New York never tires of looking at itself from above

The brand new “One Vanderbilt” skyscraper, which rises 427 meters in the heart of the district New Yorker of Manhattan, inaugurated last Thursday a kaleidoscopic viewpoint on its 91st floor, where the fascinating views of the city are reflected in the mirrors that cover all the rooms, repeating the sky, the city and the visitors to infinity.

The new viewpoint, dubbed “Summit” (Summit), which rivals the many that already dot the city to contemplate itself, such as the Rockefeler, the Empire State or the more recent “The Edge”, has been completed with a project by the New York artist Kenzo Digital: “Aire”.

“Aire is based on a recurring dream that I have had for 25 years, so it is something deeply personal that I have been thinking about during this time. I’ve been working on it for three years, designing it in a real physical space ”, explains to Efe Kenzo with the city and Central Park in the background.

Three walls are mirrored and the fourth is air, panorama and the Big Apple, where you can almost touch with your gaze the Art Deco elegance of the neighboring Chrysler Building or the sobriety of the Empire State Building, whose silhouette blends with that of the city itself. .

Inspiration to connect with the natural world

“It is built with the intention of connecting people with each other and with their friends, through sheer curiosity and amazement, and it is also a place destined to inspire people and connect them with the natural world”, the artist specifies about this new space that inaugurates the city.

The “immersive experience” of the new viewpoint is cared for down to the last detail: from the dark, dimly lit corridor that leads to the elevator going up, to the glass-enclosed balcony where the floor is also transparent and allows you to see the city from its zenith.

But in addition, Kenzo has designed a room where the views and mirrors are joined by metallic globes that float next to the visitor creating a strange sensation of reverie and unreality, which also promises to be a little paradise for “instragrammers”.

“Aire is a story designed in such a way that you are the protagonist, in a way in which each one has their own experience, because the space is different every time you come and you will always have a different story”, the designer emphasizes.

Summit and air

“Summit” is the name given to the around 6,000 square meters distributed between floors 91 and 93, from where you can enjoy the views from 324 meters above Grand Central Station, and which shelters the project “Aire”, the experience designed by Kenzo.

The prices to contemplate the four cardinal points of New York and beyond vary from US $ 39 that give access to floors 91, 92 and 93 -during the day-, to US $ 83 per ticket for a night visit with access also to the glass elevator that goes up to the 101st floor and a cocktail with the house’s signature on the top of the three floors, destined for a restaurant and a souvenir shop.

But the infinite space that mirrors create also has its small drawbacks and the organization recommends wearing pants “to avoid unwanted exposures in the glass and the reflection of the ground”, as well as wearing glasses to protect yourself from the omnipresent reflections of the solar star.

The inauguration was attended by local politicians, such as the favorite candidate to become the next mayor of New York, Eric Adamas, or the executive director of SL Green, Marc Hollyday, the largest office owner in Manhattan and responsible for the project, who pointed out that 90% of the skyscraper space has already been rented.

The speeches reflected the euphoria of having reached a peak with the city having left behind the darkest days of the pandemic and the narcissism with which New Yorkers sometimes sing their own exploits.

“I am so happy to be here. Honestly, I see the future, I see the possibilities that exist in it and this is the only country that has a dream that is linked to its name: There is no Greek dream, there is no German dream, there is no Polish dream, there is only one American dream, ”said a plethora of Eric Adams, who already sees himself as the new ruler of the city of skyscrapers.