British firm Heatherwick Studio has unveiled plans for a new residential project in Manhattan, New York City. Consisting of two buildings situated either side of the High Line, their most distinctive feature is their unusual bulging glazing, which brings to mind the firm's recently-completed Zeitz MOCAA.
515 West 18th Street will be located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, not too far away from Thomas Heatherwick's other big NYC project, the ambitious Vessel, which is nearing completion.
The taller of the two buildings will rise to a height of 21 stories, while the shorter appears to be in the region of 10 stories. Both will be topped by what look like garden terraces. The interiors will include 180 plush residences with between one and four bedrooms, some offering choice views of the Hudson River. According to ArchDaily, amenities will include a fitness center, spa, and 175 on-site parking spaces.
The eye-catching glazing of 515 West 18th Street's twin buildings looks a little like a Venetian lantern, or maybe a building covered in bubble wrap, but the firm cites design inspiration from Manhattan's local industrial architecture.
"With a site crossing both sides of the High Line there was a unique opportunity to celebrate the urban texture of the elevated park and the distinct character of the Chelsea neighborhood," says Thomas Heatherwick.
"The studio wanted to create a new kind of panoramic visual connection for the building's residents and re-conceived the residential bay window as a three-dimensional sculpted piece of glazing that provides light-filled interiors as well as exciting internal moments.
"At the smallest scale the raw brick exterior, influenced by Chelsea's heritage of industrial brick buildings, will give a handmade feel and micro texture to the facade. At the largest scale, the use of the three-dimensional windows will add another distinctive layer of textural character to the fabric of the city."
515 West 18th Street is slated for completion by 2020.
Source: Heatherwick Studio