This Spring, with its new Leica store, the German premium camera and sports optics brand is joining the likes of Diane von Fürstenberg and Lexus in New York’s Meatpacking District, the once derelict post-industrial wasteland that is now shorthand for gentrification. Leica has brought its optical and design expertise to this famed micro-neighbourhood, nestled alongside concept stores and high-end nightclubs.
Leica store opens in New York’s Meatpacking District
The heritage brand called on up-and-coming, Brooklyn-based practice Format Architecture Office to transform a long-disused 1950s meat market into a small but impactful flagship. The firm’s gut renovation of the 1,200 square metre space retained the original exposed timber frame, but opened up half the second level to create a monumental mezzanine level and vaulted entry. Format worked closely with the local Landmarks Preservation Commission to ensure its intervention remained balanced and respectful of the site’s history.
‘As one of the smallest buildings remaining in the Meatpacking District, we wanted to celebrate this intimate scale which has become rare in the neighbourhood, while also giving the building a more assertive voice on the street,’ says Matthew Hettler, firm co-principal.
He and his team introduced a 6-metre high open structure brick spandrel facade as a striking decorative component that is bold enough to help the boutique stand out but also blend into its surroundings. One could argue that it reflects the precision and rational aesthetic of the brand’s superior-quality instruments, such as the recently released mirrorless full-frame system SL3 camera.
This emphatically modern, cathedral-esque element illuminates like a jewel box at night and filters in much-needed natural light during the day. ‘On a building site that is narrow, quite deep, and surrounded by taller buildings, this became one of the primary challenges for the project,’ says Andrew McGee, firm co-principal.
‘The architectural design answers this problem in a range of different ways: the addition of several large overhead skylights and large glazed openings with views to the street and rear terrace from the ground and mezzanine levels.’
An earth-tone palette carries through from the sleek beige brick screen exterior to the light-toned wood flooring and monochromatic ship-lapped walls. This scheme accommodates a flexible arrangement of back-lit display cabinets and counters inside where products like the next-generation Leica Q3 take pride of place. The brand’s signature red help frame standout showcases and contrasts the rest of the design.
-
Bold and futuristic: new book explores the work of creative polymath Marc NewsonA weighty new tome celebrates the genius of creative polymath Marc Newson, chronicling evolution, experimentation and innovation in a career spanning four decades
-
Famed steakhouse Beefbar opens an art deco-infused outpost in New York CityBeefbar’s first US location finds a home in an impressive 1920s Tribeca building, boasting interiors by Humbert & Poyet
-
John Cage’s ‘now moments’ inspire Lismore Castle Arts’ group showLismore Castle Arts’ ‘Each now, is the time, the space’ takes its title from John Cage, and sees four artists embrace the moment through sculpture and found objects
-
Shigeru Ban’s mini Paper Log House welcomed at The Glass House'Shigeru Ban: The Paper Log House' is shown at The Glass House in New Canaan, USA as the house museum of American architect Philip Johnson plays host to the Japanese architect’s model temporary home concept
-
Ray Phoenix to rise in ArizonaRay Phoenix housing project launches, designed by Johnston Marklee, who worked with Lamar Johnson Collaborative, for property experts Ray and Vela
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North CarolinaThis low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawingsBased on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its historyAn Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizonDesigned by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly designBoise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
-
At the Hilbert Museum of California Art’s expanded home, art and architecture convergeThe Hilbert Museum of California Art expands its home, courtesy of Los Angeles architecture studio Johnston Marklee
