Time Warner Center

© David Sundberg | ESTO

The Time Warner Center, by its scale, functions as an entire covered city, which has already changed its name four times in a very short period. Spanning over a quarter of a million square meters, it comfortably accommodates a large shopping mall, dining complexes, CNN television studios, a hall with twelve hundred seats for the cultural performances of Jazz at Lincoln Center, office spaces (mainly serving as the headquarters for Time Warner), the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and luxury apartments (Mexican financier David Martinez paid $54.7 million in 2003 for his yet-to-be-completed apartment). The Time Warner Center is located at Columbus Circle, which is a neuralgic point in the western part of Central Park. The skyscraper also addresses the local infrastructure, including subway access, deliveries, and parking. With a budget reaching $1.8 billion, TWC represents one of the most expensive buildings ever constructed in America. The stone base of the towers reflects the curve of Columbus Circle, which translates into an elegant arch of the facade. The geometric interplay of sharp and obtuse angles gives the glass towers a slim and dynamic appearance.