Giant u-shaped skyscraper proposed for New York City

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - The most skyline altering building for Manhattan has been unveiled. It is called the Big Bend and, as the name indicates, it would bend over at the top and return to the ground via another leg of the tower.

New York and Athens based architecture studio Oiio is behind the concept.

It says that New York city’s zoning laws have "created a peculiar set of tricks trough which developers try to maximize their property’s height in order to infuse it with the prestige of a high rise structure."

But the firm thought about things differently, using the concept of length.  Despite the potential height of the concept building, the designers describe it as "the longest building in the world".

It would stretch 4,000 feet from end to end and would require an elevator system completely different from today's current systems.

The building is envisioned to straddle the so-called 'Billionaire's Row' on 57th St. in Midtown.

Oiio states: "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."