9. Hearst Tower – 57th Street and 8th Avenue
The Icefall, occupying the lobby of the Hearst Tower on 57th Street, is a recent construction. Designed by James Carpenter Design Associates Inc., the fountain takes advantage of the building’s unique, naturally-lit design. The original Hearst Building was converted into the lobby of the current Hearst Tower, whose glass facade was incorporated nearly eighty years after the Great Depression halted William Randolph Hearst’s initial work on the skyscraper. Water flows over 50 tons of glass plating and also acts as the lobby’s air conditioning, absorbing heat from its surroundings and moving the air with its water. See photos of Icefall’s construction at Inhabitat.