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.
-
Vestre’s neo-brutalist furniture will bring ‘a little madness’ to Paris Fashion Week
Bound for Paris Men’s Fashion Week this month, Norwegian furniture brand Vestre reveals a sculptural bench and mirror created with designer Vincent Laine and fashion creative Willy Cartier – the latest outcome of its risk-taking ‘a little madness’ initiative
-
For its latest runway show, Zegna creates a serene oasis in Dubai
The Italian fashion house took over the Dubai Opera for a S/S 2026 show that proposed a lived-in elegance, drawing inspiration from Dubai’s sunbaked landscapes and Zegna’s birthplace of Trivero
-
Time-travel to the golden age of the cruise ship at Sea Containers London
The South Bank hotel celebrates its tenth anniversary with four new suites inspired by period cabin design, from Edwardian elegance to 1980s glamour
-
The world of Bart Prince, where architecture is born from the inside out
For the Albuquerque architect Bart Prince, function trumps form, and all building starts from the inside out; we revisit a profile from the Wallpaper* archive, first published in April 2009
-
Is embracing nature the key to a more fire-resilient Los Angeles? These landscape architects think so
For some, an executive order issued by California governor Gavin Newsom does little to address the complexities of living within an urban-wildland interface
-
Hop on this Fire Island Pines tour, marking Pride Month and the start of the summer
A Fire Island Pines tour through the work of architecture studio BOND is hosted by The American Institute of Architects New York in celebration of Pride Month; join the fun
-
A Laurel Canyon house shows off its midcentury architecture bones
We step inside a refreshed modernist Laurel Canyon house, the family home of Annie Ritz and Daniel Rabin of And And And Studio
-
A refreshed Rockefeller Wing reopens with a bang at The Met in New York
The Met's Michael C Rockefeller Wing gets a refresh by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture, bringing light, air and impact to the galleries devoted to arts from Africa, Oceania and the Ancient Americas
-
A Fire Island house for two sisters reimagines the beach home typology
Coughlin Scheel Architects’ Fire Island house is an exploration of an extended family retreat for the 21st century
-
PlayLab opens its Los Angeles base, blending workspace, library and shop in a new interior
Creative studio PlayLab opens its Los Angeles workspace and reveals plans to also open its archive to the public for the first time, revealing a dedicated space full of pop treasures
-
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