At 915 ft, the aluminum and reflective glass clad tower, the Citigroup Center is one of the tallest building in Midtown Manhattan. But what really makes this skyscraper stand out are the triangular rooftop and the four massive 114ft columns on which the building seems to float.
The Citigroup Center was the first tower in Manhattan that parted with the then prevalent Internationalist Style. Instead of a flat top, the designers gave the building a distinctive angled roof line. The original plans to construct setback penthouses on the roof were abandoned due to zoning restrictions. It was then intended as a solar panel, but never used as such. The rooftop now houses the building's mechanical equipment, including a computer controlled tuned mass
damper. This 400 ton block of concrete slides on a thin layer of oil. The inertia of the damper reduces the swaying of the building by up to 40%.
The Citigroup Center includes a large sunken plaza and a 7 story atrium at the base of the tower with three stories of restaurants and shops. The plaza and atrium are directly accessible from one of New York's busiest subway stations.