Foster + Partners will design 985-foot Hudson Yards skyscraper

Construction on the Hudson Yards supertall set to replace the McDonalds at the corner of 34th Street and Tenth Avenue will begin sometime next year, and with that announcement, developers Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group have revealed Foster + Partners as the architecture firm designing the office tower.

The 58-story building will take up an entire city block and so far investment management firm BlackRock has signed on to lease 850,000 square feet at the building spread out over 15 floors. While the main entrance to the building will be located on the northwest corner of 33rd Street and Tenth Avenue, it will be accessible on all four sides. Tenants of the building will have connections to the Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, the observation deck at 30 Hudson Yards next door, and a direct connection to the 7 train.

“Their decision [BlackRock’s] to relocate after nearly three decades on and around Park Avenue is another strong vote of confidence in our collective vision for Manhattan’s West Side,” Jeff T. Blau, the CEO of Related Companies said in a statement. “They will join an unprecedented collection of global influencers in media, fashion, beauty, tech, law and finance at Hudson Yards.”

Standing 985-feet tall, the building will divided into three distinct sections stacked one atop the other. The glassy facade of the building will be framed by white stone cladding, and the gaps between each of the three distinct sections will act as outdoor terraces. The design team has also planned what it’s calling a “halo” to be located atop the building (let’s wait for more renderings to see how that one actually pans out).

Some of the tenants in the building will also have access to private sky lobbies, valet parking, and a drop off in a porte-cochère. The interiors are comprised of column-free floors that span at least 50,000 square-feet, and each floor can accommodate at least 500 people.

Prior to the announcement on Thursday, this office tower was rumored to have 62 floors and stand over 1,000-feet tall. The developers haven’t skimped on the office space however with 2.9 million gross square feet available. That will make it the fourth largest commercial office building in the city when construction wraps up in 2022.

“50 Hudson Yards is a key part of a larger vision that integrates places to live and work within a dense, walkable urban neighborhood,” Norman Foster, the founder of the namesake firm said in a statement. “The building is highly permeable at ground level, allowing it to engage fully with its urban location. Designed for a sustainable future, the building makes an important contribution to the regeneration of the far west side of Manhattan.”

Elsewhere in the Hudson Yards megaproject, the first Hudson Yards condo, 15 Hudson Yards unveiled its pricey listings in October this year. Just last week, the developers revealed the swanky, tech-forward sales gallery for the development. 10 Hudson Yards was the first building to be complete in Manhattan’s newest neighborhood, and it welcomed its first tenants at the end of May this year.

• Related sells the "Hudson Yards Experience" at its tech-forward sales gallery [Curbed]
• All the Hudson Yards Coverage [Curbed]