaki
-
This minimalist Wyoming retreat is the perfect place to unplug
This woodland home that espouses the virtues of simplicity, containing barely any furniture and having used only three materials in its construction
By Anna Solomon
-
Croismare school, Jean Prouvé’s largest demountable structure, could be yours
Jean Prouvé’s 1948 Croismare school, the largest demountable structure ever built by the self-taught architect, is up for sale
By Amy Serafin
-
We explore Franklin Israel’s lesser-known, progressive, deconstructivist architecture
Franklin Israel, a progressive Californian architect whose life was cut short in 1996 at the age of 50, is celebrated in a new book that examines his work and legacy
By Michael Webb
-
A new hilltop California home is rooted in the landscape and celebrates views of nature
WOJR's California home House of Horns is a meticulously planned modern villa that seeps into its surrounding landscape through a series of sculptural courtyards
By Jonathan Bell
-
The Frick Collection's expansion by Selldorf Architects is both surgical and delicate
The New York cultural institution gets a $220 million glow-up
By Stephanie Murg