This residential high-rise occupies the corner of 11th Avenue and 24th Street in West Chelsea, a new residential area forged from a former industrial zone and home to the City’s galleries for contemporary art. The 19-story building consists of a 16-story tower supported by a 3-story plinth. The plinth connects the building to its context in several important ways: by reflecting the neighborhood’s primarily low-rise scale; by maintaining the street wall along both 24th Street and 11th Avenue; and through a material palette (terracotta cladding and blackened steel window frames) that matches the masonry façades and industrial details of the surrounding buildings. Above the plinth, the tower has its own iconic architectural expression with the sinuous form of its stainless-steel rain screen which distinguishes the façade from short or long distances.
Inside, high ceilings give the 16 duplex condominiums the feel of private homes, as does the building’s garage: a car elevator that runs along the east side of the building, allowing residents to park directly outside their front doors. Detailing including casement windows recalls the graceful proportions of pre-war apartment buildings, interpreted for the 21st century.
View Original