In Manhattan it’s sometimes difficult to imagine how a new building can truly impress – it’s certainly no easy task competing with oldies like the Empire State or new towers like the Beekman.
But nestled in the very western corner where Chelsea meets the Meatpacking District is Jean Nouvel’s latest offering – 100 11 Avenue. The 23-storey residential tower sits alongside the Chelsea Piers and the Hudson River, and easily holds its own beside Frank Gehry’s first completed building in Manhattan – the IAC building completed in 2007.
With a curved facade, where every one of the 1,700 colourless windows sits at a different angle and torque, it is unlike any other building on the island. At ground level there is a seven-storey wall, set away from the building’s facade, designed to reflect images of the passing city while creating a semi-enclosed atrium for residents.
Though by no means one of the higher buildings in the city, 100 11th Avenue gives great views over the Hudson River, across to New Jersey, and for those lucky enough to live there a bird’s eye view of Manhattan’s coolest park, the High Line.
The north and east facades of the building have been clad in black brick, referencing the masonry characteristic of West Chelsea’s industrial architecture. Splattered across it are a series of different-sized punched windows.
Guest blogger Andrea Klettner
Read her blog Love London Council Housing
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