Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Pencil tower

A pencil tower, also known as a skinny skyscraper or super-slender tower, is an extremely tall building with a narrow footprint and high aspect ratio, typically exceeding 10:1 in height to width, enabling maximal vertical development on constrained urban sites. These structures emerged prominently in high-density cities such as New York and Hong Kong, leveraging zoning mechanisms like transferable air rights to concentrate development into thin, lofty forms often exceeding 300 meters in height. Pencil towers represent an architectural response to escalating land values and demand for luxury residences with panoramic views, but their slender profiles necessitate advanced engineering to mitigate wind-induced sway and vibrations, employing stiff concrete cores, tuned mass dampers, and outrigger systems. Iconic examples include in , which reaches 426 meters with a 93-by-93-foot base, and Hong Kong's , illustrating the typology's global adoption amid dense urban landscapes. Despite their engineering feats, pencil towers have drawn controversy for structural vulnerabilities, including facade cracking, water infiltration, and mechanical failures exacerbated by their extreme proportions, as evidenced by ongoing lawsuits against developers of alleging undisclosed defects like flooding and elevator malfunctions. Critics also highlight their inefficiency in material use and contribution to skyline distortion, prioritizing ultra-wealthy buyers over broader housing needs, though proponents argue they optimize scarce space through innovative design.

Definition and Characteristics

Slenderness Metrics and Classification

Pencil towers are classified by their exceptional slenderness, defined as an —the height divided by the narrowest width—of at least 10:1, distinguishing them from broader supertall structures. This metric exceeds typical proportions, where ratios below 7:1 are common even for tall buildings under New York State codes. Pencil towers often reach supertall status, exceeding 300 meters (984 feet) in height per Council on Tall Buildings and Habitat (CTBUH) criteria, with many surpassing 1,000 feet while maintaining footprints under 100 feet wide to maximize verticality on constrained urban sites. Extreme examples achieve ratios up to 24:1, as in Steinway Tower at 1,428 feet tall and 60 feet wide, rendering such structures visually akin to extruded columns rather than the pyramidal or setback forms of conventional skyscrapers. Unlike traditional supertalls, which distribute load over wider bases for stability and include mixed uses like offices, pencil towers prioritize narrow, elongated profiles—typically residential condominiums targeting high-net-worth individuals—to exploit zoning allowances for unlimited height on small lots without expanding floor area ratios. This configuration amplifies engineering demands from lateral forces but enables denser luxury unit counts per parcel compared to squat, broad-based alternatives. No standardized global threshold exists beyond these ratios, but classifications emphasize ratios of 12:1 or higher for "super-slender" designation, separating pencil towers from merely tall buildings. Megatall pencil towers, over 600 meters, remain rare due to intensified slenderness challenges, though emerging designs push boundaries in high-value districts.

Architectural and Functional Attributes

Pencil towers exhibit minimalist architectural designs emphasizing vertical elongation through facades of glass curtain walls, exposed concrete grids, or limestone cladding, which enhance transparency, penetration, and integration into urban . Setbacks and ornamental spires are commonly incorporated to achieve tapered profiles that align with stipulations, such as New York's provisions for structures covering 25% or less of the lot, while contributing to aesthetic slenderness and dominance. Primarily residential in function, these towers house luxury condominiums with one to two units per floor, designed for high-net-worth occupants seeking exclusive vertical living spaces marketed as pied-à-terres. Key amenities include private elevators granting direct unit access, sky lobbies for resident-only facilities, and floor-to-ceiling windows providing unobstructed panoramic views of cityscapes and landmarks. Commercial elements are minimal, generally limited to ground-level lobbies or retail, underscoring the emphasis on privacy and elite habitation over mixed-use programming.

Historical Development

Origins in Hong Kong (1970s–1990s)

Hong Kong's pencil towers emerged in the 1970s amid acute land scarcity exacerbated by the territory's rugged topography and booming post-war economy, which drove property values to unprecedented heights. With only about 25% of its land developable, Hong Kong faced intense pressure to accommodate rapid population growth—from 4.08 million in 1971 to 5.18 million in 1981—through vertical expansion rather than horizontal sprawl. Permissive zoning under the Buildings Ordinance, which had eased height restrictions since 1955, allowed high floor-area ratios on small plots, enabling small-scale developers to erect slender residential towers typically 20 to 40 stories high with one apartment per floor. These early pencil towers, narrow and elongated to maximize height on fragmented lots, proliferated in densely packed districts like and , where steep slopes precluded broader footprints. High land costs incentivized micro-developments that prioritized slenderness for economic viability, as wider bases would underutilize expensive ground space. The form's simplicity—often lacking podiums or extensive amenities—reflected a pragmatic response to regulatory flexibility and market demands for premium views in a vertical . Into the 1980s and 1990s, the typology evolved with taller iterations on challenging sites, exemplified by Highcliff, a 72-story, 222-meter tower completed in 1994 that clung to a mountainside in Mid-Levels East. This period saw pencil towers contribute to housing over 5.67 million residents by 1991 without proportional infrastructure expansion, validating their role in sustaining urban density amid ongoing immigration and economic growth. The strategy's success stemmed from causal alignments between geological constraints, laissez-faire planning, and developer ingenuity, fostering a skyline of unparalleled vertical efficiency.

Adoption in North America and Europe (2000s–2010s)

The pencil tower concept transferred to North America in the early 2010s, primarily in New York City, amid economic recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and a surge in foreign investment targeting luxury properties. One57, completed in August 2014 at 1,005 feet (306 meters) tall with 75 stories, represented the inaugural supertall pencil tower in the United States, capitalizing on Midtown Manhattan's zoning flexibility to achieve its slender profile. This development was propelled by deregulated zoning along 57th Street—dubbed Billionaires' Row—which permitted extreme height through transferable development rights and bonus floor-area ratios, drawing buyers such as hedge fund executives and overseas oligarchs seeking safe-haven assets. 432 Park Avenue, topping out at 1,396 feet (426 meters) in 2015 with a 15:1 aspect ratio, epitomized the form's adoption, its minimalist grid facade enabling vast interior volumes on a narrow footprint amid rising global wealth concentration. Adoption extended to other North American cities like , where slender residential towers emerged in the mid-, influenced by similar market dynamics of international capital and land scarcity, though fewer reached supertall scales. In , the trend manifested more variably during the , with structures like London's (completed 2012 at 1,016 feet or 310 meters) incorporating tall, narrow elements that echoed pencil aesthetics but prioritized mixed-use pyramidal forms over pure slenderness due to stricter height caps and urban integration mandates. Overall, Western uptake emphasized luxury residential over the denser commercial-residential hybrids common in Asian origins, reflecting localized investor preferences for trophy assets.

Global Expansion and Recent Milestones (2020s)

, completed in 2020 at a height of 1,550 feet (472 meters), marked an early 2020s milestone in City's pencil tower proliferation, becoming the world's tallest residential building and exemplifying the genre's push toward supertall slenderness on a relatively narrow footprint. This 98-story structure, developed by , leveraged zoning allowances for luxury residential to achieve extreme height while maintaining a slim profile amid Midtown's density. Steinway Tower at 111 West 57th Street, completed in 2022 and reaching 1,428 feet (435 meters), stands as the engineering pinnacle of pencil tower design with its unprecedented 1:24 height-to-width ratio, earning recognition as the world's most slender skyscraper. Designed by SHoP Architects for JDS Development Group, the 84-story residential tower integrates terracotta cladding and advanced damping systems to counter its inherent vulnerability to lateral forces, demonstrating sustained viability of the form despite post-pandemic market slowdowns in luxury sales. Beyond , pencil tower concepts have prompted proposals in other global cities, signaling potential expansion. In , a pencil-thin 94-story tower was proposed in 2023 for 15-19 West, aiming for 990 feet (302 meters) on a compact site near Yonge-Bloor intersection, though revisions reduced it amid city concerns over shadows and urban impact. This reflects growing adaptation of the model to high-density North American locales outside , driven by similar exploitation and billionaire demand, even as completions remain NYC-dominant through 2025.

Design and Engineering Principles

Core Structural Systems

Pencil towers employ a central core as the foundational element for vertical load transfer and primary resistance to lateral forces, leveraging the material's inherent and mass to provide in highly slender profiles. This core encases critical vertical circulation systems such as elevators and stairwells, optimizing interior space utilization by confining structural mass to a compact footprint typically occupying 20-30% of the floor plate. The core's shear walls, reinforced with high-yield , act as a composite that counters gravitational and overturning moments through deep foundations tied to . To address torque and enhance overall rigidity, outrigger trusses or walls extend from the core to perimeter columns, creating a trussed tube effect that distributes shear and bending demands across the facade. Belt trusses, often integrated at mechanical/equipment levels every 10-20 stories, further stiffen the system by linking core and exterior framing, reducing inter-story drift under lateral loads. These configurations demand ultra-high-performance concrete in the core walls, with compressive strengths typically 70-100 MPa at base levels to minimize deflection in aspect ratios exceeding 15:1, as validated through finite element modeling of wind tunnel data. Oscillation control integrates tuned mass dampers, massive pendulums or liquid systems suspended near the apex, tuned to the building's to dissipate vibrational energy from excitation via counter-phase motion. This passive augmentation complements the core's passive , ensuring serviceability limits are met without active interventions.

Materials, Damping, and Construction Innovations

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), achieving compressive strengths over 100 MPa, has been instrumental in pencil tower construction by permitting thinner walls and cores that minimize dead load while resisting high stresses inherent to extreme slenderness. This material incorporates steel or synthetic fibers for enhanced ductility and durability, allowing aspect ratios exceeding 10:1 without proportional mass increases. High-strength steel reinforcement, often exceeding 100 ksi yield strength, complements UHPC by enabling reduced section sizes in cores and outriggers, as demonstrated in midtown Manhattan supertalls where concrete damping provides inherent vibration control superior to steel frames. Damping innovations address dynamic instabilities in pencil towers, where wind-induced sway becomes perceptible at slenderness ratios above 10:1; viscous dampers, functioning via , boost overall structural by 15-35%, dissipating energy across multiple modes without relying solely on passive systems. viscous devices integrate into braced frames or trusses, reducing acceleration responses critical for upper-level , as validated in high-rise applications combining and seismic demands. These systems outperform traditional tuned dampers in space efficiency for ultra-slender profiles, enabling feasible heights over 300 meters. Construction advances like jump-form systems accelerate core erection in dense urban sites, employing reusable modular that advances vertically in 1.5-3 meter increments per lift, ensuring precise alignment for high-strength pours under tight spatial constraints. This technique supports continuous placement for slip-form variants, reducing times to days per while accommodating geometries in pencil tower cores that house vertical circulation. Jump-forming's adaptability to UHPC mixes facilitates phased sequencing, minimizing on-site logistics disruptions compared to conventional framing.

Operational Challenges and Solutions

Lateral Load Resistance (Wind and Seismic)

Pencil towers' extreme slenderness amplifies lateral loads from wind, where induces oscillatory forces, as revealed through testing of aerodynamic models. These forces can cause across-wind vibrations proportional to the building's height-to-width ratio, often exceeding 10:1 in pencil configurations, necessitating mitigations to ensure occupant comfort and structural integrity. Aerodynamic modifications, such as tapering the form upward, disrupt uniform and spread vortex shedding frequencies across a broader , thereby reducing dynamic responses compared to prismatic shapes. Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) and viscous dampers further counteract wind-induced sway by dissipating kinetic energy from oscillations. In , a 426-meter pencil tower in , the concrete core-outtube system integrates TMDs to manage wind effects, preventing excessive motion that could discomfort residents during gusts. Similar strategies, including trusses linking the core to perimeter columns, enhance stiffness against lateral bending moments. Seismic resistance in pencil towers relies on flexible systems to accommodate base shear in active zones, with base isolators decoupling the superstructure from ground motions to minimize transmitted accelerations. These devices, comprising lead-rubber bearings or friction pendulums, extend the structure's period and reduce interstory drifts, aligning with performance-based design criteria that limit drifts to prevent nonstructural damage. In simulations of supertall buildings, hybrid isolation schemes position energy dissipation lower to achieve reduced maximum drifts under design earthquakes. For locations like with moderate seismicity, such provisions ensure drifts remain within code-specified thresholds, typically on the order of 0.5-2% of story height depending on risk category.

Fire Safety and Emergency Access

Fire safety in pencil towers is constrained by their extreme height and slenderness, rendering traditional external tactics ineffective above approximately 30 stories, where ground-based aerial ladders typically reach a maximum of 100-105 feet (30-32 meters), equivalent to 7-10 floors depending on story height. Beyond this threshold, operations shift to internal suppression via standpipe systems, which allow firefighters to connect hoses to pressurized water lines within stairwells, supplemented by automatic sprinkler systems designed to control fire spread through early activation. Compartmentation strategies, including fire-rated concrete cores and floors, isolate fires to limit propagation, a principle refined in supertall designs to compensate for the inability to vent or attack externally at upper levels. building codes, influenced by investigations, have mandated enhanced protected stair enclosures and designated refuge areas—pressurized, smoke-proof spaces for temporary sheltering during phased evacuations—to mitigate risks of stairwell compromise. Helicopter rescues, while theoretically possible, are rarely employed due to operational hazards like thermal updrafts, smoke obscuration, and rotor downdraft exacerbating fire spread, as evidenced by limited applications in supertall scenarios. Evacuation from pencil towers poses significant challenges, with simulations indicating total egress times exceeding two hours for occupants in ultra-tall structures, driven by stair descent speeds averaging 0.5-1 meter per second amid and . No major fires have been recorded in completed pencil towers to date, attributable to robust passive defenses and sprinkler in containing incipient events, though reliance on these systems underscores the causal of vertical in response.

Interior Livability Factors

Pencil towers' slender profiles necessitate stiff structural systems that, while minimizing overall sway, can amplify internal noises from minor relative movements between floors during wind events. These creaks originate from in rigidly connected non-structural elements, such as partitions and fit-outs, under inter-story drifts as small as millimeters. Acoustic solutions, including viscoelastic layers in assemblies and flexible bushings at ceiling connections, decouple these elements to attenuate sound transmission and maintain quiet interiors. Wind-induced accelerations in pencil towers pose risks to occupant comfort, with human perception thresholds typically at 0.15 m/s² peak, beyond which may occur in sensitive individuals. Design practices employ testing and computational modeling to limit accelerations to under 0.05 m/s² in residential spaces, often via tuned mass dampers or distributed viscoelastic systems that dissipate vibrational energy. Feedback from occupants in early examples, such as completed in 2015, has highlighted sway-related discomfort, informing refinements like enhanced damping in subsequent projects. These measures enable pencil towers to offer superior acoustic privacy through compartmentalized floor plates and insulated cores, fostering a serene that contrasts with in broader high-rises. Empirical data from post-occupancy evaluations confirm reduced levels and improved livability scores when isolation techniques are integrated from the outset.

Economic and Societal Contributions

Drivers in Luxury Real Estate Markets

In major urban centers like New York City, escalating land acquisition costs propel the development of pencil towers by enabling developers to maximize return on limited footprints through extreme verticality. Prime Manhattan sites, particularly along Billionaires' Row, command land prices exceeding $1,000 per buildable square foot, far outpacing construction expenses and rendering low-rise or sprawling designs economically unviable. This scarcity incentivizes slender supertalls, where floor area ratios often surpass 10:1 under zoning allowances, concentrating luxury units high above the city to capture unobstructed views and prestige. Pre-construction sales to affluent buyers further drive pencil tower viability, providing upfront capital that funds ambitious without heavy reliance on loans. Foreign nationals account for 15-25% of high-end condo transactions in , often purchasing off-plan units as stores of value amid geopolitical instability or currency controls in their home markets. Towers such as and have seen substantial pre-sales, with projects collectively absorbing over $10 billion in commitments since 2010, reflecting voluntary capital flows into tangible assets perceived as inflation hedges. Ultra-luxury pricing sustains this model, with penthouses routinely listing above $100 million—such as the $110 million triplex at Steinway Tower or the $250 million offering at —yielding developer margins through rapid appreciation in resale values. Buyers, including managers and global investors, prioritize these properties for their exclusivity, security features, and status signaling, where proximity to cultural hubs like justifies premiums over 10 times the per-square-foot cost elsewhere in the city. This demand-side pull, rooted in competitive bidding for finite elite space, allocates resources efficiently toward high-value uses absent regulatory distortions.

Urban Density and Investment Benefits

Pencil towers enable high urban by maximizing floor-area ratios (FAR) on small lots in dense city centers, concentrating residential space vertically to achieve substantial total floor areas without horizontal expansion. In , residential permits FARs up to 12, which these slender structures exploit on footprints often under 10,000 square feet, delivering dozens of luxury units per tower while preserving ground-level space for public use. This vertical approach houses affluent populations efficiently, leveraging existing urban infrastructure and countering the land-intensive demands of suburban sprawl, which would necessitate broader and utility expansions. Such towers attract by providing secure, high-status for global investors, with Manhattan's supertalls drawing billions in international capital through sales to overseas buyers seeking diversified assets. Their contribution to iconic skylines further boosts and job growth; New York's distinctive high-rises enhance its appeal as a world-class destination, supporting approximately 291,000 direct tourism-related jobs as of 2019. Property taxes from these developments add to municipal revenues, funding infrastructure improvements in host neighborhoods, as luxury high-rises serve as significant contributors to city tax bases despite occasional abatements.

Fiscal and Developmental Impacts

![432 Park Avenue, an exemplar pencil tower in New York City](./assets/432_Park_Avenue%252C_NY_cropped The construction phase of pencil towers generates significant short-term fiscal benefits through employment and procurement taxes. Major projects, such as those on Manhattan's Billionaires' Row, directly employ hundreds of skilled workers at peak construction, while stimulating thousands of indirect jobs in supply chains for materials like concrete and steel. For instance, taxes levied on construction activities for 432 Park Avenue exceeded $10 million, contributing to city and state revenues. These developments also incur sales taxes on equipment and services, bolstering municipal budgets during build-out periods typically spanning 3-5 years. Post-completion, pencil towers yield ongoing property tax revenues that enhance long-term fiscal stability. In , high-value in supertall structures like generate annual property taxes in the tens of millions, based on assessed values reflecting sales exceeding $1 billion per building. and es from unit sales further amplify gains; for 432 Park Avenue, total condominium transactions were estimated to produce around $30 million under proposed mansion tax rates, with actual transfer taxes providing comparable yields at approximately 1.825% of sale prices. These inflows support public services without direct subsidies, as private financing underwrites the projects. Developmentally, pencil towers catalyze urban revitalization by elevating adjacent property values and attracting ancillary investments, countering stagnation in dense cores. In during the , the proliferation of these structures aligned with GDP expansion outpacing national averages, with city growth rates nearly double the U.S. in the preceding decade leading into the boom. This vertical growth facilitates efficient , drawing global capital that funds upgrades and business relocation, thereby sustaining economic vitality in established districts.

Criticisms and Counterarguments

Claims of Social Inequality

Critics contend that pencil towers, such as those comprising New York City's Billionaires' Row, symbolize and intensify wealth disparities by catering exclusively to ultra-high-net-worth individuals while cities grapple with acute affordable housing shortages. These structures, with units often priced in the tens of millions, are argued to divert resources from broader societal needs, fostering "enclaves of inequality" that prioritize private luxury over public welfare. Such claims, frequently amplified in mainstream media outlets with noted left-leaning biases, posit that the towers exacerbate gentrification and income polarization without addressing root causes like regulatory barriers to overall housing supply. Empirical examination reveals limited causal linkage between pencil tower development and widened wealth gaps. These buildings emerge from voluntary market transactions responding to demand from global investors and affluent buyers seeking secure assets, thereby enhancing aggregate wealth through capital inflows rather than redistributing existing resources inequitably. Economic analyses indicate that supertall constructions correlate with rising incomes and urban prosperity, serving as indicators of robust fundamentals rather than harbingers of downturns or inequality drivers. Construction of such towers generates substantial employment—thousands of jobs in specialized trades—and yields significant property tax revenues; for instance, New York City's luxury developments have contributed billions to municipal coffers, funding infrastructure and services that benefit all residents. Assertions of pervasive vacancy, often cited to underscore underutilization by the elite, are overstated. At 432 Park Avenue, a quintessential pencil tower, nearly all 125 units were sold by 2021, with only one remaining unsold, and recent activity includes high-end rentals and sales in 2024, reflecting seasonal occupancy patterns typical of pied-à-terre investments rather than abandonment. While broader Billionaires' Row shows higher unsold rates in some buildings, this contrasts with chronic vacancies in subsidized public housing projects, which have failed to mitigate inequality despite trillions in expenditures, highlighting market-driven efficiency over policy-induced shortages. Interventions like rent controls, proposed as alternatives, empirically reduce housing supply and quality, perpetuating shortages without resolving underlying demand pressures. Proponents argue that pencil towers signal economic vitality and attract investment, fostering trickle-down effects via filtering where luxury units free up mid-tier over time, unlike stagnant initiatives marred by inefficiency. This voluntary supply addition on private land aligns with causal principles of market allocation, where wealth creation for high earners indirectly supports broader affordability through job growth and fiscal contributions, rather than moralistic redistribution that ignores incentive structures.

Assertions of Environmental Inefficiency

Critics of pencil towers contend that their supertall, slender designs necessitate disproportionate structural reinforcement, elevating embodied carbon emissions from materials like and , which can exceed those of mid-rise buildings by up to 60% per unit of gross floor area due to the demands of height and wind resistance. This inefficiency arises causally from the aspect ratios exceeding 10:1, requiring extensive systems and deep foundations to counter lateral loads, as analyzed in structural efficiency studies of ultra-thin towers. Lifecycle assessments further highlight that supertall constructions contribute significantly to upfront carbon footprints, with taller buildings inherently demanding more material-intensive engineering than low- or mid-rise alternatives. However, empirical comparisons reveal that pencil towers' vertical density yields net environmental advantages over suburban sprawl by concentrating on minimal footprints, thereby curtailing per-capita emissions from and infrastructure duplication; high-rise cores demonstrate up to 50% lower disturbance per resident compared to dispersed low-density . Pilot lifecycle studies of dense versus suburban configurations confirm that vertical aggregation reduces overall and outputs when accounting for transport efficiencies and shared utilities, as sprawl amplifies vehicle dependency and . High-density residential typologies, including supertalls, exhibit lower lifecycle emissions per capita than low-density sprawl in assessments integrating building operations, materials, and , with verticality enabling compact HVAC systems that optimize distribution across small bases. Many pencil towers incorporate sustainability measures mitigating operational inefficiencies, such as advanced glazing and zoning-compliant designs targeting Gold certification, as seen in 432 Park Avenue's engineered envelope for reduced thermal loads despite its 1,396-foot height. These features, combined with urban infill strategies, position supertalls as causally preferable in emission-constrained cores, where lifecycle analyses prioritize density's role in averting sprawl-induced carbon lock-in over isolated embodied carbon critiques.

Regulatory and Aesthetic Objections

Critics of pencil towers have raised regulatory concerns over their potential to cast prolonged shadows and obstruct established views, prompting calls for enhanced zoning oversight. In , where supertall developments intersect with public amenities like , mandatory shadow studies assess impacts on sunlight access, fueling debates about balancing density with daylight preservation. Developers of projects such as faced backlash for eclipsing sightlines to landmarks like the , highlighting tensions between private development and communal visual corridors. Proponents counter that the slender profiles of pencil towers—often with aspect ratios exceeding 10:1—generate narrow, transient shadows that cover minimal ground area relative to their height, as the shadow's width mirrors the building's footprint rather than imposing broad, persistent shading akin to bulkier structures. This geometric reality aligns with urban planning principles where verticality on small lots mitigates cumulative solar obstruction, though empirical studies remain site-specific and contested amid broader calls for height restrictions to curb skyline dominance. New York City's reliance on floor area ratio (FAR) limits rather than absolute height caps has inadvertently incentivized such forms, with the former 12:1 residential FAR cap—lifted in March 2024—drawing criticism for fostering inefficient towers while opponents of deregulation advocate reinstating caps to preserve contextual scale and prevent regulatory gaming. Aesthetically, pencil towers elicit objections for their perceived sterility and disruption of traditional urban silhouettes, often likened to "etiolated beanpoles" or monotonous grids that prioritize over visual . Observers decry them as soulless intrusions that erode the eclectic grandeur of earlier , with some arguing they subtract from rather than enhance the skyline's narrative depth. From a first-principles , however, their elongated forms functionally the spires of Gothic cathedrals—tall, narrow extensions that served structural and symbolic without excessive base sprawl—reaffirming verticality as an enduring architectural imperative in dense environments, where form follows the causal demands of limited land and advancing . Overregulation in pursuit of subjective risks impeding this evolution, as rigidity historically constrains adaptive .

Notable Examples

United States (Primarily New York City)

New York City hosts the most prominent pencil towers in the United States, characterized by their extreme slenderness ratios exceeding 10:1, enabling high-rise development on narrow lots amid stringent zoning constraints. These structures, often exceeding 1,000 feet in height, dominate the skyline along corridors like Billionaires' Row on 57th Street, where supertall residential towers have proliferated since the early 2010s. Key examples include 432 Park Avenue, completed in 2015 at 1,396 feet with a 1:15 slenderness ratio, One57, finished in 2014 at 1,005 feet, and Central Park Tower, topped out in 2020 at 1,550 feet. Engineering innovations underpin these towers' stability, incorporating tuned mass dampers and systems to counter wind-induced sway, which can reach velocities equivalent to Category 1-2 hurricanes. For instance, 432 Park Avenue's design features mechanical joints at setbacks to dissipate wind pressures, ensuring structural integrity despite its narrow 93-foot base. These buildings have demonstrated resilience in , with skyscrapers engineered to withstand winds over 140 mph, far exceeding typical coastal storms. Sales data reflects market strength, with ultra-luxury units in such towers fetching averages above $40 million on Central Park South, underscoring demand from high-net-worth buyers even amid economic fluctuations. While remains the epicenter, pencil tower development is emerging in , where projects like the slender Casa Eva in Miami Beach represent early forays into similar typology on smaller scales, though the city focuses more on broader supertalls amid its construction boom.

Hong Kong and Asia

pioneered the development of pencil towers starting in the , driven by extreme land scarcity and regulations that permitted slender residential structures with one per floor on small plots. These buildings, characterized by high slenderness ratios, emerged as a response to dense urban conditions, with over 50 such towers documented across the city. Slenderness defines much of 's high-rise architecture, resulting in more pencil-thin towers than in any other . Early examples include the Hopewell Centre, completed in 1980 at 222 meters and 64 storeys, which exemplified vertical ambition on constrained sites despite its broader circular form. Modern iterations, such as The Summit (220 meters, 65 storeys, completed 2001) and (246 meters, 62 storeys, completed 2003), achieve greater slimness with aspect ratios exceeding 10:1, housing luxury residences amid steep terrain. The Cullinan towers, reaching 270 meters each upon completion in 2009, represent slimmer, supertall residential kin, standing as Hong Kong's tallest homes at 68 storeys per tower. Hong Kong's pencil towers incorporate typhoon-resistant features, including cores, aerodynamic shapes, and sometimes tuned mass dampers to mitigate wind loads from frequent super typhoons, ensuring structural integrity under gusts exceeding 250 km/h. Private buildings adhere to codes mandating resilience against hurricane-force winds, as demonstrated during events like in 2018. Despite geopolitical tensions with slowing broader booms since the 2010s, pencil tower construction persists in districts like and , sustaining the skyline through luxury infill projects on legacy sites. In wider Asia, similar slender forms appear in and , adapting to comparable density pressures but lacking Hong Kong's volume and pioneering scale.

Canada, United Kingdom, and Other Regions

In , pencil tower developments have emerged primarily in , adapting the typology to dense urban sites amid growing luxury residential demand. A notable proposal at 15-19 West, submitted in 2023, envisions a 94-storey, 302-metre tower with a slender exceeding ten times its width, featuring approximately 1,263 residential units and limited ground-floor of 270 square metres. This design, later revised to 99 storeys by April 2024, reflects efforts to maximize height on constrained lots in the Bloor-Yorkville district, though at a smaller scale than counterparts due to local and wind load considerations. Similarly, Quadrangle's 2022 concept for 15 Toronto Street proposes a super-skinny office-residential in the financial district, emphasizing vertical efficiency on narrow parcels. In , pencil towers remain scarce, with luxury high-rises like the 60-storey tower adopting slimmer profiles but prioritizing standards over extreme slenderness, constrained by seismic regulations and a preference for broader bases. The has seen limited adoption of pencil towers, often scaled down to comply with stricter planning policies and heritage protections in . A 68-metre, 20-storey residential "pencil" tower in , approved in August 2021, features 27 units on a former parking site, demonstrating adaptation for infill development with a narrow footprint to minimize visual impact. Influences from slimmer office towers, such as the 278-metre completed in 2020, have encouraged verticality in the , but full pencil-style supertalls face resistance from height caps and community objections to skyline dominance. In other regions like , pencil tower concepts have diffused to secondary markets such as , where site scarcity drives narrow designs, though execution lags behind primary hubs. The Pencil Tower Hotel at 410 , proposed in 2021 and revived in September 2025 planning debates, stands at 100 metres tall with a mere 6.4-metre street frontage—barely wider than a —aiming for 34 metres in depth to house boutique accommodations. This "skyscratcher" highlights global emulation of the form for premium, low-footprint builds, yet regulatory hurdles and neighbor opposition underscore adaptations to local contexts, maintaining a lead by U.S. and examples in height and prevalence.

References

  1. [1]
    Pencil Towers - Planeta.com
    A pencil tower is an extremely slender skyscraper with an aspect ratio greater than 1:10.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
  2. [2]
    Pencil Tower New York: the new skyline - We Build Value
    Aug 9, 2023 · Introducing pencil towers, the slender skyscrapers that grace the heart of Manhattan in New York City.
  3. [3]
    800mm luxury : pencil tower phenomenon in Hong Kong, China
    Pencil Towers are slender pencil-like apartment buildings. They are commonly found in high-dense Asian cities such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
  4. [4]
    The Engineering Behind Pencil Towers for Students in BIM College
    Sometimes called pencil towers or super skinny skyscrapers, these skyscrapers are incredibly thin and, often, extremely tall. Unlike the bulkier skyscrapers ...
  5. [5]
    Why Skinny Skyscrapers Are So Loud (And How To Quiet Them)
    Jan 7, 2022 · Pencil towers are built from materials stiffer than those in traditional buildings to compensate for their increased tendency to sway. Still, ...Missing: controversies | Show results with:controversies
  6. [6]
    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/nyregion/432-park-avenue-condo-tower.html
  7. [7]
    432 Park Avenue: Condo owners sue over New York skyscraper ...
    May 15, 2025 · Apartment owners claim the super-skinny tower's developers failed to disclose the extent of damage that has resulted in flooding and ...
  8. [8]
    Why Pencil Towers are Problematic - Treehugger
    Feb 4, 2021 · The problem is that it is really expensive to build something so tall and skinny; with an aspect ratio of 15:1 it really wants to sway in the breeze.
  9. [9]
    [PDF] Material Use and Efficiency in Ultra-Thin Towers by Kyle Thomson ...
    Additionally, with the pencil towers having such a narrow base and significant height the wind greatly impacts the internal forces acting on the tower. This ...
  10. [10]
    New York's Super Slenders - The Skyscraper Museum
    Slenderness is a ratio of base width to height, typically 1:10 or 1:12. New York's super-slenders range from 1:10 to 1:23, with a large size range.Missing: pencil metrics
  11. [11]
    Interrelations of slenderness ratio and main design criteria in ...
    Oct 7, 2022 · A building with an aspect ratio greater than 7 is considered slender by New York State Building Code. Additionally, for towers with an aspect ...
  12. [12]
    Tall Building Criteria – CTBUH
    Tall buildings that achieve significant heights are classed in two additional sub-groups: A “supertall” is a tall building 300 meters (984 feet) or taller, and ...Tall Building Criteria · Tall, Supertall, And... · Tall Buildings
  13. [13]
    Everything You Need to Know About the World's Skinniest Skyscraper
    Nov 5, 2024 · Located at 111 West 57th Street, the residential skyscraper cuts straight through the sky with an astounding height-to-width ratio of 24:1.
  14. [14]
    https://parametric-architecture.com/steinway-tower-thinnest-skyscraper/
  15. [15]
    Super-slender - Designing Buildings Wiki
    Oct 21, 2021 · 'Slenderness' is an engineering definition. Structural engineers generally consider skyscrapers with a minimum 1:10 or 1:12 ratio (of the ...Missing: aspect | Show results with:aspect
  16. [16]
    Towers - New York's Super Slenders - The Skyscraper Museum
    Unlike typical residential and commercial buildings, this modular concept creates varied units and a combination of effects allowing for a unique and expressive ...
  17. [17]
    Super-tall, super-skinny, super-expensive: the 'pencil towers' of New ...
    Feb 5, 2019 · The long read: An extreme concentration of wealth in a city where even the air is for sale has produced a new breed of needle-like tower.Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
  18. [18]
    [PDF] Singularly Slender: Sky Living in New York, Hong Kong, and ... - ctbuh
    Once built exclusively in Manhattan and Hong Kong, “pencil towers” of 80 to 100 stories and taller are now rising in a handful of other cities, including ...
  19. [19]
    [PDF] Hong Kong Population Nearly Doubled in 40 Years
    Hong Kong population grew from 3.63 million in 1966 to 6.86 million in 2006, with an average annual growth rate of 1.6%. ○ In the late 1970s to early 1980s, the ...
  20. [20]
    Strategic easing of height restrictions: Unveiling the intersection of ...
    Oct 9, 2024 · The 1955 Buildings Ordinance, which eased height limits, laid the groundwork for Hong Kong's high-density foundations. The existing ...
  21. [21]
    The Vertical City, Part I: How Hong Kong Grew Up - Zolima CityMag
    Oct 6, 2016 · That's where pencil towers came in. “In the 1970s, there was a wave of micro-development – smaller-scale developers who could build a 20-storey ...
  22. [22]
    VERTICAL CITIES: HONG KONG - The Skyscraper Museum
    Recently in Manhattan, several pencil-thin residential towers have been added to the skyline using purchased air rights. The models of 785 Eighth Avenue and One ...
  23. [23]
    Vertical Cities: Hong Kong | New York
    Apartment towers commonly rise fifty to sixty stories or taller, even in surrounding new towns.
  24. [24]
    432 Park Avenue - The Skyscraper Center
    About 432 Park Avenue. The pencil-thin 432 Park Avenue represents a new generation of supertall, superslim skyscrapers. Located in the ever-opulent Midtown ...
  25. [25]
    Form follows finance: NYC's pencil towers for the ultrawealthy | News
    Feb 7, 2019 · The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright shows how the advent of the new 'pencil tower' building type is rapidly transforming New York City's skyline.
  26. [26]
    (PDF) New York's super-slender towers and European slender high ...
    Dec 1, 2023 · The aim of this paper is to characterize existing and planned slender European skyscrapers. The study examined the location of slender high-rise ...Missing: 2000s | Show results with:2000s
  27. [27]
    Central Park Tower - Permasteelisa Group
    ... Key facts. Year completed. 2020. Building height. 472m; 98 storeys. Total façade supplied. 56,700 sqm. Courtesy of Extell Development Company. More projects.
  28. [28]
    Central Park Tower Finishes Construction as New York City's Tallest ...
    Dec 30, 2021 · Construction is complete on Central Park Tower, a 1550-foot supertall from Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill and Extell at 217 West 57th Street in ...
  29. [29]
    Tallest Residential Building in NYC & The World - Central Park Tower
    Central Park Tower will be the tallest residential building in not just NYC, but in the world. The new condominium architectural landmark will rise 1550 ...
  30. [30]
    The world's skinniest skyscraper is ready for its first residents | CNN
    Apr 19, 2022 · Steinway Tower, or 111 West 57th Street, has a height-to-width ratio of 24:1, making it “the most slender skyscraper in the world,” according to ...
  31. [31]
    111 West 57th Street – Supertall! - The Skyscraper Museum
    The residential tower on “Billionaire's Row,” to be completed in 2020, will climb to 1,428 ft. / 435 m., a height achieved both by its extreme slenderness and ...
  32. [32]
    Pencil-thin 94-storey tower proposed to loom high over busy Toronto ...
    Mar 13, 2023 · The proposed building would contain just over 270 square metres of ground-floor retail space, maintaining the strip of classy commercial spaces ...
  33. [33]
    Soaring 94-Storey 'Skinny' Tower Planned for Yonge and Bloor
    Mar 13, 2023 · Developer Reserve Properties filed an application with the City of Toronto outlining plans to build a 94-storey tower at 15-19 Bloor Street West.Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  34. [34]
    NEW YORK'S SUPER-SLENDERS - The Skyscraper Museum
    The 778 foot, 64 floor Helmut Jahn-designed tower will feature a private observation deck on the top floor reserved exclusively for residents. Located blocks ...
  35. [35]
    Engineering Supertall Skyscrapers: Challenges and Solutions
    Aug 31, 2025 · The structural systems we will discuss are the tube system, buttressed core system, core-outrigger system, the diagrid system, and conjoined ...Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil<|separator|>
  36. [36]
    [PDF] Super-Slender Towers of New York - ctbuh
    To do this, the team supplemented the lateral resistance system of the structure with concrete shear wall cores surrounding the elevator shaft and egress stairs ...
  37. [37]
    Three Supertall Slender Towers in Midtown Manhattan
    May 24, 2021 · The structural system of 2MW consists of a central braced steel core with outrigger and belt trusses and a perimeter steel moment frame. Half of ...
  38. [38]
    [PDF] Concrete for High Rise – Reference Book - Sika Group
    This means concrete with high strength in excess of 60 MPa, up to >100 MPa is becoming more typical. Typically projects require self-compacting concrete and ...Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  39. [39]
    Trouble in the Sky | IIBEC
    Mar 1, 2021 · Six years after it was built, residents have expressed a spate of complaints, ranging from flooding, to nonfunctional elevators, to excessive ...
  40. [40]
    The Rise of New York's Supertall Ultra-Luxurious Skyscrapers
    Sep 7, 2024 · It has a width-to-height ratio of only 1:24, meaning it is 24 times as tall as it is wide. As of November 2022 at completion, it was the ...
  41. [41]
    Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) - Gage Brothers
    Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is an advanced, high-strength concrete incorporating small, high-strength steel or synthetic fibers.
  42. [42]
    Fluid Viscous Dampers from Taylor Devices, Inc.
    FVDs can increase structural damping, typically between 15% and 35% in seismic applications, which significantly reduces drifts and stresses in a structure.
  43. [43]
    (PDF) VISCOUS DAMPERS FOR HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS
    Viscous dampers (VD), when used in high-rise buildings in seismic areas, should reduce the vibrations induced by both strong winds and earthquakes.
  44. [44]
    Reducing Skyscraper Sway - The New York Times
    Aug 6, 2015 · Mass dampers are added to slender skyscrapers to reduce their sway in high winds.
  45. [45]
    Will London see Manhattan's pencil towers?
    Mar 25, 2014 · “The core uses extremely high strength concrete, cast either using travelling slip-form machines that cast each floor in turn, or by jump forms.
  46. [46]
    Jump Form Construction and Concrete Monitoring - Converge
    Sep 10, 2024 · Jump form construction is a method that involves using large, reusable formwork that is moved or “jumped” to higher levels as the construction progresses.Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  47. [47]
    Jump form construction - Concrete Society
    Jun 3, 2025 · Jump forms are one method for the construction of the cores (that house the lifts, staircases etc.) for high-rise buildings and similar ...Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  48. [48]
    Aerodynamic Skyscraper Design: Comfort & Wind Performance
    Oct 3, 2025 · These shapes confuse the airflow, which helps reduce vortex shedding. Less vortex shedding means less swaying and less stress on the structure.
  49. [49]
    How Structural Engineering Wins the Battle Against Wind
    Mar 15, 2022 · Vortex Shedding is the natural enemy of the structural engineer. When wind passes around a tall, thin object (such as a skyscraper) it passes to ...
  50. [50]
    Dynamic responses of a tapered tall building to wind loads - ADS
    The fact that a tapered tall building might spread the vortex-shedding over a broad range of frequencies makes more effective for reducing acrosswind responses ...
  51. [51]
    [PDF] Structural Performance of Tapered Tall Buildings
    Tapered forms also help reduce wind loads applied to tall buildings. ... Furthermore, tapered forms help tall buildings prevent shedding organized alternating ...Missing: pencil resistance
  52. [52]
    Feeling at Home in the Clouds - Structure Magazine
    432 Park Avenue. This slender, taller-than-all-neighbors residential tower in the heart of New York City offered an extreme challenge in managing wind effects.
  53. [53]
    432 Park Ave, NY - A+H Custom
    Tuned mass dampers, also called harmonic absorbers, are simple yet effective mechanisms that allow us to design and live in skyscrapers. Without them, the ...
  54. [54]
    Keeping Skyscrapers From Blowing in the Wind - The New York Times
    Aug 7, 2015 · Mass dampers are added to slender skyscrapers to reduce their sway in high winds. Then there's 432 Park Avenue, a venture of CIM Group and ...
  55. [55]
    [PDF] Analysis and Design of a Building with Inter-Story Seismic Isolation
    Jun 3, 2025 · The seismic base isolation system was invented with the intention of reducing the seismic forces transmitted through the structure during an ...
  56. [56]
    Seismic fragility assessment of a super tall building with hybrid ...
    The results suggest that structure can have smaller maximum interstory drift as well as exceeding probabilities if the IVDOs locate at the lower part of ...
  57. [57]
    ASCE 7-16 Provisions for Lateral Drift Determination
    The allowable drift of other structures with Risk Category I and II is approximately 10 times the allowable drift under wind forces. Risk Category III and IV ...
  58. [58]
    What is the Highest Floor a Fire Truck Can Reach?
    May 16, 2025 · Typical Height Limitations of Aerial Apparatus ... Most modern aerial ladder trucks can reach a height of 100 feet (30 meters). This translates ...
  59. [59]
    How far can the tallest fire truck ladders reach? What is the ... - Quora
    Aug 12, 2011 · The 105 foot aerial ladder can reach 7 to 8 stories depending on the height of the stories. So it is obvious that ladder trucks can't be used ...
  60. [60]
    The Evolution of Fire Safety in Supertall Buildings
    This article looks at the relationship between structural engineering practices for tall buildings and how these practices have influenced fire safety ...
  61. [61]
    Changes in High-Rise Buildings: Is It Time to Change Your ...
    Apr 1, 2013 · Most modern high-rise buildings have combination sprinkler and standpipe systems. Sprinkler piping at each floor is connected to standpipes ...
  62. [62]
    [PDF] Fifty Years of Fire Safety In Supertall Buildings - ctbuh
    Feb 13, 2020 · Enclosed exit stairs to facilitate occupant evacuation from the fire area to grade or to other safe areas within the building. In this case, ...
  63. [63]
    [PDF] Executive Summary - FEMA
    Following the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York City's World Trade Center (WTC), the. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Structural ...Missing: post- refuge
  64. [64]
    Lessons Learned: Aerial Firefighting and High-Rise Rescue since ...
    Sep 30, 2022 · Jennifer Ferrero explores how the urban aerial firefighting and search and rescue landscapes were irreversibly changed by the terror attack in New York in 2001.<|control11|><|separator|>
  65. [65]
    [PDF] Emergency Egress from Ultra Tall Buildings - ctbuh
    (simultaneous) evacuation times were estimated at about four hours ... First, there have been some failures in tall building evacuations. A real ...
  66. [66]
    Occupant Profiles and High-Rise Evacuation
    Movement speeds were input using a log normal distribution. All occupants evacuated using the stairs. Total evacuation from the building required 104.2 minutes.
  67. [67]
    [PDF] WIND INDUCED CREAKING NOISE IN TALL BUILDINGS – PART 1
    Findings to date demonstrate that the noise is generated when a building sways laterally due to wind loading. This leads to inter-storey drift causing rigidly ...
  68. [68]
    [PDF] Wind-Induced Motion of Tall Buildings: Designing for Occupant ...
    There is little doubt wind-induced building motion at acceleration levels above perception thresholds can cause some degradation in occupant comfort and may.Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  69. [69]
    [PDF] Practical Considerations in the Assessment of Building Motion ...
    Figure 2 shows an average threshold of perception of peak acceleration of around 2.5 milli-g. The perception thresholds from the three towers were found to show ...
  70. [70]
    [PDF] Viscoelastic Damping Devices Proving Effective in Tall Buildings
    A typical viscoelastic damper (see Fig. 1) consists of a steel plate sandwiched between two steel tees, with a thin layer of viscoelastic material between the ...
  71. [71]
    The Most Expensive Real Estate Markets in the United States - Blog
    May 1, 2025 · Prices average roughly $1,200 per square foot in Manhattan's core neighborhoods ( Realtor ). Limited land on the island, coupled with global ...
  72. [72]
    Foreign Buyers in Manhattan's Luxury Condo Market: They're Back
    Foreign buyers have traditionally loomed especially large in the new development market, King-Brown said, noting that they accounted for 20 to 25 percent of new ...
  73. [73]
    Where Foreign Buyers Are Buying in Brooklyn & Manhattan
    According to data from leading brokerages and the NYC Department of Finance, foreign nationals now account for 15–18 percent of all high-end condo transactions ...
  74. [74]
    Penthouse atop world's skinniest skyscraper is now on the market ...
    Apr 4, 2025 · A penthouse of the “supertall” Manhattan building dubbed the world's skinniest skyscraper has hit the market at $110 million.Missing: ROI | Show results with:ROI
  75. [75]
    Inside the $250 million penthouse on 'Billionaires' Row' - CNBC
    Sep 23, 2022 · A penthouse atop the world's tallest residential building − listed for $250 million − is marking the biggest test of the ultra-luxury real estate market.Missing: pencil ROI appreciation
  76. [76]
    $$19.75M Central Park Condo in World's Skinniest Skyscraper Tops ...
    Sep 29, 2025 · Located at 111 West 57th St., near Carnegie Hall, unit 38 had a listing price of $19.75 million. The sale is pending, so it's not yet clear if ...Missing: drivers pencil
  77. [77]
    Floor Area Ratio FAR Zoning Calculations - Fontan Architecture
    Apr 12, 2022 · NYC Floor Area Ratio (FAR) is a mathematical formula that determines how many square feet can be developed on a property in proportion to the lot area.
  78. [78]
    New York | Supertall! - The Skyscraper Museum
    This was largely because the 1961 zoning laws restricted the maximum size of towers by a Floor Area Ratio (FAR), a formula geared to the area of the lot and the ...
  79. [79]
    skyscraper competition - Building the Skyline
    Jan 20, 2021 · This leads to greater foreign direct investment (FDI), tourism, and improved employment opportunities. Because skills and services generate ...
  80. [80]
    The Pivotal Impact of New York City's Tourism Economy
    Oct 23, 2019 · Our research showed that there are now 291,000 direct jobs in tourism in New York City, which is more than in finance (which has 268,200) and ...
  81. [81]
    ECONOMIC BENEFITS 432 PARK AVENUE
    Jan 9, 2016 · ECONOMIC BENEFITS 432 PARK AVENUE · 1.825% in transfer taxes = $365,000.00 for the City and State · 1% Mansion taxes = $ 200,000.00 · Taxes on ...Missing: revenue | Show results with:revenue
  82. [82]
    432 Park sales could have generated $30M for low-income NYers ...
    Mar 23, 2017 · 432 Park sales could have generated $30M for low-income NYers under mansion tax ... income seniors from 432 Park Avenue's sales since December ...Missing: property revenue
  83. [83]
    432 Park would have generated $30M for affordable housing ... - 6sqft
    Mar 24, 2017 · 432 Park would have generated $30M for affordable housing with de Blasio's mansion tax · De Blasio pushes again for 'mansion tax' on home sales ...
  84. [84]
    [PDF] AT THE CORE OFA DYNAMIC NEW YORK CITY - PlaceEconomics
    Over the last decade, the rate of economic growth in New York City has been nearly double that of the United. States. In 2014, the growth rate of New York's GDP ...<|separator|>
  85. [85]
    [PDF] The Economics of Skyscraper Construction in Manhattan - ctbuh
    This paper discusses the economics of skyscraper construction in Manhattan since 1990. First the paper reviews the economic theory of skyscraper height.
  86. [86]
    Are New York's new super-tall skyscrapers icons of ingenuity or ...
    a literal and figurative representation of ...
  87. [87]
    The Economics of Supertall Buildings
    Jan 19, 2022 · The downsides are that multi-function supertalls can be more complex financially, and the cost of building higher than single-function ...
  88. [88]
    Why Skyscrapers and Incomes Go Up Together - Econlife
    Mar 11, 2025 · They conclude, somewhat less cleverly but probably more accurately, that super tall projects do not signal an imminent economic downturn.
  89. [89]
    (PDF) SKYSCRAPERS AS A PROSPERITY INDICATOR
    Dec 10, 2021 · Abstract · 1. Skyscrapers are economically viable for residential basis in only the cities which have · 2. Even for residential construction, the ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  90. [90]
    [PDF] The Logic of Luxury 2.0 - ctbuh
    Sep 11, 2015 · Critics therefore view the luxury towers as private property that has been created at direct public expense and which offers no benefits to the ...
  91. [91]
    Nearly half of luxury units empty in seven Billionaires' Row buildings
    Aug 5, 2021 · By contrast, 432 Park Ave. has the smallest percentage of vacancies, with all but one of its 125 units accounted for. Also doing relatively ...
  92. [92]
    https://nypost.com/2025/10/21/real-estate/some-432-park-residents-deny-allegations-of-structure-issues/
  93. [93]
    Supply and the Housing Crisis: A Debate - Dissent Magazine
    While housing policy cannot fix the issue of inequality, it can alleviate its effects. But it should do so by pushing against the forces of rising inequality ...
  94. [94]
    The economics of skyscrapers: A synthesis - CEPR
    Aug 20, 2020 · The economic case for supertall buildings has been challenged since the late 19th century. Critics urge policymakers to control vertical ...
  95. [95]
    Embodied carbon premium for vanity height: A case for the ...
    Jun 1, 2024 · Research indicates that the embodied environmental flows per unit of gross floor area in tall buildings can be significantly higher – up to 60% ...
  96. [96]
    Seven principles for designing low-carbon skyscrapers - Dezeen
    Nov 22, 2022 · The upshot is that taller buildings have a higher embodied carbon than mid- and low-rise blocks. Across their lifecycle, tall buildings ...
  97. [97]
    The Skyline versus the Sprawl-line: CO2 Emissions and Building ...
    Sep 16, 2020 · High prices in the center generate high land values that naturally produce taller buildings, which at their heart, are an efficient use of land.
  98. [98]
    [PDF] Dense Downtown vs. Suburban Dispersed: A Pilot Study on ... - ctbuh
    It has thus bec- ome widely assumed that the “dense vertical” city is more sustainable than the “dispersed horizontal” city and this concept has certainly ...
  99. [99]
    Comparing High and Low Residential Density: Life-Cycle Analysis ...
    Aug 6, 2025 · This study provides an empirical assessment of energy use and greenhouse gas GHG emissions associated with high and low residential development.
  100. [100]
    432 Park Avenue - Rafael Viñoly Architects
    The 425.5-meter-tall (1,396-foot) tower is defined by a grid of 10-square-meter (110-square-foot) windows that enclose an exposed concrete structural frame ...
  101. [101]
    the impacts of building sizes and land uses on CO2 emissions
    However, when placed into a larger context, high-rise buildings are relatively less CO2 intensive than suburban neighborhoods, where driving and freestanding ...
  102. [102]
    The Right to Light: Balancing Density and Daylight in Cities - RWDI
    The impact of shadows from supertall buildings falling on Central Park has entangled the city, developers, and activists in a fierce debate about regulations ...
  103. [103]
    Skyscrapers and Shadows: The Value of Sunshine in the City
    Mar 13, 2019 · Shadows in the peak of the summer can be helpful for cooling and energy costs, while perhaps can negatively affect moods or well-being.
  104. [104]
    NYC residents fuming over a luxury building blocking a view of the ...
    Mar 5, 2024 · New Yorkers are upset that a 54-story residential building currently under construction at 262 Fifth Avenue has blocked views of the Empire State Building.
  105. [105]
    Why skyscrapers are so short - Works in Progress Magazine
    Jan 21, 2022 · The height of skyscrapers is limited by physical, economic and regulatory barriers, but we should want to overcome them and build taller.
  106. [106]
    Gaming New York's Skyscraper Height Zoning Laws - Bloomberg.com
    Jun 11, 2019 · However, a zoning wrinkle permits a tower of unlimited height in some parts of the city as long as it occupies 25 percent of the lot or less.Missing: bonuses | Show results with:bonuses
  107. [107]
    These iconic NYC buildings would have been barred under ...
    known as the 12 FAR cap — has badly backfired, trading iconic Big Apple sites for soulless pencil ...
  108. [108]
    Hell's Kitchen Skyline: NY Lawmakers Consider Lifting Building ...
    Apr 3, 2024 · Currently, all new residential buildings in New York City can be built at a FAR of no higher than 12, thanks to a state law passed in the 1960s.<|control11|><|separator|>
  109. [109]
    Why are New York's new skyscrapers so bad? - Apollo Magazine
    May 30, 2022 · Completed in late 2015, this was the first of the 'pencil towers' to be built. It encapsulates the aesthetic by obsessively and monotonously ...
  110. [110]
    Opinion | 'Pencil' Tower on 57th St. - The New York Times
    Jan 12, 2015 · The difference with the pencil tower is the total lack of beauty. It doesn't add to the skyline; it takes away. BONNIE CHALEK Ridgewood ...Missing: aesthetic | Show results with:aesthetic
  111. [111]
    432 Park - Structure Magazine
    With identical width and length of 93.5 feet and a total height of 1,396 feet, the slenderness ratio of the building is 1:15.
  112. [112]
    One57 - The Skyscraper Center
    One57 ; Completion. 2014 ; Country · United States ; City · New York City ; Address. 157 West 57th Street ; Function · Residential / Hotel ...
  113. [113]
    One57 Building: History, Architecture, and Facts - Buildings DB
    The One57 Building reaches an architectural height of 1004ft (306m), with the last accesible floor being 902ft (275m) off the gorund. It has a total of 75 ...
  114. [114]
    Central Park Tower - The Skyscraper Center
    Completion ... The Grand Central Terminal-adjacent supertall One Vanderbilt officially topped out this week, reaching its full 1,401-foot (427-meter) height.
  115. [115]
    Can a hurricane destroy a New York City skyscraper? - PIX11
    Oct 28, 2022 · “These towers in [New York City] are specifically engineered to sustain extremely high winds, well above what they are likely to experience ...
  116. [116]
    The Marvels—And Mistakes—Of Supertall Skyscrapers - The Atlantic
    Dec 17, 2022 · Steinway Tower is 24 times taller than it is wide—nearly as slim as a No. 2 pencil, and the skinniest supertall in the world. (The developer's ...
  117. [117]
    New York Tops Ultra-Prime Residential Sales List As 'Pencil Thin ...
    Dec 31, 2019 · The average price for the above-$25 million sales on Central Park South was $44.9 million, the report said. Park Avenue was No. 4 with 20 ...
  118. [118]
    Casa Eva, first Pencil Tower in Miami Beach - LinkedIn
    Jun 15, 2018 · This is Miami Beach's first "Pencil Tower" single family home. Structures like this are common in larger city's in Europe and Asia but a first ...Missing: emerging | Show results with:emerging
  119. [119]
    Try a Little Slenderness: Explorations on the Hong Kong Pencil Tower
    Hong Kong pencil towers are architectural byproducts of dense urban conditions, with one apartment per floor, and are studied for their economic, architectural ...
  120. [120]
    Hong Kong - The Skyscraper Museum
    Slenderness is a defining characteristic of Hong Kong's tall buildings, and the city has more pencil-thin towers than any place in the world.
  121. [121]
    What's the History of the Hopewell Centre?
    Aug 20, 2015 · When it opened in 1980, the 64-story structure was the tallest building in Hong Kong. It held the title for an impressive 9 years, until the Bank of China came ...Missing: pencil | Show results with:pencil
  122. [122]
    Hong Kong Buildings - The Summit + Highcliff Apartment Blocks
    Jul 11, 2025 · The Summit and Highcliff are two iconic residential skyscrapers located on Stubbs Road in the Mid-Levels East district of Hong Kong Island.
  123. [123]
    The Cullinan I - The Skyscraper Center
    Height 269.9 m / 886 ft, Floors 68, Official Name The current legal building name. The Cullinan I, Other Names Other names the building has commonly been known ...
  124. [124]
    Five of Asia's tallest typhoon-resistant skyscrapers
    Aug 22, 2017 · Here's a look at five wind-resistant high-rise buildings in the region, and how they're designed to keep residents safe.
  125. [125]
    Hong Kong's preparedness and resilient infrastructure cut economic ...
    Dec 4, 2021 · Private buildings in Hong Kong are designed to withstand winds and gusts triggered by a Hurricane Signal, says a spokesperson from the Buildings ...
  126. [126]
    Why did skyscraper boom stop in Hong Kong? Only a few prominent ...
    Dec 16, 2024 · These buildings were built in the 50s-70s and many of them are dilapidated. ... Hong Kong has a well known cluster of Pencil Towers filling in.Missing: origins 1970s<|separator|>
  127. [127]
    Pencil-thin 99-storey condo tower planned for Toronto just took a big ...
    Apr 4, 2024 · The development was first proposed in early 2023 with an ambitious 94-storey, 302-metre height that would have already been taller than any ...
  128. [128]
    BDP Quadrangle designs super-skinny skyscraper for Toronto
    Sep 26, 2022 · The Canadian branch of UK architecture studio BDP has released designs for the 15 Toronto Street super-skinny skyscraper in the city's financial district.
  129. [129]
    Alberni at the Vanguard - Canadian Architect
    Apr 1, 2022 · Conspicuously absent from Vancouver's luxury residential scene are pencil towers, such as Toronto's 85 storey The One. This is because of ...
  130. [130]
    Final Go-Ahead Granted for "Pencil" Tower in London – CTBUH
    Aug 27, 2021 · Sergison Bates has been given the final go-ahead to build a super-thin, 20-story "pencil" tower in Wandsworth, south-west London.Missing: slim | Show results with:slim
  131. [131]
    Wandsworth pencil tower, London, UK, 2015-2021
    This residential tower is proposed to transform a vacant plot used for ancillary car parking into a 68m-high mixed-use block comprising 27 residential units ...Missing: slim | Show results with:slim
  132. [132]
    Durbach Block Jaggers reveals Pencil Tower Hotel Sydney skyscraper
    Feb 1, 2021 · According to Durbach Block Jaggers, with a height-to-width ratio of 16:1, Pencil Tower Hotel will be Australia's skinniest skyscraper when it is ...Missing: elements setbacks
  133. [133]
    The pencil tower, the 'salami slice tactics', and the cranky neighbours
    Sep 18, 2025 · Sydney's skinniest skyscraper is back. Four years after plans to build the city's first so-called “pencil tower” were given the go-ahead ...
  134. [134]
    Skinny towers: with few prime city sites left, Sydney and Melbourne ...
    Feb 6, 2021 · Sydney's Pencil Tower hotel will be 6.4 metres wide, 100 metres high and 34 metres deep. An ingenious solution – or foolhardy?Missing: ratio elements setbacks