It can be difficult to stand out in a city with over 8.4 million people. Some creative starchitects have taken on the task of making this feat a little simpler by designing buildings that are just as unique as their homeowners. Most of them seem to come from decades into the future, but with some forward-thinking and innovation, these six buildings found their way to our time and are unmissable. 

100 Norfolk

This building really seems like it should be turned upside down to be right side up, but somehow it is defeating all natural instincts. 100 Norfolk is being designed by ODA Architecture and the design portrays four tiered blocks of entirely glass, each one protruding more than the last. Located in the Lower East Side, it has an expected completion date of late 2015 to early 2016.

Blue Condominium

Photo courtesy of Lsanburn

Remember that song Blue by Eiffel 65? One line of the song says, “I have a blue house with a blue window,” and it seems to have inspired this luxury building. Designed by the world renowned architect Bernard Tschumi, the entire facade of Blue Condominium has varying shades of blue glass, and the structure is rectangular with different angles and cutouts on each side. Located on the Lower East Side, this luxury condo it is a one-of-a-kind building that always catches eyes.

520 West 28th Street

Parked at the High Line, this luxury condo designed by the starchitect Zaha Hadid looks like the most beautifully designed space station of the future. 520 West 28th Street features a rectangular structure seamlessly separated into layered glass sections, and each piece seems like it could just detach and fly away. This luxury condo is still under construction, but is set to finish in 2016.

56 Leonard Street

This unique Tribeca condo, designed by the starchitects Herzog & de Meuron, is often called the Jenga tower, although we think it also looks like a stack of hardcover books. Whatever your interpretation is, 56 Leonard has people talking about its incredibly original design. The tower is still under construction, but has a completion date by the end of 2015.

30 Thompson Street

Rendering courtesy of Curbed NY

While walking down the beautiful cast-iron buildings that line the streets of Soho, there will be amples of double takes when walking past 30 Thompson Street. This luxury building designed by the starchitect Karim Rashid has a mission to shake up the uniformity of the Neighborhood. It will only be home to eight to ten condos, a select opportunity to live in a space as individual as their homeowners. Although it is still in the design stage, it should be finished in late 2017.

Tribeca Royale

Rendering courtesy of

Standing tall and thin in the Financial District, the luxury condos at Tribeca Royale have decks on each floor that look like they could double as a hub to dock your hovercraft. The condo’s design is striking in contrast to the buildings that surround it, making it a perfect home for those who want to break away from the norm.