Skyscrapers are a given in New York City, and it seems like a given that they are getting more and more slender.  We are running out of space and the only way to continue building and continue to pad the pocketbooks of developers/owners/architects  that are a major part of the building process.  A slender building is, officially, one that has the width to height ration of 1:10 – 1:12.  If you use a ruler to imagine the shape (like mentioned on the site), you can see that it’s a very small base for a very large height.

Honestly, I don’t think that the slender skyscrapers are needed.  Sure, they look really nice and modern but other than these obvious aesthetic qualities, I can’t see where a real need for these buildings could come from.  From the map on the “Zoning and Air Rights” part of the online exhibit, you can see that most of the buildings are clustered around the edges of Central Park, Columbus Circle and the streets around that area.  These buildings were aimed to provide its tenants with an amazing view of the park and the nicer parts of the city.  In other words, the average New Yorker probably couldn’t afford a condo or even a measly room in these complexes.  Because the average New Yorker probably wouldn’t be able to pay for the experience of a slender skyscrapers, it really has no value other than looking nice for most New Yorkers.  And sometimes it may not even look nice.  The tall skyscrapers will create a large shadow no matter how skinny it is.  With so many near Central Park, the skyscrapers may have negative effects on the ecosystem there or simply the experience of New Yorkers and international tourists.