Rendering of 111 Varick Street via S9 Architecture
It's taken some time for 111 Varick Street, a 30-story rental project, to get out of the ground. As foundation work continues, the building's designers, S9 Architecture, released new details and renderings showing a more audacious facade and lobby design
To bring you up to speed, in 2016 Madigan Development with Robal Parking Corporation razed a five-floor parking garage at the corner of Varick and Broome Street in the oh-so-popular neighborhood of Hudson Square (aka West SoHo). The area surrounding project, which overlooks Freeman Plaza and the entrance to the Holland Tunnel, is experiencing a mini-building boom as the condos at 570 Broome Street and the Renzo Piano-designed 565 Broome Street near completion.
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As per S9's project page, 111 Varick will bring a mix of 100 affordable and market-rate rental apartments with ground-floor retail space to activate a still rather pedestrian-unfriendly area. Apartments will have unobstructed views of Midtown, downtown and the Hudson River. Filed permits show amenities will include a 15-car automated parking garage, roof terrace, bike room, and laundry room. Plans also mention a “social and conference room” that could indicate a lounge or business center.
In regards to the design, S9 explains they took a contextual approach that enables 111 Varick to resonate with the industrial character of Hudson Square’s existing architecture. "111 Varick’s stepped massing evokes the classic setbacks found on Gotham’s early skyscrapers, while the facade stylishly reinterprets the industrial aesthetic of the loft buildings nearby." The gridded facade, composed of blackened steel, pre-cast concrete and glass, undulates to form a basketweave-like pattern, not unlike the shorter wing of 121 E 22 designed by OMA. S9 says the sculptural elements will capture the interplay of light and shadow creating a dynamically-textured facade.
Other renderings show how the sawtooth concept will inform the lobby design. The exciting sculptural space will feature a cascading wood ceiling, angled walls, and an integrated reception desk with shelving for books. As we've seen in Charlie West and Henry Hall, developers have been activating lobby spaces to serve as extensions to resident living rooms.
High-end rental buildings in Hudson Square are still hard to come by but last year Related Companies opened 261 Hudson Street, a 201-unit development designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects. Currently, the building has just one availability, a two-bedroom priced at $9,720/month.
The site of 111 Varick as of late October (CityRealty)
565 Broome and 570 Broome finishing construction nearby
New Developments Editor
Ondel Hylton
Ondel is a lifelong New Yorker and comprehensive assessor of the city's dynamic urban landscape.
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