I saw a pyramid-like building while on the downtown west side of Manhattan looking north, and was curious to find out what it is. It’s VIA 57 West, a new apartment building with “premium smoke-free rental residences that balance the excitement of the city and the tranquility of nature.” I’d say it looks like a big pyramid fit for the pharaohs of NYC. Scroll down for more …
The first question that pops into my head is: what’s the penthouse apartment like at the top of the pyramid? Who gets to live in the very tip top? It turns out, however, that the architect Bjarke Ingels knew that the tip of the triangle would be too narrow and attic-like for a penthouse, so he packed a number of mechanical systems into the uninhabitable top.
As big as the building looks, however, there are only 142 apartments in the VIA. But what are the views like? As a former resident of NYC, I once had an apartment on the east side near the U.N. building, and I remember when the real estate agent opened the door to let me see the apartment: I walked straight to the window, awestruck by the view, and was ready to move in without even looking around at the actual apartment. So I can’t help but be curious by this building’s views … here’s two views as presented by the building’s website. I think I could enjoy living in a place like this, if it were an option for me …
