Made in Manhattan: Chinese developer Vanke gets arty with landmark project

A very modern marriage of convenience between Vanke, one of China’s most prolific developers, and New York contemporary art patron and property magnate Aby Rosen is set to create a new landmark residential building in Manhattan’s Midtown East, in a bid to lead the predominantly business and commercial district’s evolution into a luxury neighbourhood for art- and design-loving residents.

The 63-storey structure, designed by the London-based architect Norman Foster, is under construction on a site next to Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson’s iconic Seagram Building, which Rosen’s company RFR Holding also owns, and comes a decade after the global slowdown forced Rosen to shelve plans to build a luxury hotel on the site. The new building is scheduled for completion in 2017.

“My goal is to create a powerful landmark so I wanted something that would stand tall and strong next to the Seagram,” Rosen says.

“Norman [Foster] is the only guy who wouldn’t be intimidated or fearful of the environment or the criticism that comes with this.”

According to Rosen, the architect knew instinctively what the site needed: just 10 minutes after seeing the site he had sketched up his idea for the new building.

“I looked at it and liked what I saw. He had captured the spirit of the building.”