Navtej S. Ahuja
Professor Maciuika
Shaping the Future of NYC
11 March 2014

The astounding work of architecture that is the Manhattan skyline has long been the standard for the wealthy. Respect is measured through, not the square footage or functionality behind a living space, but rather the specific location within the 34 square mile island.
And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Locations such as Central Park West and Park Avenue have long been the homes of the wealthy and commodities of the affluent. Though the new buildings may not be the highest of the lot, their prices certainly are. This high investment, high selling price strategy being used by those in the real estate market truly reflects the lavishness that the New York City marketplace has come to be known as. While technicalities such as floor to area ratio and flying zones come into play, the simple fact remains that the rich will do anything to project their social and economic status.
This type of architecture, though bold and certainly beautiful, is built on the foundation that there are those who will pay an absurd amount of money in order to, for example, view Central Park when they wake up in the morning, or walk down Fifth Avenue once they exit their $8,000-10,000/ sq ft. condo. Practicality is clearly on its way out, and it is taking its $90 million per condo with it.
Though the economic sense does not exist, it does not take credit away from the scientific feat that is involved in turning a 60 foot base into a 70 story building. The architectural innovations required to make buildings with such narrow bases survive high wind and adverse weather conditions are laudable, but their cost and practicality are simply laughable.
According to the virtual exhibitions, the logic behind this luxury lies in the fact that the high development costs will be cancelled out by the extremely high prices the real estate will be sold at. While this makes mathematical sense, I, for one, am not convinced.