Exterior rendering facing northwest of 130 William (Credit: Adjaye Associates)
Architectural Digest sat down with the acclaimed Ghanaian-born architect and designer David Adjaye to discuss the details of the practice’s first NYC skyscraper underway at 130 William Street in the Financial District. As we covered previously, 130 William will be a 66-story, nearly 800-feet-tall condominium that will be among the ten tallest residential buildings downtown. Foundation work is well underway and Adjaye is working with the local firm of Hill West Architects on the venture.
The long-in-the-making development is being ushered forward by Lightstone who fully assembled the site in early 2015. The L-shaped property is located near the corner of Fulton and William Streets and foundation work began earlier this year. The project is scheduled for completion in 2020 and will accommodate 244 residences joined by an array of amenities such as a swimming pool, basketball court, and several communal outdoor spaces.
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(Adjaye Associates)
130 William will be dressed in a custom-designed, tinted and textured concrete curtain wall that will pay tribute to the masonry façades found throughout the neighborhood. Like the ornate and richly-textured spires of 70 Pine Street and the Woolworth Building nearby, 130 William will be “incredibly sensorial, and the closer you get to it, the more those material details emerge.” Adjaye tells AD, "I was inspired to craft a building that turns away from the commercial feel of glass and that instead, celebrates New York’s heritage of masonry architecture with a distinctive presence in Manhattan’s skyline." To contrast the rough textures, there will be delicate bronze accents that enhance exterior’s depth.
Differing from earlier renderings which depicted a lustered façade punctuated entirely by arched windows, new images show the arched openings are fronted by open, U-shaped loggias. Adjaye says the inspiration behind the arches is drawn from the mercantile structures that once populated the area. “I wanted to see if there was a way to retain this sense of craft and ornament on a contemporary scale.”
Double-height interior (Adjaye Associates)
Many of these upper-level homes will have the outdoor loggia spaces spanning the entire length of the building. They will create a dynamic interplay between the interior and exterior, and also ensure that natural light fills the interiors of each apartment. Adjaye says the outdoor loggias “celebrate the verticality of the building by opening up new views and relationships to the city that are not otherwise available.”
The tower will soar close to the height of the former-tallest Woolworth Building but will rise several blocks east of Broadway, resulting in an outsized presence when looking from the East River, its bridges, and the Brooklyn waterfront. “130 William became an opportunity to create a unique and powerful silhouette,” says Adjaye. “At nearly 800 feet tall, the tower will become part of New York’s iconic skyline”
Residents will enter the building via a setback courtyard along William Street. Adjaye says he wanted to ensure the building’s street-level presence contributes as a meaningful piece of urban placemaking. Amenities in the building are to include a health club with a full spa, swimming pool, cold and hot plunge pools, sauna and massage rooms, as well as a state-of-the-art fitness center with a yoga studio and basketball court. The development will also feature a private IMAX movie theater, golf simulator, resident lounge, club and game room, chef’s catering kitchen with a private dining area, children’s playrooms, pet spa, outdoor terraces, and a private rooftop observatory deck located at the top of the building. City paperwork shows there will be ground-floor retail, presumably along the vibrant Fulton Street.
Sales are slated to being in 2018.
Sales are slated to being in 2018.
(Adjaye Associates)
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