Tallest building in US to be built by Armenian businessman’s company

The tallest skyscraper in the US will be constructed by the company of an Armenian businessman.

The building designed by a Russian architecture firm for the US, which will hold apartments like “shelves in the air,” has gained planning approval, according to Dezeen architecture and design magazine.

Moscow-based Meganom received the go-ahead to build the 262 Fifth Avenue tower in New York’s Nomad district from the city’s Department of Buildings

The skinny skyscraper will reach 307.5 meters tall and be topped with an observation deck.

“We didn’t want it to be too high, but at the same time be visible and provide better views for the flats,” Meganom co-founder Yury Grigoryan told Dezeen. “We decided not to be higher than the Empire State Building observation deck, and we are checking carefully not to spoil the view of the horizon, or for tourists.”

Grigoryan said that the building’s structure is unique. Its elevator and mechanical systems will occupy a core volume on the western side, which a stack of column-free living spaces will be anchored to like shelves.

As well as offering a “unique construction” for New York, the building will features materials chosen to enable a consistent indoor climate during the city’s hot summers and cold winters.

Although the project is Meganom’s first in the US, the firm is currently working on a number of buildings in Russia.