• Matt Blaze@federate.socialOP
    1·
    20 days ago

    The skyscrapers along Park Avenue in the 40’s and lower 50’s are all minor engineering marvels. They’re built atop the rail yard for Grand Central Terminal (an early adopter of the modern real estate concept of “air rights”). Many of the newer buildings are much taller than was anticipated when the terminal was constructed more than a century ago. This heavily constrains their foundations and anchor points, leading to unusual load-bearing designs such as the steelwork shown in the photo.

    • Kat O’Brien@mastodon.world
      1·
      20 days ago

      @mattblaze@federate.social I love architecture. I now live in Barcelona (formerly in NYC for many years, and marvel at the architecture here.
      Yesterday I had a meeting in Casa Sayrach.

      Corner conference room with huge floor-to-ceiling windows and lots of natural light, Modernist style

    • Michael Richardson@todon.nl
      1·
      20 days ago

      @mattblaze@federate.social I always assumed those buildings were just Transformers that got tired and sat down on Manhattan, and might at some point wake up and leave Earth.

    • Luke Ryan@toot.community
      1·
      20 days ago

      @mattblaze@federate.social Thanks for saying this! I was struck by the odd looking steelwork, but didn’t have that context.