For an architect so closely associated with Englishness, Sir David Chipperfield is about to make some very significant contributions to the New York landscape. Having been chosen to redesign the Metropolitan Museum’s wing for Modern and Contemporary Art, and with last week’s unveiling of a design for The Bryant, a new 37-story tower in midtown Manhattan, the London architect is making quite a mark on New York. From a showroom overlooking his midtown site, Wallpaper* caught up with Chipperfield to discuss his first large-scale residential project in New York.
‘Doing commercial projects can be difficult because there is a confrontation that tends to get set up between the commercial viability and the architectural aspirations of a project,’ he explains. ‘This is a project where we managed to resolve those aspirations, making sure we build something that is commercially viable and architecturally interesting.’
Much of this resolution comes by way of the building’s polished concrete frame. Using a custom-made mixture, Chipperfield arrayed a concrete grid along the building’s perimeter. But rather than treat it as just a facade, those concrete members define both the building’s interior and exterior. ‘We are sitting in a sea of glass-clad buildings,’ he bemoans. ‘There’s a danger that architecture loses its substance, so what we did here is to use this concrete cladding that comes into the building.’
The Bryant, which offers expansive views of the New York skyline and Bryant Park, will house 57 residential units, ranging from one to four bedrooms, and including two triplex penthouses. David Chipperfield Architects also designed the interiors.
Design aside, one of the project’s other big selling points has to do with something a bit more bookish: the city’s historic landmark regulations. Because the site for The Bryant is positioned amidst buildings designated as historically important, it will be the last new development on the perimeter of Bryant Park—and a subtle complement to its historic neighbors. ‘I am told my buildings will make very good ruins,’ Chipperfield says. ‘With this project, we aspired to a calmness, a timelessness.’
The structure is to be the first residential building in the city of New York designed by the award winning practice, David Chipperfield Architects
Simplicity is the key for this project, a signature of Chipperfield's design ethos. The facade will be made of highly polished grey concrete, with a lot of glass, allowing the city skyline to take centre stage
The interiors will be similarly unfussy, with a focus on quality materials, like the warm-toned herringbone floors seen here. Every residence will dominate a corner of the tower, offering panoramic skyline or park views
Each of the 57 new homes that will be created in The Bryant will benefit from bespoke millwork, which cleverly conceals storage spaces and appliances, allowing for uninterrupted ceiling heights and clean lines throughout the living spaces
INFORMATION
For more information, visit The Bryant’s website
ADDRESS
16 West 40th Street, New York, New York, USA
-
Wallpaper* Architect Of The Year 2026: Je Ahn of Studio Weave on a building that made him smileWe ask our three Architects of the Year at the 2026 Wallpaper* Design Awards about a building that made them smile. Here, Je Ahn of Studio Weave discusses Can Lis in Mallorca
-
John Costi interrogates his fractured psyche with new Somerset House show ‘Bapou’s Bubbles’The artist discovered his creativity while imprisoned for armed robbery. Now, he’s hosting a surreal performance piece that speaks to the healing power of art
-
Europe’s auto industry regroups at the Brussels Motor Show: what’s new and notable for 20262026’s 102nd Brussels Motor Show played host to a number of new cars and concepts, catapulting this lesser-known expo into our sightlines
-
Wallpaper* Best Use of Material 2026: a New Mexico home that makes use of the region's volcanic soilNew Mexico house Sombra de Santa Fe, designed by Dust Architects, intrigues with dark, geometric volumes making use of the region's volcanic soil – winning it a spot in our trio of Best Use of Material winners at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2026
-
More changes are coming to the White HouseFollowing the demolition of the East Wing and plans for a massive new ballroom, President Trump wants to create an ‘Upper West Wing’
-
A group of friends built this California coastal home, rooted in nature and modern designNestled in the Sea Ranch community, a new coastal home, The House of Four Ecologies, is designed to be shared between friends, with each room offering expansive, intricate vistas
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
