Location: New York City, New York
Chelsea Atelier Architects was hired to renovate the lobby and
redesigned the facade of an office building in Midtown Manhattan, New
York City. Located across from Rockefeller Plaza, CAA understood the
new facade was to both modernize the building’s image while creating a
harmony with its historic neighbor. Selecting limestone panels arranged
in a carefully orchestrated pattern, the new facade deftly downplays
existing, quirky asymmetries, while creating a calm, harmonious overall
composition.
The fully renovated lobby was conceived of as a minimalist
composition. Using glass and stone, CAA was able to alter a previously
dark, heavy space into a light, airy, glowing entry. To contrast the
simple elegance of the walls and floors, exotic Zebra limestone is used
at the reception desk to enhance the intelligent use of material.
The project includes designing a 40,000 sqft residential building
consisting of 12 high-end Lofts ranging from 1800 sqft to 3000 sqft,
some with duplex layout, and outdoor spaces. The building is located in
Tribeca; one of the most trendy districts in New York City.
This project took advantage of a 5 story 19th Century brick building
on site by maintaining its shell and building an entirely new super
structure within. The new structure raises 7 additional floors above
the height of the existing shell. Most of the lofts feature private
terraces. They enjoy eat-in kitchens, spa-like bathrooms, fireplaces,
year-round central air conditioning and private locker rooms.
Chelsea Atelier Architects were selected to design the interiors of
all residential units, as well as the building’s lobby, kid’s room, gym,
and other common spaces within the building.
Design intentions were to infuse a sense of tranquility and comfort
with functionality. This was particularly challenging because the design
team worked with layouts meant to have a broad appeal due to the
speculative nature of the development. Materials became very important.
The result was to create variations from a minimal selection of
materials.
The kitchens were designed around open loft layouts and equipped with
white glossy finished European custom cabinets. The contrasting large
dark stone slab countertops wrap around the cabinets and provide large
continuous work surfaces for food preparation and serious cooking. All
kitchens include professional style stainless steel appliances and
provide functional, ample storage spaces.
In all bathrooms large slabs of stone become centerpieces. In master
bathrooms, rather than utilizing standard size tiles, the team chose to
cover the floors with 2’ x 4’ large format slabs and the walls with 2’ x
2’ cut granite stone and calacatta marble. Full mirrors enhance the
visual quality of the bathroom spaces while heated floors and towel
racks warm them. Other various materials and features include white
glossy finished European custom vanities, glass tiles, and custom built
medicine cabinets with soft bamboo interiors.
