Some contemporary buildings look exactly like their design renderings, so much so that it’s hard to distinguish these renderings from final photographs.  And some contemporary buildings exceed their renderings, achieving a charisma in built form that their renderings do not predict.   I’m hoping that the new BIG (Bjarke Engels Group) apartment tower in Manhattan, for which renderings were just released, falls into the latter category.  The images are a bit flat.

I loved the BIG monograph “Yes is More,” which showcases the firm’s projects in cartoon form.  Each chapter illustrates how one project unfolded, and how it was a swarm of smaller decisions (along with a swarm of architects) that gave shape to the building rather than a singular, authoritative vision.  I can’t wait to see how this new apartment tower comes together, and how far it lands from its renderings.