At right is a rendering of the Gwathmey Siegel designed condo going up on the through-block lot across from the SoHo Grand on West Broadway. The 68 loft apartments housed here will live in the behaved, well-ordered universe that Gwathmey Siegel is known for. At times the firm seems to take its inspiration from graph paper--the repeating square has been a constant theme in their work for example. Here they have worked with the community and the developer to come up with a plan that would not offend preservationists, and they have succeeded in filling a blank space in the heart of SoHo with quiet, muted luxury. This will actually be two separate buildings. At the base of the Wooster Street side will be townhouses with street entrances, a rare sight in SoHo. The West Broadway portion will rise with a wall of large glass panes and articulated metal panels that will be a subtle nod to the historic district of cast iron landmarks the area is known for. After the jump we take a close-up look at the detail on this exterior, and show you dramatic views of the penthouse and townhouse garden you haven't seen yet.
Above is a detail of the curtain wall showing the expressed cross beams and reflective glass. The architects have pointed out the ways in which light will reflect off this surface in different colors at different times of day, but we are more interested in the articulation of the steel. There is nice dimension and depth in the channels that run around and under the windows, solving one of the problems of much new glass development--the overwhelming sense of flatness that everything has. Here we get a rectilinear form but in relief. Below is a view of one of the setback penthouse units with outdoor space.
The apartment block on the West Broadway side will engage in a bit of dialogue with the rather pedestrian hotel across the street. The SoHo Grand has always been a sore thumb in this part of town. It has a well-scaled entrance at street level, but then rises to look like a clumsy airport Embassy Suites from a distance. Here the new condo at 311 West Broadway will cure some of that by presenting a welcome counterweight across the street.
Of the 68 units, 59 will be two- and three-bedroom lofts, five will be two-story townhouses opening on to Wooster, and four will be penthouses with outdoor space.
Below is a view into one of the townhouse units from the rear garden that will sit between the West Broadway and Wooster Street structures. The private courtyard will be landscaped by Peter Walker and Partners.
This is by far the best Gwathmey Siegel effort in New York City so far. Its response to site is miles ahead of their rather alien Astor Place tower at 445 Lafayette. And the detail in the curtain wall shown above is a lot more interesting to our eyes than the flat surface of blandly repeating squares used at 240 Park Avenue South. Soho Mews may be the last major new development to be built in the neighborhood. As in TriBeCa, the most prime areas are now almost fully built-out.
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Images: ArchPartners 2007
