Following in the footsteps of Norman Foster, the star-studded galleria of architects currently working in Midtown Manhattan is about to be joined by another renowned designer from across the pond: British architect David Chipperfield’s long-delayed condominium is finally set to rise just north of the Empire State Building.
Named “The Bryant” in reference to its location adjacent to one of New York’s most popular parks, the 33-story apartment building will include 57 one- to four-bedroom residences, including two triplex penthouses with panoramic views across Midtown. These private dwellings will sit above a boutique hotel at 16 West 40th Street, with amenities including a fitness center, sauna, and steam room and a high-end restaurant with priority reservations for residents.
The building’s exterior possesses characteristic restraint from Chipperfield, with focus placed on well-crafted details and high-quality materials rather than formal extravagance.
“The idea that the structure and the façade are the same thing, made out of polished concrete, will give the building a tectonic and physical presence,” said Chipperfield. “Through this, the building is reduced down to elements of columns and windows, of solid and void, mass and space. I think you can make architecture out of very simple things; it doesn’t have to be complicated. The difference between a good building and a bad building normally resides in it being more thought about.”
Every apartment is afforded generous floor-to-ceiling heights of around nine and a half feet (2.9 meters) and features full-height windows that frame views of the iconic Empire State Building a few blocks to the north. The interior will be finished with bespoke millwork — also designed by Chipperfield — and carefully detailed to conceal appliances and electric systems as well as incorporate integrated storage throughout.
“Doing commercial projects is difficult because there is, in a way, a confrontation set up immediately between the commercial viability of a project and the architectural aspirations of a project,” reflected Chipperfield at the project’s launch. “I think this is a project where we really managed to coordinate those aspirations through a lot of patience.”
“I think that, in all of our work, we try to find ways of bringing back what one might call ‘substance’ — getting away from the tendency to ‘clad,’” continued the architect. “Essentially, what happens in the construction process is: you build a concrete or steel frame as quickly as possible, you get everything in, and, then, you put a curtain wall on it. Then, on the inside, you leave a tolerance zone for contractors to put all the services in, and the architect is told to stay away from that process. We are interested in seeing whether we can resist that in some ways, but not in uncommercial ways.”
The Bryant can be seen just to the left of the Empire State Building.
Chipperfield’s first ground-up building in New York will begin on site soon, with a projected completion date of spring 2017. For more projects from the British architect’s studio, check out his evolving firm profile on Architizer.