56 Leonard Street
EDC’s Specialty Shoring Systems Send the Jenga Building Skyward
The 56 Leonard Street building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Lower Manhattan stands out – and not just because it’s the tallest in the neighborhood. The building earned the nickname of “the Jenga building” because of its cantilevered balconies and upper story offset floors.
EDC began work as a structural shoring systems contractor on this project in 2008. Due to the recession, the project was tabled until 2012, and it was completed in 2017. The Jenga building is the 18th tallest in New York City.
Notable Features of 56 Leonard Street
The building boasts a 75-foot indoor pool and a back-up generator on the 9th and 10th floors. For this portion of the project, EDC’s concrete shoring equipment was especially crucial.
Other interesting aspects of this project include:
- Massive, exposed concrete spiral staircase joining the 9th and 10th-floor resident amenities
- Ceiling heights that range from 11 feet up to 19 feet
Design Elements
The staggered floors and balconies of the Jenga building were a popular topic when the project was originally proposed, and the building is a popular landmark. The proposed design had some naysayers who claimed the building was impossible because of logistical problems associated with the cantilevered balconies and offset stories.
Besides being unique in a city full of sleek, smooth skyscrapers, the Jenga building design has a practical function of providing more balcony privacy to residents. The balconies on each floor are in a different position than the previous floor, and no balcony looks up at another balcony, there being at least two floors between balconies.
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