Above is a rendering of the pool at 20 Pine, a 1920's office building way down in the canyons of Manhattan's financial district that is currently being converted into 409 apartments, with studio to 3-bedroom layouts. The developer has enlisted Armani/Casa to design the interiors. This building, built just before the great crash of 1929, is an austere structure, with little of the deco flash associated with its era. As a result it presents a decent canvas for Armani/Casa's muted palette of light earth tones and exotic woods. Units will have ebony-stained maple floors and open kitchens with concealed appliances. After the jump view the building's library lounge, a dramatic loft-like space, as well as one of the unit baths with ceiling-mounted shower head.
This week we saw designs for two large condo towers planned for what will be among the last sites available for residential use in Battery Park City. At right is 1 River Terrace (also now known as the River House condo at Rockefeller Park), a 320 unit condo designed by Polshek Partnership with Ismael Leyva. Located in the north end of the development, it will be configured in a U-shape with 3 different elevations. A 4 story glass portico/lobby will allow light to filter into a landscaped interior courtyard. Also announced was a 250-unit condo designed by Cesar and Rafael Pelli for a site at the southern end of BPC. After the jump view a rendering of the Pelli design, and a view of 1 River Terrace from the courtyard. With its strict design guidelines and master plan, BPC has resulted in a crowd-pleasing cookie-cutter developer's paradise, while something of a disappointment to the design community. Our view? We would call the whole thing a missed opportunity. What's been built there has been competent and thoughtful, but almost none of it inspires us. We're glad the lots are running out and that the page can finally be turned. Our motto might be: no more landfill.
