The IAC Building has been called The Iceberg, The Ice Cube, The Beehive, and The Sail. All these names make sense.
Perhaps one of the most uniquely looking structures in the city, IAC is just an office building. Designed by Frank Gehry, among the most recognizable—and unconventional—architects of the modern era, it has been hailed as one of the world’s most attractive office buildings.
It houses the headquarters of IAC, the internet and media company founded by Barry Diller. Far cry from conventional corporate architecture, Gehry designed a playful, visually unique, and modern structure that reflected the company’s young, creative, technology-driven identity.
What better way to reflect that young energy than by making the building look as though it is moving. The glass panels tilt and curve, creating the impression of enormous sails billowing in the wind. Sail-like forms speak to its location close to the Hudson River, creating a beautiful visual metaphor.
But here’s where the magic gets interesting.
Structurally, the IAC Building is actually a fairly conventional concrete office building. The drama comes from its skin. The façade is made of fritted glass — glass treated with a ceramic material that changes its transparency and appearance. The panels twist and bend across the surface, creating the illusion of something soft and flowing.
This is very much Frank Gehry’s territory.
Gehry is famous for taking ordinary architectural materials and making them behave in unexpected ways, turning buildings into what look like enormous pieces of sculpture.
Frank Gehry is known for his very unusual designs, playing with various materials and making his buildings look like free-standing sculptures.
Of all its various visual associations — sail, iceberg, ice cube, beehive — I can’t help seeing an iceberg floating in the ocean.
Is it just me?
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