This New Skyscraper Could Redefine the Manhattan Skyline — See the Pictures

New York City's skyline is an architectural work in progress that captivates the imagination. Some of its latest additions, including One Vanderbilt, 111 West 57th, and the soon-to-be-completed 50 Hudson Yards, have changed the Big Apple's architecture and cityscape forever. And now, there's a new project that, if approved, will add one more striking building to New York's skyline.

The new design, conceived by Adjaye Associates, is of a 1,633-feet-tall tower with a gravity-defying silhouette. The reason? The building, called the Affirmation Tower, would cantilever outwards from a multi-story base making for quite an eye-catching sight. The new construction would house two hotels, an observation deck, offices, and a skating rink.

The façade would be covered in vertical stone bands that at the base and top would look like super tall and simple inverted arches. The project also includes plenty of open terraces with greenery. The Affirmation Tower would sit on a 1.2-acre lot on 11th Avenue between 35th and 36th streets across from the Javits Center and near Hudson Yards.

In March, New York State announced that it is looking to add a new building on the currently vacant lot — one of the few remaining ones on the west side in Midtown Manhattan. The new tower designed by Adjaye Associates would be the second tallest in Manhattan after One World Trade Center. If approved, it would also be the first major project in the borough designed and built by a majority Black and women-led team.

"Unfortunately for most of New York's history, Black and people of color have been rendered as mere economic tourists who gaze upward at one of the greatest skylines in the world with the intrinsic knowledge they will never be able to participate in what really makes New York unique," Rev. Dr. Charles Curtis, head of New York Interfaith Commission for Housing Equality, told dezeen. "The awarding of this project to this team will send a statement across the globe that architects, developers, engineers, and financial professionals of color are now full participants in this great miracle of global capitalism called New York City."

The founder of Adjaye Associates, Ghanaian British architect David Adjaye, is also the designer behind 130 William, another high-rise tower in New York City, as well as the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.