One Vanderbilt

The tallest office tower in Midtown, One Vanderbilt connects directly to the city’s transportation network, blending private enterprise and the public realm.
Along with the Chrysler Building and Empire State Building, One Vanderbilt is one of three landmarks that define Manhattan’s skyline. The project transforms the civic experience of the Grand Central District, introducing cutting-edge office space and new accessible pathways to one of the city’s largest transportation hubs.

The base of the building joins the spatial sequence of Grand Central and forms a doorstep to the city, greeting thousands of commuters daily. An integrated complex of below-grade conditions offers connections to the terminal and an active, 14,000-square-foot pedestrian plaza on Vanderbilt Avenue. By 2022, the tower will fully support the new plan for East Side Access, which extends Long Island Railroad (LIRR) service to Grand Central.

Formally, the building’s massing comprises four interlocking and tapering volumes that spiral toward the sky, an elegant shape in sympathetic proportion to the nearby Chrysler Building. At the base, a series of angled cuts organizes a visual procession to Grand Central, revealing the Vanderbilt corner of the terminal’s magnificent cornice: a view that has been obstructed for nearly a century.

One Vanderbilt's facade and design is intended to integrate with Grand Central, across the street. It is set 10 feet (3.0 m) back from the street to allow better views of Grand Central, and the open spaces in One Vanderbilt will span up to 105 feet (32 m) high. The base would include a 4,500 square feet (420 m2) lobby.Its glass facade was described as having terra-cotta in the design, which "would counter the existing office buildings on Madison Avenue and make a connection—a 'selective recall'—to Grand Central. "On the bottom few floors, the top section of the facade slopes upward, while the bottom section slopes downward, creating a "diagonal wedge" so that the lobby area on Vanderbilt Avenue (facing Grand Central) would have a ceiling sloping from 50 to 110 feet (15 to 34 m) from west to east.

Located in the heart of New York City’s East Midtown (the city’s premier business district), One Vanderbilt is a $3.1 billion commercial office tower completed in 2020 and designed for the future workforce. Led by SL Green Realty as owner and developer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates as architect and Tishman Construction as construction manager, the skyscraper raises the global standard on sustainable design and construction.

The 77-story superstructure (1,401ft) is made of more than 26,000 tons of steel, 75,000 cubic yards of concrete, and took 3,000 workers 4 years to complete!  With the focus on sustainability and design, Dawson doors were a key component to help tie together the Architects’ design intent for the entry portals. 

Dawson was selected for this high-profile project, because of their reputation, experience, and high-quality product. When constructing the main entry doors, Dawson was asked to provide a durable high-quality product that matched the global and sustainable design. Dawson crafted its proprietary Balanced Ultra-narrow stile with Centerhung All Glass (Herculite). Dawson worked directly with W & W Glass, LLC during installation. 

“We chose Dawson, because of their reputation and ability to deliver a high-quality product on-time even during a pandemic. Working with Dawson was a productive experience and the team was very helpful and patient through the ordeal of finalizing the design intent and providing the doors when needed.” Kevin Ramoutar, Project Manager at W & W Glass LLC.

For the material, Dawson provided 13 (.090″)  and 16 (.060″) Muntz metal with a #4 satin finish. The choice of material and finish gave the doors a sleek and lustrous look that matched the unparalleled design of One Vanderbilt. For the framing, Dawson provided both automatic and manual headers.