We always try to build higher up, what would happen if we started focusing on the length of our buildings?
This is the project of The Big Bend: “the big curve” that could revolutionize the way of building.
The “BIG BEND”: the U-shaped skyscraper
# An impossible project … or almost
It’s called The Big Bend and it’s a project that aims to transform the Manhattan skyline on 57th Street, south of Central Park.
The Big Bend is a U-shaped skyscraper that could revolutionize the way of conceiving buildings in the capital of the modern and contemporary era.
When we talk about skyscrapers, we always refer to height, all large metropolises are in fact developing upwards. But what if we were talking about length?
The revolutionary project was signed by the Oiio studio and required the resources of two agencies to be conceived.
Let’s see it together.
# The big curve 2 kilometers long
The Big Bend, literally “the big curve”, is called “the U-shaped skyscraper” and is a skyscraper that resembles a giant arch, an element often used in Western architecture.
To understand the magnitude of this project, we need to talk a little about numbers.
The weight of the building is discharged to the ground by the particular structure which also guarantees balance. The height should not exceed 600 meters but the overall length is astonishing: it could be around 2 kilometers.
# How will the movement inside the building be possible?
Observing an arched skyscraper the question arises: how will people cross the central part of the curve?
The project thought of a complex system of elevators capable of sliding horizontally, vertically and in a circular way: another element that makes The Big Bend one of the most revolutionary buildings in the world.
# The benefits of building by increasing length
Building by length may seem like a wacky choice but it has several benefits.
The U-shaped skyscraper project was created to attract new millionaires always looking for space on 57th Street, but creating tricks to comply with all the rules that this area requires.
As the company also explains in a statement, “There are many different ways that a building can stand up. We’re used to being familiar with height measurements and marveling at how much skyscrapers can cost per square foot. It seems that building height has a direct correlation to price growth. ‘The Big Bend’ is an architectural solution to Manhattan’s height limitations. We can build structures the size we want without worrying about the skyline.”
The design has not yet been approved, but once built, this U-shaped skyscraper will revolutionize the modern understanding of architecture.
Will it be the longest in the world?
ARIANNA BOTTINI
