Not satisfied with her seat at the top of Meereen, Daenerys “Stormborn” Targaryen, Khaleesi to Khal Drogo, has her sights set on conquering a new land: New York City.
In early December, architect Mark Foster Gage, director of Mark Foster Gage Architects and Assistant Dean of the Yale School of Architecture, unveiled a plan for a 102-story building on the southern edge of Central Park, nicknamed the “Khaleesi.” Why “Khaleesi”? Well…look at it.
How would such ornamentation even withstand a 100+ story height? The proposal for the building explains:
Each unit has its own unique figurally carved façade and balconies that frame particular features of the surrounding urban and natural landscapes. The building is draped in a façade of limestone-tinted Taktl© concrete panels with hydroformed sheet-bronze details and brass-tinted alloy structural extrusion enclosures. The 64th floor features a sky-lobby with exclusive retail stores, a 2-story high ballroom for events, and a 4-star restaurant all of which have access to four massive cantilevered balconies that offer an awe-inspiring event and dining experience unique to the city of New York.
The building, if approved, would go up at 41 West 57th St, also known as Billionaire’s Row, named after the only clientele that can afford to build, buy, or rent in this area of Manhattan. The last decade has seen a frenzy of skyscraper-building activity in this area and many of the new buildings are so tall that they prematurely cloak the southern portion of Central Park in shadow. The “Khaleesi” Building, as proposed, would tower over even these skyscrapers, dominating the midtown skyline.
41 W 57th St from Mark Foster Gage on Vimeo.
You can check out the full proposal on the Mark Gage site. Be sure to check out the other projects that the firm has proposed, as they all bring a touch of fantasy to modern architecture.
Redefining the Manhattan skyline is possibly not what George R. R. Martin had in mind when he began writing A Song of Ice and Fire. It is astounding how firmly his fantasy world is becoming entrenched within the real world.
