Why the Empire State Building, and New York, May Never Be the Same

About

It once symbolized an urban way of working, and the city's resilience. In the pandemic's second year, the future of the world's most famous skyscraper is in doubt. This article uses real-time 3D visualization to break down occupancy levels before and during the pandemic, taking you inside the Empire State Building to see why its future is so uncertain.

Real-Time 3D Visualization: The interactive piece uses special data sources to visualize foot traffic patterns on select floors and the observatory, creating a dynamic 3D model that shows occupancy levels before and during the pandemic. This data-driven approach reveals the dramatic changes in building usage as New York City adapted to remote work.

Data-Driven Analysis: By combining occupancy data with 3D building models, the visualization demonstrates how the pandemic fundamentally altered the Empire State Building's role in urban life. The interactive elements allow readers to explore different floors and time periods, understanding the building's transformation from a bustling workplace to a symbol of pre-pandemic normalcy.

Urban Impact: The 3D visualization helps illustrate broader questions about the future of urban workspaces, using the Empire State Building as a case study for how iconic skyscrapers might need to adapt in a post-pandemic world.

Credits

By Keith Collins, Nikolas Diamant, Peter Eavis, Or Fleisher, Matthew Haag, Barbara Harvey, Lingdong Huang, Karthik Patanjali, Miles Peyton and Rumsey Taylor Photographs by Todd Heisler. Additional work by Josh Williams.