‘The Big Bend’ NYC: Dissecting Tall Tales About the Abstract Skyscraper

An architectural feat known as The Big Bend was introduced to the New York City skyline in 2017. At least, in theory. If built, the skyscraper would be the Big Apple’s longest building — and the world’s, for that matter.

Social media users and numerous websites have proposed various estimations for its height, but many have settled on 2,000 feet. But what would make The Big Bend unique is its shape. The structural phenomenon would arch around at the top and then extend down to the ground, forming an upside-down U, bringing its total length to 4,000 feet.

By comparison, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat credits One World Trade Center, which stretches 1,776 feet into the air, as the tallest building in the city.

At 2,716 feet tall, Burj Khalifa in the United Arab Emirates is the world’s tallest building, according to Guinness World Records.  

Images of the proposed Big Bend have been shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok.

The project was first proposed in 2017, at which point numerous publications covered its announcement, including Newsweek, Business Insider, The Independent and New York Post.

However, the reality of The Big Bend is that it appears to be a thought experiment and satirical commentary on the cost of building and living in NYC. As of this writing, no legitimate plans for either the construction or opening of the building have been announced.

Due to various claims being made about the skyscraper and the uncertainty over whether it’s an authentic proposal, we chose not to issue a rating in this article.

Origins of The Big Bend

OIIO Studio claims to be an architectural designer based in New York City and Athens. In 2017, the design group proposed Big Bend be built on 57th Street near Central Park in an area nicknamed “Billionaire’s Row.”

OIIO Studio’s website description of the project reads:

THE BIG BEND

There is an undeniable obsession that resides in Manhattan. It is undeniable because it is made to be seen. There are many different ways that can make a building stand out, but in order to do so the building has to literary stand out.

We have become familiar with building height measurements. We usually learn about the latest tallest building and we are always impressed by it’s price per square foot. It seems that a property’s height operates as a license for it to be expensive.

New York city’s zoning laws have created a peculiar set of tricks trough which developers try to maximize their property’s height in order to infuse it with the prestige of a high rise structure. But what if we substituted height with length? What if our buildings were long instead of tall?

If we manage to bend our structure instead of bending the zoning rules of New York we would be able to create one of the most prestigious buildings in Manhattan. The longest building in the world. The Big Bend can become a modest architectural solution to the height limitations of Manhattan. We can now provide our structures with the measurements that will make them stand out without worrying about the limits of the sky.

While the website includes several renderings of the imagined building, it offers no further information to prove it is a legitimate proposal, such as a blueprint, plans for construction, dates for completion, a specific location or any other evidence to support that its plans are more than a concept.

In fact, there are reasons to suggest this proposal is a satirical commentary on the Big Apple’s architectural culture.

On March 16, 2017, OIIO Studio, whose Instagram username is @oiiodesign, wrote that the “story of ‘The Big Bend’ follows a recent trend that has appeared in New York City: the emergence of myriad tall and slender residential skyscrapers.”

OIIO’s Instagram account also shared an image from its website of a man reaching for a top hat surrounded by stacks of cash, writing that the rendering was “packed full of satirical motifs that speak to the folly of New York’s latest high-rise boom.”

Likewise, the so-called “sketchbook” for the structure only featured drawings that appeared to be based in satire. It included no blueprint or serious design plans.

Another drawing shared on OIIO’s Instagram page featured men in tall top hats that mimicked the New York City skyline. The post’s caption touched on the satire of the design, noting:

It seems that a property’s height operates as a license for it to be expensive.

New York city’s zoning laws have created a peculiar set of tricks trough which developers try to maximize their property’s height in order to infuse it with the prestige of a high rise structure.

Again on April 26, 2018, OIIO’s Instagram page referenced The Big Bend, writing: “Instead of bricks and mortar, we can now use the images that inhabit our minds.”

“The square feet are not for living. They are only for investing,” reads the website.

As of this writing, the @oiiodesign profile has not been updated since Jan. 13, 2023. Similarly, OIIO’s Facebook page has not been updated since Oct. 19, 2021.

Snopes contacted OIIO Studio for comment on its proposal and will update this article if we receive a response.

Sources