29
Global
Height rank

One Vanderbilt Avenue

New York City
Height
1
To Tip:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
427 m / 1,401 ft
2
Architectural:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."
427 m / 1,401 ft
3
Occupied:
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
330.1 m / 1,083 ft
1 2 3 One Vanderbilt Avenue
  Floors
Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).
62
Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.
4
Height 427 m / 1,401 ft
Floors 62
Official Name
The current legal building name.

One Vanderbilt Avenue

Other Names
Other names the building has commonly been known as, including former names, common informal names, local names, etc.

One Vanderbilt

Type
CTBUH collects data on two major types of tall structures: 'Buildings' and 'Telecommunications / Observation Towers.' A 'Building' is a structure where at least 50% of the height is occupied by usable floor area. A 'Telecommunications / Observation Tower' is a structure where less than 50% of the structure's height is occupied by usable floor area. Only 'Buildings' are eligible for the CTBUH 'Tallest Buildings' lists.

Building

Status
Completed
Architecturally Topped Out
Structurally Topped Out
Under Construction
Proposed
On Hold
Never Completed
Vision
Competition Entry
Canceled
Proposed Renovation
Under Renovation
Renovated
Under Demolition
Demolished

Completed

Completion

2020

Country
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of Country, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

United States

City
The CTBUH follows the United Nations's definition of City, and thus uses the lists and codes established by that organization.

New York City

Function
A single-function tall building is defined as one where 85% or more of its usable floor area is dedicated to a single usage. Thus a building with 90% office floor area would be said to be an "office" building, irrespective of other minor functions it may also contain.

A mixed-use tall building contains two or more functions (or uses), where each of the functions occupy a significant proportion of the tower's total space. Support areas such as car parks and mechanical plant space do not constitute mixed-use functions. Functions are denoted on CTBUH "Tallest Building" lists in descending order, e.g., "hotel/office" indicates hotel function above office function.

Office

Structural Material
All-Steel
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from steel. Note that a building of steel construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of steel beams is still considered an “all-steel” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

All-Concrete
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from concrete which has been cast in place and utilizes steel reinforcement bars and/or steel reinforced concrete which has been precast as individual components and assembled together on-site.

All-Timber
Both the main vertical/lateral structural elements and the floor spanning systems are constructed from timber. An all-timber structure may include the use of localized non-timber connections between timber elements. Note that a building of timber construction with a floor system of concrete planks or concrete slab on top of timber beams is still considered an “all-timber” structure as the concrete elements are not acting as the primary structure.

Mixed-Structure
Utilizes distinct systems (e.g. all-steel, all-concrete, all-timber), one on top of the other. For example, a Steel Over Concrete indicates an all-steel structural system located on top of an all-concrete structural system, with the opposite true of Concrete Over Steel.

Composite
A combination of materials (e.g. steel, concrete, timber) are used together in the main structural elements. Examples include buildings which utilize: steel columns with a floor system of reinforced concrete beams; a steel frame system with a concrete core; concrete-encased steel columns; concrete-filled steel tubes; etc. Where known, the CTBUH database breaks out the materials used within a composite building’s primary structural elements.

Concrete-Steel Composite

Energy Label

LEED v3 Platinum, LEED v4 Gold, WELL Health-Safety Rating

Official Website

One Vanderbilt Place

Height
Architectural
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the architectural top of the building, including spires, but not including antennae, signage, flag poles or other functional-technical equipment. This measurement is the most widely utilized and is employed to define the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) rankings of the "World's Tallest Buildings."

427 m / 1,401 ft

To Tip
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest point of the building, irrespective of material or function of the highest element (i.e., including antennae, flagpoles, signage and other functional-technical equipment).
427 m / 1,401 ft
Occupied
Height is measured from the level of the lowest, significant, open-air, pedestrian entrance to the highest occupied floor within the building.
330.1 m / 1,083 ft
Observatory
330.1 m / 1,083 ft
Floors Above Ground
The number of floors above ground should include the ground floor level and be the number of main floors above ground, including any significant mezzanine floors and major mechanical plant floors. Mechanical mezzanines should not be included if they have a significantly smaller floor area than the major floors below. Similarly, mechanical penthouses or plant rooms protruding above the general roof area should not be counted. Note: CTBUH floor counts may differ from published accounts, as it is common in some regions of the world for certain floor levels not to be included (e.g., the level 4, 14, 24, etc. in Hong Kong).

62

Floors Below Ground
The number of floors below ground should include all major floors located below the ground floor level.

4

# of Elevators
Number of Elevators refers to the total number of elevator cars (not shafts) contained within a particular building (including public, private and freight elevators).

42

Tower GFA
Tower GFA refers to the total gross floor area within the tower footprint, not including adjoining podiums, connected buildings or other towers within the development.

111,484 m² / 1,200,004 ft²

Rankings

#
29
Tallest in the World
#
5
Tallest in North America
#
5
Tallest in United States
#
4
Tallest in New York City

Construction Schedule

2013

Proposed

2017

Construction Start

2020

Completed

Owner/Developer
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Damping
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Geotechnical
Interiors
Land Surveyor
Marketing
Observatory
Vertical Transportation
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Concrete
Elevator
Formwork
Rebar
Owner/Developer
Architect
Design

Usually involved in the front end design, with a "typical" condition being that of a leadership role through either Schematic Design or Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Structural Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

MEP Engineer
Design

The Design Engineer is usually involved in the front end design, typically taking the leadership role in the Schematic Design and Design Development, and then a monitoring role through the CD and CA phases.

Project Manager

The CTBUH lists a project manager when a specific firm has been commissioned to oversee this aspect of a tall building’s design/construction. When the project management efforts are handled by the developer, main contract, or architect, this field will be omitted.

Contractor
Main Contractor

The main contractor is the supervisory contractor of all construction work on a project, management of sub-contractors and vendors, etc. May be referred to as "Construction Manager," however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Main Contractor" exclusively.

Other Consultant

Other Consultant refers to other organizations which provided significant consultation services for a building project (e.g. wind consultants, environmental consultants, fire and life safety consultants, etc).

Building Monitoring
GeoSonics/Vibra-Tech Inc.
Civil
Stantec Ltd.; Langan Engineering
Construction Technology
J.S. Held; The Friday Group LLC
Damping
Demolition
Domani Inspection Service, Inc.; Howard I. Shapiro & Associates; Waldorf Demolition
Environmental
AKRF; WCD Environmental
Façade

These are firms that consult on the design of a building's façade. May often be referred to as "Cladding," "Envelope," "Exterior Wall," or "Curtain Wall" Consultant, however, for consistency CTBUH uses the term "Façade Consultant" exclusively.

Israel Berger & Associates; Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc; Permasteelisa Group; Vidaris, Inc.
Façade Maintenance
CS Caulkins Co. Inc
Foundation
John Civetta & Sons, Inc.
Geotechnical
Interiors
Land Surveyor
Landscape
PWP Landscape Architecture
Marketing
By-Encore; CBRE
Observatory
Kenzo Digital; Snøhetta AS
Planning
Kasirer; Milrose Consultants, Inc.
Preservation
Higgins Quasebarth & Partners; Robert Silman Associates
Roofing
Vidaris, Inc.
Security
HMA Consulting, Inc.; Stone Engineering & Architecture DPC; T&M Protection Resources, LLC
Sustainability
Delos Living LLC; Viridian Energy & Environmental, LLC; Vidaris, Inc.
Traffic
Stantec Ltd.
Vertical Transportation
Way Finding
Pentagram
Wind
Material Supplier

Material Supplier refers to organizations which supplied significant systems/materials for a building project (e.g. elevator suppliers, facade suppliers, etc).

Cladding
Boston Valley Terracotta
Concrete
Navillus Contracting; Peri Group; Tec-Crete Transit Mix Corporation
Elevator
Formwork
Foundation Equipment
John Civetta & Sons, Inc.
Rebar
Steel
Atlas Group; Bramco Steel Services LLC; Ellwood Specialty Steel; Banker Steel Company; ArcelorMittal

CTBUH Awards & Distinctions

Best Tall Building, by Height, 400 meters and above 2022 Winner

2022 CTBUH Awards

Best Tall Building, by Function, Office 2022 Award of Excellence

2022 CTBUH Awards

Geotechnical Engineering 2022 Award of Excellence

2022 CTBUH Awards

 

CTBUH Initiatives

Talking Tall: Engineering a Better Future

27 July 2018 - CTBUH Publication

CTBUH NYC Organizes One Vanderbilt Site Tour

6 June 2017 - Event

 

Videos

17 October 2016 | New York City

CTBUH 2016 China Conference - Session 3a: Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Q&A

Monday, October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Richard Witt, Quadrangle Architects; James von Klamperer Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Keith Griffiths, Aedas; Peter Brannan, Arquitectonica answer questions...

Research

05 July 2023

We All Love to Get High: Optimizing Observation Deck Design

Terri Meyer Boake

Height is aspirational, and having the best view from that height has become a driver in contemporary tall building design. Likewise, observation decks are a...

Global News

13 May 2021

New York City Observatory Set to Open Fall 2021

Summit One Vanderbilt, a four-level 6,039 square meter (65,000 square foot) observatory including an outdoor summit terrace, will be located in the crown of One...

17 October 2016 | New York City

CTBUH 2016 China Conference - Session 3a: Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Q&A

Monday, October 17, 2016. Shenzhen, China. Richard Witt, Quadrangle Architects; James von Klamperer Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates; Keith Griffiths, Aedas; Peter Brannan, Arquitectonica answer questions...

17 October 2016 | New York City

X Information Modeling: Data-Driven Decision Making in the Design of Tall Buildings

This presentation outlined X-Information Modeling or XIM, a method of data-driven decision-making for the design of tall buildings. Developed over its application on more than...

26 October 2015 | New York City

One Vanderbilt: Approving Midtown’s Tallest Office Building

This presentation traces the development of One Vanderbilt from early design through the complex city approvals process that is ultimately allowing for its realization. From...

26 October 2015 | New York City

Interview: James von Klemperer

James von Klemperer of KPF is interviewed by Chris Bentley during the 2015 CTBUH New York Conference at the Grand Hyatt New York. James discusses...

18 September 2014 | New York City

Urban Density and the Porous High Rise: The Integration of the Tall Building in the City

September 18, 2014. Shanghai, China. James von Klemperer from Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC presents at the 2014 Shanghai Conference closing plenary on "Urban Density...

05 July 2023

We All Love to Get High: Optimizing Observation Deck Design

Terri Meyer Boake

Height is aspirational, and having the best view from that height has become a driver in contemporary tall building design. Likewise, observation decks are a...

22 August 2022

Livable Density: The Hybrid Office Building

James von Klemperer & Andrew Cleary, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

The recently completed One Vanderbilt Avenue tower has become the standard bearer for one of New York City’s most ambitious zoning initiatives of the past...

12 January 2021

Interactive Study on Tall Buildings in 2020: COVID-19 Contributes To Dip in Year-On-Year Completions

CTBUH Research

The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat has released its annual report, CTBUH Year in Review: Tall Trends of 2020, part of the Tall...

30 January 2020

Tall Building Predictions for 2020

CTBUH Research

The combined brains of the CTBUH editorial and database staff boldly predict what might happen across the global skyscraper industry in 2020. Check out our...

17 October 2016

X Information Modeling: Data-Driven Decision Making in the Design of Tall Buildings

James von Klempeter, Luc Wilson & Mondrian Hsieh, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

This paper outlines X-Information Modeling or XIM, a method of data-driven decision-making for the design of tall buildings. Developed over its application on more than...

26 October 2015

One Vanderbilt: Approving Midtown’s Tallest Office Building

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates

This paper traces the development of One Vanderbilt from early design through the complex city approvals process that is ultimately allowing for its realization. From...

22 October 2015

New York: The Ultimate Skyscraper Laboratory

CTBUH Research

A timeline of skyscraper completions in New York uncannily resembles the boom and bust cycles of the United States in the 20th and early 21st...

01 June 2015

Urban Density and the Porous High-Rise: The Integration of the Tall Building in the City

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox

As the skyscraper matures as a building type, its role in actively connecting to, and reinforcing, major threads of urban fabric becomes increasingly more important....

16 September 2014

Urban Density and the Porous High-Rise: The Integration of the Tall Building in the City

James von Klemperer, Kohn Pedersen Fox

As the skyscraper matures as a building type, its role in actively connecting to, and reinforcing, major threads of urban fabric becomes increasingly more important....

13 May 2021

New York City Observatory Set to Open Fall 2021

Summit One Vanderbilt, a four-level 6,039 square meter (65,000 square foot) observatory including an outdoor summit terrace, will be located in the crown of One...

15 September 2020

Ribbon-Cutting Opens Skyscraper in New York City

Yesterday, 14 September 2020, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) and developers SL Green and Hines celebrated the opening of One Vanderbilt with a ribbon cutting...

18 September 2019

Two Supertalls Top Out in New York City

The Grand Central Terminal-adjacent supertall One Vanderbilt officially topped out this week, reaching its full 1,401-foot (427-meter) height. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, the tower...

05 February 2019

One Vanderbilt Reaches Supertall Territory Above Midtown East, New York City

One Vanderbilt is officially the latest skyscraper in New York City to achieve a height equivalent to “supertall” (300 meters and higher) status. Located at...

27 July 2018

Talking Tall: Engineering a Better Future

In the 2018 CTBUH Journal Issue III, Aine Brazil, Vice Chairman, Thornton Tomasetti, talks about her career highlights in high-rises and the support for more women in engineering.

6 June 2017

CTBUH NYC Organizes One Vanderbilt Site Tour

CTBUH New York hosted a series of presentations and a tour at the construction site of One Vanderbilt, which will rise to 427 meters when completed in 2021.