Real Estate Weekly 04.04.2007

European ‘starchitects’ reach for the skyline

By Danielle Wolffe

French maverick Jean Nouvel’s new masterpiece 100 11^th Avenue is rising out of the landfill directly adjacent to Frank Gehry’s nautically-themed IAC building, proof positive that, whether or not the industry is supportive of them, so-called ‘starchitects ‘ are shifting the shape of the skyline.

Viewed from a wide angle, the two architects buildings look eerily different from the rest of the surrounding blocks, yet their soft angles and luminescent facades meld with the Hudson River, making them somehow seem to belong.

“This corner is a very special place. It will likely become a Mecca for students of architecture and architects and travelers from all over the world,” said Jack Beyer, principal of Beyer Blinder Belle, the team that worked in collaboration with Nouvel on the building. Nouvel couldn’t have found a more perfect canvas for his building. In addition to being placed in a position to dialogue with the Gehry building , being on the sunny west of the city near the water allowed him to draw on this talent for playing with light, water and glass, which has been evidenced in other creations, including his famous cultural center on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland.

Rather than attempting to impose a pre-conceived design in the context of the city, as other ‘starchitects’ have been accused of doing, Nouvel is renowned for this ability to draw his design from the context of the environment. In this case, that environment yielded a 23-story tower, which Nouvel calls a “vision machine.” In which the river side of the façade – which has no hard angles and multiple sizes and angels of windows – appears to be comprised of thousands of pieces of glinting glass. The side facing the street is made of black brick with holes punched in it to blend with the original industrial grain of the city.

Between the glass curtain wall and the street wall, Nouvel created a semi-enclosed atrium called The Loggia, which includes various sizes of platforms and terraces to be shared by the residents of the building, many of which contain trees and gardens in suspended containers.

When viewed from the street, the greenery appears to be floating in the air.

“100 11^th avenue evolved from the location, which had very special qualities both because it was on a waterfront angle and on the grid, because it had river side and an upland side, because it was on the edge of the city and occupied a two-sided role in the community. Jean was able to create the two sides in dramatically different ways, as though they were completely different buildings,” Beyer said.

The interior of the building will reflect both those sides.

Floors are finished with an extra layer of gloss intended to catch the sun streaming in, and each apartment is comprised of a distinct pattern of windows and steel beams that is intended to act as the apartment’s “fingerprint,” framing distinct patterns of light and windows.

Beyer Blinder Belle has been with Nouvel every step of the way on the project, from offsetting construction challenges which included environmental remediation and the slow going process of working on building on the rivers edge, where one must dig into landfill and water lies just five feet below grade and will probably be ongoing through the end of 2008.

Their sympathetic relationship with Nouvel has also built up over a long period of time, beginning with a trip overseas when BBB was hunting a quality architect to collaborate with on a DUMBO hotel. They have always believed in the merits of importing architects, Beyer said.

“There’s a talent level there that sometimes eclipses what we have in this country and bringing them here helps to bring design to the foreground of the city in a way that hasn’t been done before,” Beyer said.

“It is part of the globalization of our world. Clients are more receptive to reaching beyond their backyard and we are delighted to be a part of it.”

Developer, Craig Wood, of Cape Advisors Inc., New York, is happy clients are receptive.

Prior to working with Nouvel, Cape pushed the design envelope by creating 210 Lafayette with another ‘starchitect,’ Richard Gluckman, who engineered the Andy Warhol museum in Pitt, Penn. and convinced the firm of the merit of bringing in star architects.

Though initial costs of working on a project like this are substantially higher, Wood knows he will make it up in the long run as people are willing to pay a premium – which in this case ranges from $1.6 million to $22 million – to live in quality designer buildings.

“Good quality design is something we fundamentally believe in. Bringing somebody like Jean  in with a completely fresh outsider’s look, who is not burdened by thinking he has to look at things the same way everything has always been done in New York, is going to have a meaningful impact on the city and the skyline. We really believe in that,” Wood said.