290 West
Scaffolding has started to come down at VE Equities' 290 West, revealing the metal and glass facade that has become a signature of the Adjmi and Andreoli collaboration. The nine story residential building at the corner of Canal Street and the West Side Highway will offer 11 loft-style apartments, all of which contain waterfront views. With the setback on the sixth floor, some units will offer outdoor terraces. The gridded steel and glass façade evokes the industrial character of the TriBeCa neighborhood.
North facade from Canal Park.
North facade from Canal Street.
Facade detail.
Northwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
West facade from the Hudson River Greenway.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
Architects: Morris Adjmi Architects, AA Studio; Developer: VE Equities; Program: Residential; Location: TriBeCa, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
22-22 Jackson Avenue
Window installation continues at the Gershon Company's 22-22 Jackson Avenue in Long Island City. Designed by the prolific firm ODA, the 11-story, 175-residential-unit mixed-use building is composed of an exposed concrete exterior wall, now topped out. Maroon framed windows are installed in the distinct boxes created by the concrete structure. All but the top floor units have been installed. Amenities for the project are housed in the two story base and include a lobby, lounge, library spaces, gym, indoor pool, and a landscaped courtyard on the 3rd floor roof deck.
East elevation with the former Five Pointz site in the foreground.
Northeast corner from Jackson Avenue.
Northeast corner from Jackson Avenue.
Northeast corner from Crane Street.
East facade detail.
Southeast corner from Crane Street.
East facade detail.
North elevation from Jackson Avenue.
Northwest corner from Jackson Avenue.
Manhattan West
Curtain wall installation continues at 450 West 33rd Street, also known as Five Manhattan West, where an office building from 1969 is receiving a thorough renovation. Developer Brookfield Properties has tasked architecture firm REX with a complete overhaul of the exterior envelope. The sloping precast concrete panels of the original facade will be replaced with glass curtain wall panels.
The Manhattan West development also includes two new office towers and a residential tower, 401 West 31st Street. Designed by SOM, the 702-foot-tall, 790-unit residential tower has reached the second floor. Construction should also begin soon for the office towers.
Looking west from Ninth Avenue towards Five Manhattan West (center) and 10 Hudson Yards (left).
Southeast corner of the residential tower (foreground) and Five Manhattan West (background).
South elevation of the residential tower (right) and the southeast corner of Five Manhattan West (left).
Architects: REX (Five Manhattan West), SLCE (401 West 31st Street [Architect of Record], SOM (401 West 31st Street [Design Architect], 1 Manhattan West, Master Plan Architect); Landscape Architects: James Corner Field Operations; Developer: Brookfield; Program: Office, Residential, Retail; Location: Hudson Yards District, New York, NY; Completion: 2016 (Five Manhattan West).
VIA 57 WEST at 625 West 57th Street
Progress on the exterior enclosure continues at the Durst Organization's typology-busting residential building on the Midtown West waterfront. The 470 foot tall "courtscraper," designed by architect Bjarke Ingels of BIG, will bring 709 rental units and 45,000 square feet of commercial retail space.
There has been significant progress since the previous site tour, with much of the herringbone-patterned bay windows installed on the north façade. Meanwhile, installation of the metal and glass on the south and west façade has surpassed the half way mark. Curtain wall installation has also started at the ground floor retail space at the southwest corner.
Completion is slated for sometime next year.
Looking south from Pier 1 at Riverside Park.
Looking south from Riverside Park.
The north façade from Riverside Park.
Northeast corner from West 58th Street.
The north façade from West 58th Street.
Northwest corner from 12th Avenue.
West façade from the Hudson River Greenway.
West façade.
Southwest corner from the Hudson River Greenway.
Southwest façade close up.
Looking north from Pier 96 at Riverside Park.
South façade from West 57th Street.
South façade from West 57th Street.
Southeast corner from West 57th Street.
Architects: BIG (Design Architects), SLCE Architects (Architects of Record); Developer: The Durst Organization; Program: Residential, Retail; Location: Midtown West, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
335 E 27 - Carmel Place
Stacking has completed at Monadnock Development's micro unit apartment building at 335 East 27th Street, recently renamed Carmel Place. The last of the project's 66 modular units was lifted into place late last week. Designed by nARCHITECTS, the project is the first micro units apartment building in New York and consists of 55 studio apartments for both market rate and affordable tenants. Each apartment is one module, offering 260 to 360 square feet of space. All modules were fabricated at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Now that the unit stacking has completed, the exterior brick facade should soon begin installation. Completion of the project is slated for late 2015.
West elevation from Bellevue Park South.
Northwest corner from Mount Carmel Place.
Time sequence of unit stacking from the northwest corner.
Southwest corner from Mount Carmel Place.
Southeast corner.
East elevation from First Avenue.
East elevation.
Architect: nARCHITECTS; Module Manufacturer: Capsys; Developer: Monadnock Development; Program: Residential; Location: Kips Bay, New York, NY; Completion: Late Fall 2015.
CUMC Medical and Graduate Education Building
Curtain wall installation continues on the "Study Cascade" section of Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler's 14-story building for the Columbia University Medical College. The "Study Cascade" at the southern half of the tower features gathering spaces for students and faculty in a variety of configurations that is expressed on the exterior wall. Installation of its glass enclosure has reached the eighth floor and features vertical glass fin supports. A gradient of transparent and opaque white glass panels clad the northern half of the building. The varying levels of transparency of the facade serves as an expression of the functional diagram of the building, where work spaces are located in the more opaque northern portion of the building while spaces for casual interaction occur in the transparent, free form "Study Cascade."
Work is also underway on the open space component of the project which features an outdoor terrace with views to the Hudson River. Construction is slated for completion next year.
Looking north on Haven Avenue.
Southeast corner from Haven Avenue.
Southeast corner of the "Study Cascade."
Detail of the "Study Cascade."
Detail of the "Study Cascade."
East facade from Haven Avenue.
East facade from West 171st Street.
Detail of the "Study Cascade."
Northeast corner from Haven Avenue.
Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Gensler; Program: Education; Location: Washington Heights, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
50 West Street
Last week I took an exclusive tour of 50 West, Time Equities' 64-story residential tower under construction in Lower Manhattan. Designed by Helmut Jahn, the 780-foot tower has reached the 50th floor. Construction is now moving at a steady pace, adding almost two floors a week.
Looking north from West Street towards 50 West (center) and One World Trade Center (left).
The tower's design features rounded corners which allow for panoramic views, especially from the double height living spaces at the tower's southwest corner. Glass curtain wall panels with stainless steel spandrel panels clad the tower, with curved panels at the corners. The completed tower will also feature a private rooftop observatory and terrace. The plaza at the base of the tower will be the entry point for the new West Thames Street Pedestrian Bridge to be built in the near future.
Southwest corner from West Street.
Close up view of the curtain wall on the west facade.
Close up view of the curtain wall on the southwest corner.
West facade from West Street.
Northwest corner from West Thames Park.
Southeast corner of the tower.
East facade of the tower.
Southeast corner of the tower.
Workers prepare the 50th floor slab for the concrete pour.
Workers prepare the 50th floor slab for the concrete pour.
The view north towards the World Trade Center site from the 50th floor.
Looking south towards Battery Park City and the Statue of Liberty.
Looking east towards the New Jersey waterfront.
The completed tower will feature 191 condo units, some of which will offer duplexes with double height living rooms. Amenities in the building include a pool, private fitness center, an entertainment floor, a landscaped rooftop observatory, and office condominiums on the third floor available for purchase by the residents.
The double height living space of a duplex unit .
The view south from the double height living space of a duplex unit.
Looking southeast from the second floor of a duplex unit.
Curtain wall panels await installation in a double height living room.
Curtain wall mockup in the sales gallery.
Looking up from the ninth floor terrace.
Close up view of the west facade.
Kitchen mockup in the sales gallery.
Powder room mockup.
Secondary bathroom mockup .
Master bath mockup in the sales gallery.
Construction is slated for a 2016 completion and sales of the units are brisk. Just yesterday the sales team announced another milestone as the tower reached the 50 percent sold mark.
Architects: Jahn; Interiors: Thomas Juul-Hansen; Developer: Time Equities Inc.; Program: Residential, Office, Retail; Completion: 2016.
301 E 50
Last week I took an exclusive tour of CBSK Ironstate's 301 East 50, a 57-unit residential condo under construction in Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood. The 29-story tower is one of the latest projects by COOKFOX Architects, a firm known for combining high design with sustainable principles.
Northwest corner from Second Avenue.
Inspiration for the design direction of the project came in part from the era of French Modernism, a movement that brought nature back into the often sterile, machine-like aesthetic of the modern movement. Looking to artists of that period such as Eileen Gray, Man Ray, and Constantin Brancusi, COOKFOX has crafted a tower of modern conveniences combined with timeless materials that evoke a warmth often lacking in modern architecture.
Northwest corner with limestone panel installation.
Installation is wrapping up on the limestone panels that clad the exterior. The panels reference the Indiana limestone cladding of nearby Rockefeller Center, a precedent for the design team. Smooth limestone panels are interspersed with textured limestone panels that resemble the vertical lines of the bush hammered concrete facades of nearby buildings. The subtle detail helps to avoid a monolithic appearance on the facade. Apart from aesthetics, the exterior wall contributes to the sustainable design strategies of the building, as the deep stone exterior walls create a thermal mass that helps moderate temperatures extremes in the summer and winter. Zinc panels with a vertical pattern clad the circulation core at the east elevation as well as the spandrel areas above the windows on the penthouse floors.
West elevation with limestone panel installation.
Large windows punctuate the stone facade, providing ample light and spectacular views from the interior. Each unit receives a large corner window that provides a dramatic vista of the neighborhood. From the exterior, the openings indicate how the typical floor plan stack changes as you move up the building, while adding variation to the facade's design. Installation of the exterior sunshades have begun on the windows, another sustainable strategy that moderates solar heat gain and helps bring light deep into the residences.
Southwest corner of the tower from Second Avenue.
Facade panels awaiting installation.
Detail of the southwest corner of the facade.
Looking north on Second Avenue.
Rendering of the northeast corner of the tower. Rendering by Visual Unit Worldwide.
Looking west to the central Midtown skyline. Notable building include the Citygroup Center tower (far right), Rockefeller Center (center left), and the MetLife Building (far left).
Looking south towards Midtown East from the mechanical platform. Notable buildings include the Empire State Building (far right), Chrysler Building (right), 50 UN Plaza (far left).
Looking east towards the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park and Long Island City in Queens from the mechanical platform.
A northwest corner window.
A southeast corner bedroom.
Window with exterior fin installed.
Detail of exterior fin attachment.
Southeast corner of the tower with an exterior fin installed on the lowest floor.
East tower facade.
Zinc panels.
Interiors are also designed by COOKFOX Architects with the same attention to detail found in the exterior design. There are custom touches throughout, including different geometric patterns for the mosaic tile in the master and secondary bathrooms.
Master bathroom.
Rendering of the master bathroom. Rendering by Visual Unit Worldwide.
Master bathroom wall tile.
Master bathroom floor tile.
Secondary bathroom.
Secondary bathroom wall tile.
Secondary bathroom floor tile.
Amenities for the building include a double height fitness center, spa, landscaped terrace, and storage units for residents.
Fitness center under construction.
Rendering of the fitness center. Rendering by Visual Unit Worldwide.
East facade from East 50th Street.
Architects: COOKFOX Architects; Developer: CBSK Ironstate; Program: Residential; Location: Midtown East, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
11 North Moore
Construction scaffolding has been fully removed at VE Equities' 11 North Moore in Tribeca, revealing the entirety of the light tan and grey cast concrete facade. Jointly designed by Morris Adjmi Architects and frequent collaborator Aldo Andreoli of AA Studio, the facade features a grid of 6’3” x 10’10” picture windows that affords generous views.
Southwest corner from Varick Street.
The 11-story condo building features 18 residences ranging from three bedrooms up to six bedrooms, with four duplex penthouses on the uppermost floors. While all penthouses feature outdoor terraces, the grand penthouse will feature a private pool, an increasingly popular amenity for new penthouses.
Southwest corner detail.
West facade from Varick Street.
Northwest corner from Varick Street.
Northwest corner detail.
North facade.
Amenity spaces have been designed by Sawyer|Berson and include the corner lobby and a library which overlooks a courtyard garden. Other amenities include a fitness center, private storage, and bicycle/stroller storage.
View of the northwest corner from the Laight Street bridge.
Architects: Adjmi Architects & AA Studio; Developer: VE Equities; Public Spaces and Garden: Sawyer|Berson; Program: Residential; Location: Tribeca, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
940 Madison Avenue - Apple Store - Upper East Side
The Apple Store has arrived on the Upper East Side, opening to the public over the weekend in a renovated 1922 neoclassical bank building at 940 Madison Avenue. This is Apple's sixth location in New York City with another location rumored for Williamsburg sometime in the next year.
Southeast corner from Madison Avenue.
Northeast corner from Madison Avenue.
Visiting on Saturday morning, in its first hour of operation, the store was fairly busy. Employees handed out little hardbound books of the black and white iPhone photography of the neighborhood, some of which had been used in banners covering the store windows during construction and now adorn the interior walls. The ground floor space houses the various devices on display with Apple's typical wood tables. Neoclassical detailing is found throughout the space, with ornate pilasters and dark metal chandeliers.
Ground floor interior.
Device accessories are located on the basement level, reached by way of a grand stair. Certain accessories are featured in large, elaborate displays. There is a colorful grid of iPhone cases mounted on wood panels which are revealed to be drawers storing the cases in the corresponding color. Beats headphones are also displayed on a grid of wooden spheres that highlight the variety of colors offered. It's nice to see Apple breaking out of their established aesthetic and trying new approaches to display design. The bank's original vault is also located on the basement level and has been repurposed as a intimate space for trying on the Apple Watch Edition gold watches.
Grand stair.
Stair handrail detail.
Vault entry.
Vault entry detail.
Original vault door.
Vault door detail.
iPhone case display.
Detail of the iPhone case display.
Beats headphone display.
Detail of the Beats headphone display.
Though some of the neighbors have been resistive of Apple, going so far as to attempt lawsuits to block the store's opening, its a nice addition to the neighborhood that is appropriately scaled to the area.
Architects: Bohlin Cywinski Jackson; Program: Retail; Location: Upper East Side, New York, NY; Completion: June 13, 2015.
