Four Lessons from 57th St
/“Architecture begins when you place two bricks carefully together.” -Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
225 West 57th will be 2nd tallest
A few weeks ago, we traveled to northern New Jersey to visit our daughter for the weekend and we chose to go into New York City for a day to see a show and some other sites. I was taken back by the number of large development projects currently under construction. Seeing tower cranes throughout the city and surrounding area piqued my interest, as it has been some time since I had seen so much large-scale work in one city.
Two noteworthy buildings under construction are one block apart on the south end of Central Park. 225 West 57th St will become the 2nd tallest building (1550ft) in the United States when complete, just short of the new One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. The other structure stands at 111 West 57th St. and will be the thinnest in the world once complete. For every 1 foot of width, the building will rise nearly 23 ft, escalating to a height of 1428ft. The construction of both buildings started in 2014 and expect to be completed sometime in 2020.
111 West 57th will be the thinnest in the world
Construction in New York is complex for many reasons, but maybe the most challenging is overcoming the little ground space that is available for your materials. Building projects this tall takes enormous planning as materials must arrive in a specific sequence from suppliers outside of the city. Only the materials that you need soon are brought to the job site, as there is no space to store building materials that aren't required until months ahead. The material deliveries are usually made at night to avoid traffic hassles in the city. Naturally, the ability to overcome other obstacles such as severe weather or supplier problems is vital as any time delays on these buildings can cost millions. Diligent managers work collectively to make the project come together until it is complete.
Similarly, your life can be complicated as well, especially when considering building your career, academics, marriage, family, or even your faith. Here are four thoughts we can take from projects like these.
1) Have Vision – when these New York buildings were still in planning stages years ago, the architects put their thoughts on paper. Having a vision of what you would like to build in you is critical, as it provides an ever-present guide for you.
2) Plan Your Course – The construction and project managers on these two buildings are continually planning their upcoming days, weeks, and months ahead. Take time to consider what lay ahead for you. Plan your education or your career for the next five years. Where do you want to be? Or what skills would you like to acquire?
3) Give Your Intentions to God – The building owners or developers can’t assemble the building by themselves. They give responsibility to general contractors, who in turn rely on subcontractors, who are dependent on their suppliers, etc. As you aim to grow, let God be your source of security through your transition. Amongst other ways, this action shows itself in your prayer life. How much time do you spend in prayer? Do you go to God about your future or how you would like to grow or what impact you would like to have?
4) Hold onto Your Hat – The construction process will take unexpected turns. Your path to growth in each of the areas of your life will do the same as well. God has a way of working in our lives that often does not match our thought processes. But if we can hang in there with Him, not giving up, we know that His work in us will be for our good.
These buildings are quite a spectacle in New York. And just as van der Rohe’s quote said, the construction of these buildings started with the first brick, but they didn’t stop. Regardless of where you see yourself, your character, or your faith in the construction process, keep building. Secured to a foundation in God, build yourself with intention, planning, and action. Someday, someone will marvel at your work as well.
