270 Park Avenue New York, NY

JPMorgan Chase’s headquarters at 270 Park Avenue rises 1,388 feet above midtown Manhattan. Designed by Foster + Partners, the 60-story tower occupies a full city block, most of which sits over active tracks and platforms serving Grand Central Terminal and Grand Central Madison.

Severud Associates engineered a system of massive plate girders and fan-shaped steel columns that transfers the tower’s loads to concrete walls between the tracks. Caissons carry these concentrated loads to bedrock, allowing the building to rise above the railroad infrastructure.

A braced core, outrigger trusses, and distinctive diamond-shaped exterior braces resist wind loads. A mass damper controls wind-induced motion, while vibration analysis informed the design to limit the effects of passing trains.