One evening, as I was heading out west towards the Hudson River to take in the waterfront views, I stumbled upon a salt crystal formation sticking out of the ground at the corner of Spring and West streets. But this was no ordinary 70 foot tall crystalline structure, this was the Spring Street Salt Shed, designed to house up to 5,000 tons of salt for those cold, icy New York City winters. Dattner Architects with WXY Architecture + Urban Design took on the design challenge of taking a building with a utilitarian purpose and transforming it into something truly unique, while still remaining true to its function. Even the slanted angles of its walls enable huge piles of salt to rest in a more natural position, while also allowing more room for pedestrian traffic around the building. Keep an eye on this building over the next few years, as it is said that over time with exposure to sunlight the color of the concrete will fade away and even more closely resemble the look of salt. I didn't get a chance to lick the building, but I assume it even tastes salty. 😝