New York Times Building

After nearly a century, the New York Times has moved out of its historic publishing house on 43rd Street and is now at home in a modern skyscraper. Compared with many office towers that are demonstrations of wealth and power or that try to catch the eye with bizarre gestures, the new Times Building may seem relatively modest. All the more convincing are its painstaking details and open quality – something not to be taken for granted in the aftermath of 11 September 2001. Although it is the first major high-rise block to be erected in Manhattan since that date, a decision was taken to uphold the spirit of the architectural competition held in 2000 and not to create a closed stronghold. The building was, nevertheless, reworked and improved in certain respects. Elaborate ­lighting studies, the installation of a cogenerating unit, an underfloor cooling system, and the addition of a second skin demonstrate a pursuit of sustainability, even if the tower cannot quite compete with modern “green” buildings in Europe in its energy balance. The outer screen of ceramic tubes was above all an architectural concept to achieve more slender proportions and – through a special mix of transparency and reflection – to capture changing weather and daylight conditions in the facade.