Concrete condominium: Tadao Ando’s first residential building in Manhattan sets a new standard in luxury living
![Ando’s first residential building in Manhattan](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JsaeEcMvBsmWLKtsEoxVUP-415-80.jpg)
A luxury condominium in the Big Apple is usually de rigueur for a Pritzker prize-winning architect, but in the case of Tadao Ando, the Japanese architect is only just now popping his cherry. 152 Elizabeth Street, a beautifully formed, seven-storey, seven-residence building situated in the heart of Nolita that is scheduled to complete at the end of 2016, is Ando’s first residential building in Manhattan. Developed by Sumaida + Khurana, a local firm that is making it a point to work with renowned architects that have yet to build in New York City, 152 Elizabeth Street is poised to set a new standard in luxury living.
'I had the right team in the office for this project at the time of the offer so I took upon this venture,' Ando says simply of why a New York City project had not happened sooner. 'The project site and its scale were just right and rather opposite of the extreme skyscraper building rush taking place in New York, so I was intrigued.'
For such a debut, the acclaimed architect has put together a building that bears all of his signatures. 152 Elizabeth Street seamlessly blends a poured-in-place concrete structure with a burnished metal framework. Generous glass panels add buoyancy to the building, while a 55-foot high and 99-foot wide living green wall brings a modern air of serenity and calm.
'[The concept was to create a] glass box interlocked on an exposed concrete base creating the stability and transition from the dynamic urban fabric into a calm private residence. The refined contrast of the material use emphasises the simple architectural language,' explains Ando.
'I use concrete because to me, it is one of the best materials to capture the space I envision. I want to create a space, which no one has created before, with a very common material like concrete, which anyone is familiar with and has access to. Concrete can be made anywhere on earth with its local resources and is the material of 21st century, along with metal and glass.'
Beyond the façade, each of the building’s single-floor residences will be conceived as individual homes. Michael Gabellini of Gabellini Sheppard Associates embraced Ando’s idea of referencing the four primary elements of light, water, sound and air, when designing its interiors and its sales gallery (pictured above). He says, 'Our approach to this project was very much about collaboration and the complementary process between our practice and Tadao Ando’s. We were inspired by the idea of elemental living, and how we could embrace environmental elements through thoughtful design.'
Ando expresses his feelings about having a presence in New York just as poetically. 'Manhattan is a very special city. I feel like the city itself is the largest man-made architecture of 20th and 21st century, and in such a city I wanted to create something that does not specify the time.
'Whether it’s an interior or a ground-up project, for me architecture is about creating a space, harmony with the surrounding nature and environment, and an experience. I try my best to create a space [with these] necessary qualities in all of my projects around the world.'
The beautifully formed, seven-storey, seven-residence building is being developed by local firm Sumaida + Khurana.
152 Elizabeth Street bears all of Ando's signatures, seamlessly blending a poured-in-place concrete structure with a burnished metal framework and generous glass panels.
Designed by Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the Sales Gallery showcases the material finishes and signature lighting details that will be found throughout 152 Elizabeth and contains a model kitchen and master bathroom.
Simulating the entry vestibule of typical apartments, the Sales Gallery entry vestibule is finished with saw-cut Pietra Cardosa flooring and black absolute granite walls with an acid wash finish.
Ando’s idea of referencing the four primary elements of light, water, sound and air are reflected in Gabellini Sheppard Associates' design for the interior.
'We were inspired by the idea of elemental living, and how we could embrace environmental elements through thoughtful design,' says Michael Gabellini of Gabellini Sheppard Associates.
The model kitchen features custom stained eucalyptus cabinetry, appliances by Gaggenau and a custom sliding countertop island made of honed Fango marble by Italian brand Minimal.
Kitchens are lit by under-cabinet task lights, ceiling coves and recessed down lighting.
The model master bathroom showcases a Bianco Sivec marble wall and floor cladding and a vanity with amenity drawers made of glacier white Corian. Translucent glass shower and toilet enclosures emit natural light while also providing privacy.
'[The concept was to create a] glass box interlocked on an exposed concrete base creating the stability and transition from the dynamic urban fabric into a calm private residence,' explains Ando. Courtesy of Noë & Associates and The Boundary
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
IM Pei's Everson Museum of Art gets a modern makeover
The East Wing of the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY has been given a contemporary refresh by emerging Los Angeles studio MILLIØNS
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Black Modernism’s lesser-known, at-risk architecture gems gain a lifeline
Conserving Black Modernism announces vital funding to save and preserve overlooked and endangered buildings by African American architects and designers
By Bridget Downing Published
-
Step into the Blanton Museum of Art's reimagined public realm by Snøhetta in Austin
Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas is completed and reveals its reimagined public realm and plaza designed by Snøhetta
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
This New York Townhouse renovation is a lesson in contemporary minimalism
TenBerke’s carefully considered New York townhouse is the reimagining of a century-old Manhattan structure that reframes vertical living
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Visit The Frost House, a lesser-known modernist architecture marvel in Michigan City
The Frost House is a lesser-known midcentury architecture gem in Michigan City, Indiana; we took the tour as the property goes on the market
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
At Lee Ufan Arles, tension and calm guide relationships between space and art
Lee Ufan Arles opens in the south of France, a collaboration between the famed Korean artist and Japanese architect Tadao Ando
By Amah-Rose Mcknight Abrams Published
-
Broadway designer Scott Pask’s Arizona retreat is a scene-stealing discovery
Scott Pask invites us inside his Arizona retreat, nestled in the foothills overlooking Tucson – a place to reboot, recharge and commune with nature
By Michael Webb Published
-
Upstate New York retreat Ridge House evokes land art
Ridge House in upstate New York, the work of Brooklyn-based studio Worrell Yeung, is at one with the surrounding countryside
By Ellie Stathaki Published