New York Breathing Machine by IAD is a 468-meter sustainable skyscraper inspired by Central Park, featuring vertical gardens and interconnected indoor-outdoor spaces. Separated in one side of the structure, three core modules house private office and a hotel, which are interwoven by spiral pathways of public vertical gardens that serve as a ‘lung’ for the mixed use building.
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The program of the skyscraper is contained within a gridded armature. The ventilated ETFE skin within the structural framework of the façade takes active advantage of meteorological conditions to help control and manage the temperature and direct the flow of cool air in the semi-open spaces between programmatic blocks.
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To avoid a wind-tunnel effect within the structural voids the vertical garden’s foliage made up of perennial trees and conifers offer protection. In the end these strategies along with the use of solar panels and microturbines the structure achieves carbon neutrality and a net-positive energy skyscraper perfect for uptown Manhattan
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Project info:
Project name: new York breathing machine
Location: w 125th / broadway, new york city, new york, USA
Architects: IAD
Project manager & 3d modeling: iván gutierrez
Assistants: izabela boron, jolanta ostaszewska
Offices (52m – 156m) typical floor plan area: 4,287 m2
Global area: 94,314 m2
Number of floors: 22
Number of elevator cores: 3 (18 elevators)
Number of emergency cores: 3
Volume of atrium: 43,704 m3
Hotel (208m – 312m) typical floor plan area: 3,283 m2
Global area: 83,075 m2
Number of rooms: 850
Number of floors: 25
Number of elevator cores: 3 (18 elevators)
Number of emergency cores: 3
Volume of atrium: 151,786 m3
Sky suites (364m – 468m) typical floor plan area: 817 m2
Global area: 20,425 m2
Number of rooms: 200
Number of floors: 25
Number of elevator cores: 2 (12 elevators)
Number of emergency cores: 2
Vertical park length of paths: 12.5 km
General height of skyscraper: 468 m
Volume of vertical park: 3,319,497 m3
Volume of skyscraper: 5,398,806 m3
Year: 2012
Kristin Hoover is an editor at Arch2O and a proud graduate of Virginia Tech. Since joining in July 2014, she has authored over 200 insightful articles covering everything from adaptive reuse and cultural centers to eco-buildings and urban infrastructure . With a passion for architectural storytelling, Kristin skillfully curates and crafts compelling narratives that bring design innovation to life. Her editorial work reflects a broad yet finely honed interest in how architecture intersects with society, technology, and the environment—making her a key voice shaping Arch2O’s explorations of contemporary built form.