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Designs unveiled for U-shaped skyscraper, "The Big Bend," in New York City

NEW YORK -- A U-shaped building could someday transform Manhattan’s skyline, reports CBS New York.

Concept drawings for what’s being called “The Big Bend” were unveiled this week.

“The Big Bend” would be double the height of the tallest addresses across the world if it was stretched out.

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“The Big Bend” compared to other iconic buildings around the world, provided by design studio Oiio. Oiio

“New York city’s zoning laws have created a peculiar set of tricks through which developers try to maximize their property’s height in order to infuse it with the prestige of a high rise structure,” design studio Oiio said. “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 Big Bend can become a modest architectural solution to the height limitations of Manhattan,” the studio added. “We can now provide our structures with the measurements that will make them stand out without worrying about the limits of the sky.”

The plans envision a glass-lined tower 4,000 feet long.

An elevator would travel in curves, horizontally and in continuous loops. A unique track system would allow for a horizontal connection of two elevator shafts on the bottom and the top to create a continuous loop.

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Design studio Oiio created this GIF showing where “The Big Bend” would appear in the New York City skyline. Oiio
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