IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Introduction
The Hearst tower is an office located in New york, United States. The exact location is 300W
57th St, 10019. The construction of the Hearst tower began in 2003 and ended in 2006. The
height of the building is 182 meter with 46 floors covering area of 70,000m2. It was meant build
for a New Media Headquarters, now serves as the location for over 300 companies including
ESP, San Francisco Chronicle, and Buzzfeed.
The Hearst tower won a Royal Gold Medal, in 1983, Stirling Prize, 1998 and 2004 and pritzker
Architecture Prize, 1999.
Hearst Tower revives a dream from the 1920s, when publishing magnate William Randolph
Hearst envisaged Columbus Circle as a new media quarter in Manhattan. Hearst commissioned
a six-storey Art Deco block on Eighth Avenue, anticipating that it would eventually form the
base for a tower, though no such scheme was ever advanced. Echoing an approach developed
in the Reichstag and the Great Court at the British Museum, the challenge in designing such a
tower at seventy years remove was to establish a creative dialogue between old and new.
As a result, it was the first office building in Manhattan to achieve a gold rating under the US
Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) programme. As
a company, Hearst places a high value on the quality of the working environment - something it
believes will become increasingly important to its staff in the future - and it is hoped that
Hearst's experience may herald the construction of more environmentally sensitive buildings in
the city.
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 1
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Style and High Tech
The Hearst tower is a building design in modern style. It is a art deco based modern high
technology. It lies in the architectural style that emerged in the 1970s, incorporating elements
of high-the industry and technology into building design. It was built on top of the Art Deco
base that was built in 1928. The beginning of the high tech architecture originally started in
Britain with many of its most famous early proponents being British. To build a high tech
building a huge range of materials is required which is produced in industries. The most
common materials used are steel glass and concrete as these elements evoke a feeling of being
mass produced and widely available. High tech architecture attempts to embody a series of
ideals that is practitioners felt were reflective of the “spirit of the age”.
Like most modern high tech buildings Hearst tower mostly uses materials like steel and glass.
The building's symmetrically jagged silhouette is easily recognizable in its surroundings. The
diagrid facade comprised of triangulated steel frame was designed to use 21% less steel than
traditional buildings of it's type. Also impressive is the statistic which states that 90% of the
10,480 tons of steel used is derived from recycled material.
Concept
An important design specification was the preservation of the existing
landmark facade and its incorporation into the new tower design. Hearst’s
original intention for this building was to provide a high quality work
environment for his employees The building truly celebrates the marriage
of the old and new.
The most noticeable feature of the tower is the design of its façade in the
form of diamond. The relationship with the visual horizon is constantly
changing. Its forms are governed by an internal structural logic. Just left of
the old building facades that were preserved intact, while the interior is
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 2
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
emptied, leaving room for the new structure and creating an urban plaza. The core of the
elevators are located to the west, where the tower is bordered by another building.
Basically the concept of the Hearst tower was to incorporate the past and the present
architecture in a skyscraper which it did perfectly.
About the Architect
Norman Foster
Norman Foster, in full Lord Norman Foster of Thames Bank, original name in full Norman
Robert Foster, (born June 1, 1935, Manchester, England), prominent British architect known for
his sleek, modern buildings made of steel and glass.
Foster was trained at the University of Manchester (1956–61) in England and Yale
University (1961–62) in New Haven, Connecticut. Beginning in 1963, he worked in partnership
with Richard and Su Rogers and his wife, Wendy Foster, in a firm called Team 4. In 1967 he
established his own firm called Foster Associates (later Foster + Partners). Foster’s earliest
works explored the idea of a technologically advanced “shed,” meaning a structure surrounded
by a lightweight shell or envelope.
Foster’s first buildings to receive
international acclaim were the
Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts
(1974–78) in Norwich, England, a vast,
airy glass-and-metal-paneled shed, and
the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking
Corporation headquarters (1979–86) in
Hong Kong, a futuristic steel-and-glass
office building with a stepped profile.
In these commissions, he established
himself as one of the world’s leaders in
high-tech design: for the latter
building, for example, he had
ingeniously moved elements such as
elevators to the exterior of the
building, where they could be easily
serviced, and thus created open plans
in the centre of the spaces. Balancing
out this high-tech character, many of Foster’s buildings, including his Hong Kong office and
the Commerzbank Tower (1991–97) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, utilized green spaces, or
mini-atria, that were designed to allow a maximum amount of natural light into the offices. In
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 3
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
this way, Foster created a more fluid relationship between inside and outside spaces and strove
to impart a sense of humanity into an otherwise futuristic office environment.
Design Bioclimatic
By the design of the building the environmental care has been decisive in the building. The
theme of the light was particularly studied by engineers, who managed to prevent the entry of
a large portion of solar radiation causing the heat used in the outer coating glass with low
emission that do not let light but not heat.
It was projected to consume 26 percent less energy that other buildings of tits features built
conventionally. Speacial devices with sensors suitable for that limited use of artificl light on the
basicas of natural radiation. Icefall, the water sculpture that reaches three stories high, is
constructed with thousands of glass panels and also contributes to the thermal conditions of
the building by cooling and humidifying the air using the recycled rainwater. Hearst Tower
remains at a comfortable temperature for a majority of the year by natural ventilation. The
building has managed to optimize the amount of natural light flowing through the building. To
maximize the penetration of the light, Foster limited the amount of interior walls so as to block
less light. Light sensors are used to measure the amounts of natural light and react
automatically depending on what is needed.
About 90 percent of the original structure were separated and recycled for future use. 90% of
the Tower’s structural steel contains recycled materials. Carbon dioxide reduction associated
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 4
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
with the reduction in energy uses in 1074 tons. The roof collects rainwater, reducing the
amount of water dumped into the city’s sewer system by 25 percent during rainfall. High
efficiency heating and air conditioning equipment are used that will utilize outside air for
cooling and ventilation for 75 percent of the year, as well as Energy Star appliances.
Structure
The tower is supported by a set of huge steel of 12 columns that rise from the interior of the
base. The structure has a triangular shape, using a diagonal diagrid that provides that same
stability as a conventional structure frame. The particular structure used allowed the lift
movement of the core outside the center of the plant. The riangular frames, four stories high,
used in design gives the building its distinctive, modern and at the same time a structural
efficiency higher aspect.
In the foundation soil sharp drops in elevation of bedrock varied up to 30 feet. Spread footing is
used ono half of the building on top of rock and caissons are used on the other half embedded
into rock
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 5
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
First to Tenth Floor
As mentioned above 12 mega colums of 20 ton, 44-inch-squae are assembled from 4 inch rolled
steel plates. Grade 50 steel members were used throughout with 65 ksi elements. A system of
40 ton beams at the tenth floor integrated with skylights, forms a diaphragm that braces the
structure laterally and ties the old building to the new. A shimmering pewter-like linen finish, 5-
millimetre stainless steel cladding wraps the exterior structural system, adding the same subtle
shimmer to the streetcape and skyline.
Tenth to Top Floor
Since the west side of the building is close to another skyscraper, the service core was put at
the west side. As a result, the eastern edge of the building couldn’t be reinforced by a central
core. In order to eliminate the structural disadvantage of this unsymmetrical form, the
structures on the perimeter were designed as diagrid system. The diagrid structural system can
provide sufficient support for the building facade to resist lateral forces.
Diagrid System
In the diagrid-framed system, the gravity and lateral loads are distributed through the sloped
column and spandrel beam members as axial tension or compression.
The system allows broad interior spans of more than 40 feet between columns.
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 6
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
There are basically three types of nods or also called as bird’s mouth in order to avoid large
cantilevered floor plates between corner nodes.
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 7
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Connection Structure
The nodes are basically symmetrical as well as repetitious. It is an innovative two point crane
pick, combination of oversized holes to help with site erection. Complex nodes are bolted into
six different 12 inch, H-column-type diagrid elements.
Load Tracing
Gravity
The gravity and vertical load from the building will distribute
toward the apex of the diagonal structure. The forces will be
divided into the other diagonal members and transfer into the
bottom section. The diagrid creates a highly efficient tube
structure by being composed of a network of triangulated trusses
which interconnect all four faces of the tower. The diagrid system
is inherently highly redundant by providing a structural network
allowing multiple load paths.
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 8
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Building Layout
The original building an approximate footprint of 200 ft by 200 ft The tower has two distinct
zones 1 the zone below 10th floor contains entrance at street level and lobby, cafeteria 2
auditorium at the 3rd floor with an approximately 80 ft high interior open space The tower is
connected to the existing landmark facade at the 7th level by the horizontal skylight system
spanning approximately 40 ft
Three sides of the building face streets and views The west side is against another building; so
the core was shifted toward the western edge The office zone starts at 110ft above street level
from the 10th floor to the top of the building Composite steel and concrete floors with 40 ft
interior column free spans were utilized for open office planning
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 9
IEC COLLEGE OF ART & FASHION
Affiliated with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology
Sustainable
The building is sustiniable at its best. Few points in the design
makes the building sustainable. Innovative landscape and exterior
design increases building efficiently, reducing roof and non roof
heat island effect. Effective storm water management reduces
amount of rainfall dumping. Tower raises from behind the
preserved façade of the old 6 story structure. Site is adjacent to
Central Park and Columbus Circle. Construction materials were
chosen with no harmful chemicals and with recycled content.
Materials Used:
The facades of the basement are the original concrete. Limestone
is also used in finishing.
The structure of the tower itself is recycled steel, closed by a glass
curtain wall.
The original façade of the building, used by Foster as the basics
for the new tower of ne steel and glass, is made of caste stone, a
mixture of sand and concrete.
Samrat Tyata
2019 batch (2nd sem)
B.A in Interior Architecture /BA(Hons) in Fashion & Retailing
Architecture Culture and History 1432 Page 10
