8 “Hidden” Architectural Gems to See While You’re In New York for AIA
Some of New York City's newest buildings are already well-known (such World Trade Center Oculus) but there are many that fly under the national radar.
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The James Corner Field Operations–designed Domino Park just opened to the public on June 10th; it marks the dramatic transformation of an abandoned industrial site into a public amenity. Courtesy Daniel Levin
Coming to New York City for the AIA’s Conference on Architecture? The city’s five boroughs offer a substantial trove of recently-completed projects that are well-worth visiting, as many of them speak directly to hot topics at the conference. For instance, many lectures and panel discussions will focus on public health and resiliency—two challenges that the new Domino Park addresses handily. Located on the Brooklyn waterfront, the park uses pylons to float above its 100-year floodplain while its green spaces are programmed for adult sports and children’s play alike.
Given the conference’s focus on urbanism, the AIA is certainly hoping architects use their visit to explore projects like these. 2018 AIA President Carl Elefante, when speaking to Metropolis about the city’s architecture, said he hopes “[conference] attendees understand that you can take these wonderful examples home with you, wherever back home might be.” Though, of course, there are plenty of recent New York City projects that are just plain beautiful (try to not take a selfie in the futuristic, reflective confines of the Public Hotel entryway).
While the AIA has its own impressive list of tours—the renovated TWA Flight Center (originally designed by Eero Saarinen) and new Moynihan Station projects should be especially eye-opening—Metropolis would like to submit this humble list of projects (all completed within the last year) for your additional consideration.
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The Public Hotel by Herzog & de Meuron215 Chrystie St, New York, NYThe Public, Ian Schrager’s 367-unit hotel on New York’s Lower East Side, combats the pressure from Airbnb by pulling back on certain amenities (such as bellhop assistance), amping up technology (guests check in via iPad kiosk), and designing for density, thereby achieving luxury experience for a modest $150-per-night starting rate. Teaming up with Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, Schrager has crafted a dazzling design experience that responds to the financial reality of a wide market.
Courtesy Nicholas Calcott
The Public Hotel by Herzog & de Meuron215 Chrystie St, New York, NYThe Public, Ian Schrager’s 367-unit hotel on New York’s Lower East Side, combats the pressure from Airbnb by pulling back on certain amenities (such as bellhop assistance), amping up technology (guests check in via iPad kiosk), and designing for density, thereby achieving luxury experience for a modest $150-per-night starting rate. Teaming up with Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, Schrager has crafted a dazzling design experience that responds to the financial reality of a wide market.
Courtesy Nicholas Calcott
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Il Makiage by Zaha Hadid Architects490 Broadway, New York, NYThis geometric store, located in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, is a “maximalist” prototype for the makeup brand Il Makiage's future brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. Set within the ground level of an historic cast-iron building, ZHA’s pavilion is a bold, skeletal tunnel made from illuminated interlocking fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) components. These elements frame a central display filled with Il Makiage’s signature products and a series of make-up stations positioned at its edges.
Courtesy Paul Warchol
Il Makiage by Zaha Hadid Architects490 Broadway, New York, NYThis geometric store, located in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, is a “maximalist” prototype for the makeup brand Il Makiage's future brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. Set within the ground level of an historic cast-iron building, ZHA’s pavilion is a bold, skeletal tunnel made from illuminated interlocking fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) components. These elements frame a central display filled with Il Makiage’s signature products and a series of make-up stations positioned at its edges.
Courtesy Paul Warchol
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Domino Park by James Corner Field Operations15 River Street, Brooklyn, NYThis just-opened park features a sprawling 1,200-foot-long esplanade, a factory-themed playground, and a series of industrial "artifacts" salvaged from the Domino Sugar factory. The park sits next to an under-construction 11-acre mixed use development, of which only the copper- and zinc-clad 325 Kent, a residential project by New York–based SHoP architects, is complete.
Courtesy Daniel Levin
Domino Park by James Corner Field Operations15 River Street, Brooklyn, NYThis just-opened park features a sprawling 1,200-foot-long esplanade, a factory-themed playground, and a series of industrial "artifacts" salvaged from the Domino Sugar factory. The park sits next to an under-construction 11-acre mixed use development, of which only the copper- and zinc-clad 325 Kent, a residential project by New York–based SHoP architects, is complete.
Courtesy Daniel Levin
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152 Elizabeth Street by Tadao Ando152 Elizabeth St., New York, NYThis seven-story jewel box—made from glass, burnished steel, and Ando’s signature, poured-in-place concrete—signals a sea change in luxury real estate for the increasingly tony Nolita neighborhood. However, befitting Ando’s elegant and subdued monumentality, these are luxurious accommodations at a comparatively quieter, less conspicuous scale: six units ranging from 2,000 square feet to 4,100 square feet, and one triplex penthouse comprising more than 5,600 square feet as well as a private rooftop terrace.
Courtesy Tadao Ando
152 Elizabeth Street by Tadao Ando152 Elizabeth St., New York, NYThis seven-story jewel box—made from glass, burnished steel, and Ando’s signature, poured-in-place concrete—signals a sea change in luxury real estate for the increasingly tony Nolita neighborhood. However, befitting Ando’s elegant and subdued monumentality, these are luxurious accommodations at a comparatively quieter, less conspicuous scale: six units ranging from 2,000 square feet to 4,100 square feet, and one triplex penthouse comprising more than 5,600 square feet as well as a private rooftop terrace.
Courtesy Tadao Ando
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Eleven Madison Park by Allied Works11 Madison Ave, New York, NYArchitect Brad Cloepfil, working with co-owners Will Guidara and Daniel Humm, drew from both nature and this restaurant's past to revamp the world-renowned culinary destination. The project’s success came down to the smallest details: “Our work in buildings is about structure…we don’t rely on a lot of fancy finishes,” Cloepfil explains. “But with a restaurant, everything’s equal and has the same impact—every chair, plate, table base, everything.”
Courtesy Eric Piasecki
Eleven Madison Park by Allied Works11 Madison Ave, New York, NYArchitect Brad Cloepfil, working with co-owners Will Guidara and Daniel Humm, drew from both nature and this restaurant's past to revamp the world-renowned culinary destination. The project’s success came down to the smallest details: “Our work in buildings is about structure…we don’t rely on a lot of fancy finishes,” Cloepfil explains. “But with a restaurant, everything’s equal and has the same impact—every chair, plate, table base, everything.”
Courtesy Eric Piasecki
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American Copper Buildings by SHoP Architects626 1st Ave, New York, NYTraditionally, developers invest the big bucks in luxury condo buildings. However, despite being a rental development, American Copper was lovingly labored over—and invested in—from its innovative design to its material choices, inside and out. One reason that developer JDS could devote such resources is that it’s an integrated development and construction company, allowing it to push the boundaries of design on a budget and a construction schedule—such as experimenting with 4.25 million pounds of copper cladding.
Photography by Laurel Golio
American Copper Buildings by SHoP Architects626 1st Ave, New York, NYTraditionally, developers invest the big bucks in luxury condo buildings. However, despite being a rental development, American Copper was lovingly labored over—and invested in—from its innovative design to its material choices, inside and out. One reason that developer JDS could devote such resources is that it’s an integrated development and construction company, allowing it to push the boundaries of design on a budget and a construction schedule—such as experimenting with 4.25 million pounds of copper cladding.
Photography by Laurel Golio
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Cornell Tech Campus by Morphosis, Weiss/Manfredi, Handel Architects, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill2 W Loop Rd, New York, NYCornell Tech—a partnership between Cornell University and Israel's Technion—is dedicated to creating a technology entrepreneurship hub in New York City. Its campus currently includes Cornell's Bloomberg Center (seen here at left), a Morphosis-designed 160,000-square-foot building that hosts university classes and programming. (The center, clad with reflective panels, is also aiming for Net Zero and LEED Platinum certifications.) Next door (seen here at right), the Weiss/Manfredi-designed The Bridge is a privately-run 230,000-square-foot “corporate co-location building” that houses established companies alongside young start-ups.
Courtesy Metropolis
Cornell Tech Campus by Morphosis, Weiss/Manfredi, Handel Architects, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill2 W Loop Rd, New York, NYCornell Tech—a partnership between Cornell University and Israel's Technion—is dedicated to creating a technology entrepreneurship hub in New York City. Its campus currently includes Cornell's Bloomberg Center (seen here at left), a Morphosis-designed 160,000-square-foot building that hosts university classes and programming. (The center, clad with reflective panels, is also aiming for Net Zero and LEED Platinum certifications.) Next door (seen here at right), the Weiss/Manfredi-designed The Bridge is a privately-run 230,000-square-foot “corporate co-location building” that houses established companies alongside young start-ups.
Courtesy Metropolis
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550 Madison Avenue by Johnson Burgee550 Madison Ave, New York, NYWhile it's hardly hidden, this Postmodern gem by Philip Johnson may not be around for much longer. Preservation is a major focus of multiple sessions at the conference, and many Postmodern buildings in New York and beyond are threatened. The New York City's Landmarks Preservation Committee declined to protect 550 Madison's interiors, though deliberations on the fate of its exterior—slated for a dramatic renovation—are still ongoing.
Courtesy David Shankbone
550 Madison Avenue by Johnson Burgee550 Madison Ave, New York, NYWhile it's hardly hidden, this Postmodern gem by Philip Johnson may not be around for much longer. Preservation is a major focus of multiple sessions at the conference, and many Postmodern buildings in New York and beyond are threatened. The New York City's Landmarks Preservation Committee declined to protect 550 Madison's interiors, though deliberations on the fate of its exterior—slated for a dramatic renovation—are still ongoing.
Courtesy David Shankbone
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BONUS: Now What?! Advocacy, Activism & Alliances in American Architecture Since 196861 Saint James Place, Brooklyn, NYWhile not technically a building, we couldn't resist including this exhibition on advocacy in architecture. Equity and diversity will be enormous topics of debate at the conference, and
Now What?! provides an invaluable and rarely-seen tour of architectural activism since 1968. "When we're sitting in [the] conference...it will be almost exactly the 50th anniversary of when Whitney M. Young, Jr. came to the AIA convention in Portland, Oregon, and basically read the riot act to the profession about it's irrelevance on social issues, particularly civil rights," Elefante told
Metropolis. "That resonates to this day."
Courtesy ArchiteXX
BONUS: Now What?! Advocacy, Activism & Alliances in American Architecture Since 196861 Saint James Place, Brooklyn, NYWhile not technically a building, we couldn't resist including this exhibition on advocacy in architecture. Equity and diversity will be enormous topics of debate at the conference, and
Now What?! provides an invaluable and rarely-seen tour of architectural activism since 1968. "When we're sitting in [the] conference...it will be almost exactly the 50th anniversary of when Whitney M. Young, Jr. came to the AIA convention in Portland, Oregon, and basically read the riot act to the profession about it's irrelevance on social issues, particularly civil rights," Elefante told
Metropolis. "That resonates to this day."
Courtesy ArchiteXX
You may also enjoy “Zaha Hadid Architects Designs Pop-Up for “Maximalist” Beauty Line Il Makiage.”
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