Archi-Tectonics

A pixelated stone & glass facade mediates between scales in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood; a mix of warehouses, historic buildings, and contemporary condos.

Scroll all the way below the credits to view a selection of publications on this work!

CHALLENGE
LANDMARK. The Tribeca landmark district has evolved continuously over the years. First a center of textile manufacturing, it has become an area of artists warehouses, and is now a neighborhood of contemporary residences. The challenge of this project was to introduce an innovative translucent stone condominium building that offered state-of-the-art living environments while mediating between the area’s disparate scales and building types.

INNOVATION
V33 unifies the historically varying building-fronts within a ‘pixelated’ facade; a pattern in translucent stone & glass—making this the first time the untreated translucent stone was used as an exterior building skin. The facade encloses 7 custom designed stacked urban villas: shifting double and triple-height volumes with deep terraces that cantilever over a rear garden to offer expansive living environments in the heart of the city. Within the building’s 7 ‘villas’; triplexes, duplexes, and full-floor lofts with double-height ceilings scooping across open plans, fluid connections to vast outdoor cantilevering terraces differentiate programs rather than enclose rooms, and provide natural shading and double-height glass planes. The duplex Penthouse features multiple roof decks with a pool and a spectacular exterior stair between levels. Underground parking is accessible via the car elevator.

IMPACT
The pixelated facade mediates the neighboring cornice heights, materialities, and fenestration patterns found in the surrounding block, resulting in a distinctive new building typology that meets Landmark's stringent regulations. The varying opacities of the stone fill the interiors with a diffuse light during the day, and overnight, and is extremely energy efficient, blocking south light while allowing indirect light deep in the living spaces. The facade takes on a warm ambient glow from within, enhancing the experience of the street-scape.

Credits

Year: Completed 2014

Location: Tribeca, New York, NY

Client: Vestry Acquisitions, LLC

Project Type: 9-story condominium, 7 high end "villa's" with private underground parking

Size: 32,500 ft2 (3,000 m2)

Design Team: Principal in charge: Winka Dubbeldam, Assoc. AIA | Project Leaders: Thomas Barry, David Barr | Archi-Tectonics Team: Wouter van Daele, Jose Munoz, Monty Forman, Jordan Bartelt, Lucy Flather

Consultants: Structural Engineers: Cantor & Seinuk Engineers, PC | Mechanical Engineer: Stanislav Slutsky Engineers | Curtain Wall Consultant: Israel Berger and Associates | Contractor: Vanguard Construction and Development Company, Inc.

Photography: Floto & Warner Photography | Eric van den Brulle | Archi-Tectonics

Architect of Record: Michael Zenreich Architect

Credits

Publications