ONE DAG

custom feature wall changes as you walk

Studios Architecture had a grand vision for the entry and lobby experience of One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, to dynamically guide tenants and visitors through the space by simplifying the number of gestures and creating a unified experience. To bring this vision to life Studios asked Ferra to create a custom architectural sculpture for a curved wall. Visitors first encounter a solid wall of flush panels that are treated to give them a slightly bronzed look. The panels, fronting a white wall, dematerialize to eventually appear as black lines through gradual twists in their profiles. Result is a dramatic, rhythmic experience and a visual moire effect.

ARCHITECT STUDIOS Architecture

CLIENTS Ruben Companies

SECTOR Commercial

LOCATION One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza, NYC

SERVICES Design Assist, Fabrication, Install

MATERIALS Steel, Bronze-Like Finish

Our team created a machine capable of indexing twist degree on all steel ribbons. We repurposed a machine—previously used to bend high-pressure pipes—and designed a process to twist each piece of metal with extreme consistency while accounting for spring-back. Each fin was twisted in place to varying degrees, from subtle to severe.

173 20-foot-long vertical fins were hoisted and twisted in place within the narrow lobby space. Total Installation weighs over 10 tons.

The final bronze-like finish was applied by hand and ties into the building’s existing palette.

Studios Managing Principal David Burns calls the wall, which is the lobby’s sole artwork, “elegant and timeless,” and a symbol of the building’s structural dynamism.

“Result is a beautiful, dramatic, memorable place for people to come to work, and visitors to visit. We’re recreating a landmark asset that will be in our family for decades more.”

— Richard Ruben, CEO of Ruben Companies