Not all demolition videos can be implosions and that’s OK, because each type of demolition is its own art form. Sometimes contractors are bound by the constraints of the job, especially when located in an area with a large concentration of pedestrians and other public areas. That was the case for the construction site of the future One Vanderbilt Tower in New York City, which just completed the demolition of five different buildings covering an entire city block.
The five buildings demolished have stood since the early 1900s and as early as 1902. Though some of the buildings stood for 100 years, none were heralded as landmarks, especially since they sat directly across from the iconic Grand Central Terminal, which was completed in 1913. Among the 5 buildings demolished were the 18 story Vanderbilt Avenue Building, the Liggett Building, and the Prudence Bond & Mortgage Building. In their stead, between 42nd and 43rd St., will stand a behemoth of a building that will make its mark on the New York City Skyline: the One Vanderbilt Tower. The demolition timelapse video below was uploaded to Youtube by New York YIMBY:
The One Vanderbilt Tower will stand 1,501 feet (458m) tall, according to designers Kohn Pederson Fox Associates (KPF), to the tip of the tower’s antenna and will contain 1,750,00 square feet (162,600 square meters) of space. While an impressive height, the One World Trade Center will still be the tallest structure in the city. Based upon skyscrapers around the world that are currently under construction, completed, or proposed, the One Vanderbilt will be somewhere between the 30-50th tallest building in the world by 2020, when it’s schedule to be completed. The total cost of the project will be roughly $3 billion. KPF is also currently working on the design of a one mile tall building in Tokyo, which hopes to open in 2045.
While I’ve written a lot about the new Las Vegas Raiders stadium over the past couple of years, that stadium wasn’t the only one to make its NFL debut this season. SoFi Stadium, located in Inglewood, California and the new home to the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, officially held its ribbon cutting ceremony on September 8 of this year, but, as well all know, it’s not real until the timelapse video is released.