Foster + Partners unveils designs for 980 Madison

Designs for a new residential tower at 980 Madison Avenue in New York have been unveiled. Foster + Partners proposes to create two fused elliptical residential towers. Designed in 1947 by Walker and Poor, two floors would accommodate a public art installation, and the roof garden would be reinstated as a publicly accessible sculpture court. Formerly functioning as art galleries and an auction house for Sotheby’s, the original building’s simple detailing would be respected and restored. Its later additions – including some 50 windows – would be removed, together with the unsightly roof extension added in the 1960’s. The green public sculpture court would delicately separate the old and the new. In keeping with the dynamic mix of building heights and styles from different periods that characterise the Upper East Side, the design for 980 Madison creates a new landmark to join the numerous other distinctive buildings in the district. Sympathetic in height to the neighbouring Carlyle building, 980 Madison offers an opportunity to create a 21st Century, sustainable counterpart. Harnessing natural solar resources, the towers are clad in delicately fluted thermal panels to provide a comfortable internal environment while assuming an elegant urban presence.