Oftentimes, bespoke materials found in iconic design projects are mimicked in other architectural applications. What is one building\u2019s beautifully textured cladding might end up as another\u2019s interior wall paneling. Such inspired design choices can be considered inherently flattering. It makes sense to adopt successful design details and material specifications and reinterpret them in fresh ways. If architects never attempted to reimagine older design ideas and material methodologies, then we\u2019d be stuck with the same boring buildings across the world.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to understand the unique ways in which inspired design has opened up new doors for certain age-old materials over the last few years \u2014 specifically, terrazzo. Though it was once a widely specified building-product in cultural institutions, schools and hotels across the United States, it\u2019s not been a highly coveted contemporary material \u2014 but that\u2019s changing. Terrazzo adds a luxurious component to both interior or exterior designs and can be used in truly innovative, sustainable ways<\/a>, yet architects often don\u2019t choose it because it can be expensive and difficult to detail.<\/p>\n Detailed plan of the interior lobby at 507 West Chelsea featuring terrazzo flooring; courtesy <\/i> Durite<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n One design firm, however, recently specified a custom terrazzo mixture for the floor of one of Manhattan\u2019s newest tower developments after being influenced by a popular park nearby. Designed by Ismael Leyva Architects<\/a>, 507 West Chelsea<\/a> features a stunning flooring system made to look like the lengthy concrete pavers found on the world-renowned High Line, which it sits adjacent to. Using a matrix binder of varying gray tones, small brown and blue aggregates and metal insets, the terrazzo panels appear as if they were plucked right off the linear park itself and smoothed down to a shiny polished finish.<\/p>\n Rendering of interior lobby of 507 West Chelsea; courtesy <\/i>Ismael Leyva Architects<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n
\n<\/div>\n\n