HIGH RISE

“Our clients are forward-minded, and in this case led the narrative on how people in NYC want to live. They saw an opportunity in Hell’s Kitchen and decided ‘if you make it, they will come’.”

Gotham West emerged as a conversation with our client, The Gotham Organization. Where do you find neighborhoods? They exist within. Buried inside of cities. This notion informed the design, three towers of residences, with particular focus on a green space as a central pin, what is hidden within. In this celebration of space, inspired by the Barcelona Pavilion and The Apthorp, whose central courtyard garden spaces redefined living, a reinterpretation of interior/exterior living emerged.

“We opened the back of the lobby so that it looked directly into the garden and we placed a tree in a reflecting pool that draws you, visually, out through a viewing corridor. This tree and its pool is something that all the interior amenities are coiled around. It becomes an anchor, a special unique experience.”

To further entice people into an area near Times Square tourism and the Port Authority Transportation Hub, amenity spaces were reworked to not just fit new ways of living, but to create change. 

Once the organizing principle - the garden - had come to the fore, designing living spaces within the three towers made sense. Rethinking classic, apartment programmatic elements, we conceived and delivered more space to the shared amenities, designed to enrich residents’ lives in new ways. 

The living room/library presented an opportunity to connect with the neighborhood once more, with a large gallery connected to a private exterior terrace above the space, almost as in a globalized hotel setting. Local artists are presented and celebrated, creating a social hub that recognizes its own, home grown talent. 

Gotham West is emblematic of its place and alive with functionality and life. In reality though, it speaks of Mid-town Manhattan West in New York City. “There are legitimate pieces of Hell’s Kitchen that are still in place, but, it also creates something new, generous amenities and shared experiences. It is a total import, not a part of the Hell’s Kitchen story. That was how we authentically added to the neighborhood.” The project demonstrated that complex, large-scale affordable housing developments are difficult, but also still possible.

The Ashland and LA Metropolis developments followed in these footsteps, with similar stories, ones of a neighborhood in need of vibrancy, to contribute as a player in the city, anchoring their positions once more within their respective neighborhoods, this time taking local architectural references.

At The Ashland, in downtown Brooklyn, Gotham Organization was one of the first developers investing in the BAM Cultural District, committing to revitalizing and serving the downtown Brooklyn community. Inverse of Gotham West, gardens are positioned on the outer edge of the single tower in this project. “It is a perimeter garden. Ashland lent itself to being able to connect an interior space with an intermediary garden and then the city, so you’re always benefiting from views of the neighborhood. It was a very enticing layout to play with – how could we make the gardens less passive and more active?”

A concept was drawn from a rosette motif derived from the mosaic pattern of florets on the Williamsburg Savings Bank. That motif, opened up and translated into various forms in Ashland’s make up. 

Local artisans were found, represented and celebrated throughout. The piece by Rachel Mica Weiss, “Inverted Arches in Gold”, holds particular importance as she was commissioned to create a piece to tie the exterior and interior architecture together in the entry lobby. Other art can be whimsical or in contrast, seriously analytical reinterpreting the built fabric and geometry of Brooklyn as seen in the art pieces by Hiroko Takeda, or Ky Anderson.

Ashland invites the people of Brooklyn to look upon it, extroverted in its stance. The spaces are designed to draw its residents out into the neighborhood, from fire pit to outdoor theater, with living spaces embracing sweeping city views; connecting to the exterior is of utmost importance. Biophilic in its design, Ashland wears its garden like a garland.

For Greenland Holdings, LA Metropolis takes its cues from the Art Deco period, inspired by downtown’s historic district. Pin sharp lines meet saturated finishes in every space. Set over six acres it is streamlined modernism with a luxe touch. A vibrant set of three high rise towers, this is a new chapter for Downtown Los Angeles woven into the design of this build. The design collaboration between Gensler and SPAN is indistinguishable. “LA Metrolpolis is intentional design – it is location-specific and live-able.”

In 15 William, modern real estate is reconfigured to accommodate young families as well as the originally intended young Wall Street magnates. 30,000 SQ FT of new amenities offers a haven within the Financial District. A palette of sandy tones and accents of blue to match sea and sky bring this tower by SLCE Architects and Tsao McKown to life within.

Zeckendorf Towers, demanding attention in Davis Brody’s original designs, became an important renovation for community and the SPAN team. It is set within a diverse, politically active community alongside the historic Union Square Park. The distinct design, with play on integral geometries, has a futuristic aesthetic to take into the next chapter of this building’s story. It’s 80s revival becomes a theme of the design and a nod to its past.