Republic National Bank 1
Republic National Bank 2

Republic National Bank

New York, NY

A new office building beautifully embraces a Beaux-Arts landmark.

The HSBC New York headquarters was one of the most complex construction projects undertaken in midtown Manhattan. A new tower was built to connect three existing and fully occupied buildings. The new tower ties the levels of all the buildings into a unified series of floors, and provides the combined complex with a new elevator and mechanical core. The new construction also involved the addition of a new trading floor on top of an existing floor that housed the bank’s main computer center. The design focus of the complex is the landmark Knox Building located on West 40th Street facing the New York Public Library. This building’s rich Beaux Arts façade was restored as part of the construction program. Behind the Knox Building rises the new 350,000 sf, 27-story tower, which was designed to act as a backdrop for the older landmark. The primary design feature is an elliptical curve in the north façade created with a series of rectilinear sheets of clear glass. From the exterior, the use of clear glass on this façade, combined with the curve, gives the impression that the tower has been cut away to make room for the Knox Building.

Project Facts

  • Client:

  • Republic National Bank
  • Size:

  • 700,000 sf
  • Markets:

  • Commercial + Office, Renovation + Historic Buildings
  • Region:

  • United States
  • Studios:

  • New York