100 11th Avenue

100 11th AVENUE ATELIERS JEAN NOUVEL

NEW YORK CITY, NY

Christianna Bennett, Marissa Fabrizio & Michael Kehoe Rensselaer Case Studies Project

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Case Study : 100 11th Ave. designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel

New York City, New York

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To Francois Leininger and Philip Tabor for their time, generosity, and input that has significantly shaped the content of our research.

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PREFACE Buildings embody cultural knowledge. They are testament to the will and forces that affect their conception, realization, use and experience. They bear cultural and professional significance and possess within them and their constituent components important lessons for anyone wanting to discover what a work of architecture is in its larger context, what brought it about, and how it contributes to an ever evolving architectural and cultural discourse. As Emeritus Professor Peter Parsons points out, “their [building] forms and spaces are invested with traces of habitation and beliefs through the employment of materials wrought by craft and technology.� They are manifestos of habituated practice and progressive intentions, and range in their influence from reinforcing obsolete patterns and meanings at one extreme, to innovating and provoking yet unconsidered ones, at the other.

They are beholden to the methods of their conceiving and development, and owe, at least in part, their aspirations to cultural preoccupations and priorities.

The Rensselaer Case Studies project examines contemporary works of architects in relation to what influenced them, and seeks to expose innovations in thinking, technique and technology that contribute to architectural knowledge, scholarship and progress in contemporary practice.

The project is designed to reveal the technological and cultural knowledge embedded within each selected project through questioning and analysis, probed through the dis- and re-assembly of drawings and models to uncover the larger significance of the artifact, and how it came to be.

Mark Mistur, AIA Associate Professor Katelynn Russell Assistant

Rensselaer School of Architecture Troy, New York Š 2011 Christianna Bennett, Marissa Fabrizio, Michael Kehoe and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Table of Contents The Vision Machine

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Jean Nouvel: Scenographer

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The Monolith Context (Chelsea) Hudson River + Concept Highway + Movement

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The Plan Concept Jean Nouvel: Philosophy of the Plan The New York City Consumer Market

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The Facade Background + Previous Designs Facade + Context Modulation + Patterning Turning the Corner The Missing Spandrel

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Manufacturing + Assembly Megapanel Production Manufacturing in China Design Iterations Construction Assembly

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Effects Reflections + Appearance Framing the View Building Up of Thickness Pattern Behind a Pattern

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Loggia Reinterpreting Chelsea Zoning Laws Practicality + Architectural Intelligence

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Reflections

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The Vision Machine

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The Vision Machine “Architecture exists, like cinema, in a dimension of time and movement.

One thinks, conceives, and reads a building in terms of sequences.

To erect a building is to predict and seek effects of contrast and linkage bound up with the succession of spaces through which one travels.”

– Jean Nouvel

develop this project with the utmost care and appreciation for place.

Much of the inspiration for the spaces and effects in this building come from an intense study and reenactment of the Hudson River itself. Interior spaces are volumetrically connected to one another to negotiate unobstructed views to the Hudson around the curve. The monolithic façade is patterned and tilted in ways that allow light to glitter across its surface through the day and at any given moment in time. Drivers in vehicles on the Hudson River Greenway can watch realities of the world around them be constructed and deconstructed as they pass by the building at blistering speeds, while inhabitants can view the clouds outside change shape, texture, and color as they cross through the various frames and thresholds of titled and tinted glass.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel’s project on 100 11th Ave is a masterpiece of visual complexity, formal sophistication, and architectural intelligence. With this “vision machine,” Jean Nouvel melds his obsessions with the cinema to those of the Vitruvian ideals of firmness, commodity, and delight in a monolithic structure veiled with layers of reflecting and refracting patterns. His skill reaches beyond the built to redefine cultural barriers, especially through his rejection of the modern movement and desire to go beyond the archetypal patterning of forms and styles from previous eras. Nouvel’s interests in the field of cinematography, coupled with his skilled craft in building, creates a unique architecture imbued within the limits of structure and form, at the same time surpassing these limitations through the manipulation of light, view, and virtual imagery.

In his practice, Nouvel begins with a concept “expressed in a scenario” [Boissiere, 20] and by doing so, sets up a methodology from which multiple expressions can be derived.

Here, as with all of his projects, the building began with working out complexities in the plan. “The plan is the generator” – as le Corbusier set forth, is extremely apparent in this project, despite Nouvel’s personal manifesto to break away from Corbusier’s modernist constraints.

First, the project was tested in relation to the norms of New York

Provided with a rare site adjacent to the Hudson River and downtown Manhattan Jean Nouvel began to

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“We should be able to take advantage of the emerging poetic dimensions of technology.�

- Jean Nouvel 14

City’s housing market in Chelsea, and challenging the custom that the architect was only designer of the façade, the rest left to the construction company and

The final element to be discussed is the loggia, or street wall, that can be seen screening the tower from ground on west and south sides. This element was destined

contractor. This did not bode well with the French master, so to ensure the accurate construction of his architecture, Nouvel decided to set up a temporary office in New York City to complete all challenges of the project. Here, interns, architects, and Nouvel himself worked out even the finest details of this structure.

One sees traces of the construction lines running from floor, to wall, to ceiling; this line delineates finishes of the surfaces such that at the windows the terrazzo is glossier, increasing the reflections, refractions, and light intensity from outside, and transitioning to matte terrazzo in the more interior spaces.

to be with the building from the beginning stages of design, as it is a requirement in the building codes of Manhattan, but in terms of completing the image and development of the architecture, the eroding loggia offers insights to the dense architectural concepts expressed throughout the building as a whole. Here structure, material, and vegetation act together in a performance of light, movement, deception, and volume. Spaces between the hanging tree elements are calculated for visual and functional aspects of interacting with the façade, where there is a complex matrix of horizontal and vertical spaces that allow cleaning personnel and inhabitants to experience “being within layers of the façade.” The loggia’s ten trees

Ateliers Jean Nouvel also worked closely with two different manufacturing companies in China to ensure the construction of a quality product. After working for almost one year with one company, and not coming to any strong conclusions, Nouvel took the bold leap of changing companies, this time with a much shorter time frame and more restrained budget. The change was a perfect fit, and just in time. This group worked at the same rapid pace as Nouvel’s firm, and quickly developed a system that would push the ideas of camouflage, patterning, thickening, reflecting and refracting, and framing the views to reality.

were envisioned as a “cast” of characters and carefully chosen for their size, shape, and movement in the wind [Francois Leininger].

These highly-specialized pieces act in the construct to embody ideas laden in the façade and architecture as a grand play of form, vision, dematerialization, and the manipulation of interfaces.

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NOTES 1 Boissiere, Olivier. “The Architecture of Jean Nouvel.” In Studio Paperback: Jean Nouvel, edited by Irene Bisang, Brigitta Neumeister-Taroni, 9-26. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag, 1996.

2 Interview with Francois Leininger IMAGES Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

THE VISION MACHINE

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Jean Nouvel: Scenographer

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Jean Nouvel: Scenographer “There is tremendous synchronism between the man and his era, a thorough-going will to decode the least sign, to watch for the symptoms of cultural and social change.” – Olivier Boissiere

Figure 2.02 Fumel, France.

Figure 2.03 Jean Nouvel with friends, Francois Seigneur and Gilbert Lezenes, circa 1974.

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

JEAN NOUVEL

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Jean Nouvel was born, 1945, in Fumel in the southwest of France.

His parents, Jean and Renee, were both highly involved in the educational system and due to his father’s position as a school inspector, the family traveled much during his younger years. At the age of 8, Jean and his parents moved to the medieval village of Sarlat, France. The landscapes that surrounded Jean as he was growing up were mostly rolling hills of farmland and wine country.

The Aquitaine region, one of the twenty-seven in France, takes up a substantial amount of land, while only about 6% of the population lives there. The department, Dordogne that his village is located in is relatively close to the Spanish border and is characterized by the Dordogne River that cuts through the country landscape. There still remain many artifacts of medieval history in this region of France, and it is often a popular tourist spot for wealthy British travelers.

It was here, in the shadows of medieval European history, that Nouvel developed his rebellious

AteliersJeanNouvel BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

1945: Born on August 12 in Fumel, France

AWARDS EXHIBITIONS LIFE + ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1967-1970: Assistant to Claude Parent 1970-1972: Partnership with Francois Seigneur 1972: Gets diploma from Ecole Nationale Surperieure des Beaux Arts 1976: Co-founder of the French Architectural movement 1977: Co-founder of the Syndicat de l’Architecture 1978: Founder and artistic counsellor of the Architecture Biennale 1981: Wins the Institut du Monde Arabe 1981-1984: Association with Gilbert Lezenes and Pierre Soria

1983: Silver Medal from the French Academy of Architecture 1984-1989: Founder of Jean Nouvel et Associes 1987: “Jean Nouvel, Architectures d’art et d’essai” (Paris) 1989-1994: Founder of Jean Nouvel et Emmanuel Cattani

1995: Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1998: Gold Medal from the French Academy of Architecture 1998: “Jean Nouvel, Architecture Store” (NYC)

2003: Honorary doctorate of the Royal Academy of Art, Copenhagen, Denmark 2004: “Jean Nouvel” (Osaka, Japan) 2005: Wolf Prize in Arts 2008: Pritzker Prize

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2010: 100 11th Ave Completed

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partake modern culture like going to the cinema or reading comic books, despite his parents’ disapproval [Morgan, 87].

In 1970, Nouvel opened his first office with friend and colleague Francois Seigneur. Their first designs were layouts of shopping centers, a small travel agency, and the reception of a

By the time Jean was able to apply to university, he had developed a passion for the arts, and painting in particular. His parents however had always dreamed that he would enter into the field of education or engineering.

They highly disapproved of his interests in the arts, so the family came to a compromise that he may enter the field of architecture, the intersection of his interests and theirs. His first attempts to enter school in Bordeaux were a failure, he did not pass the entrance exam. On second try though, he took first place in a school entrance competition and was admitted to the Beaux-Arts in Paris. From here, Jean Nouvel’s career spun into action.

printer’s shop [Boissiere, 10]. It was Jean’s interest in having a dialogue with other disciplines that rocketed his personal achievements forward and beyond that of his humble startup business. His sense of initiative and forward-thinking mindset gave Claude Parent the confidence to suggest Jean as the director of the Paris Biennale in 1978, a position that he would hold for fifteen years.

During school, Jean took a job with Claude Parent to help pay for his education, where these experiences would mark him for life. Parent had a very direct way of integrating his interns into the office. The absolute beginners were sent out to face the realities of construction in their first days with the firm [Boissiere, 9].

Nouvel was entranced by Parent’s practices, and would take this sort of initiative with him in his own firm.

Parent’s architectural lens would also have profound impacts on Nouvel’s architectural philosophy.

He was strongly anti-Corbusian and had a craving for the avant-garde.

Figure 2.04 Southeast facade, 100 11th Ave.

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France in the 1970’s was a place of great turmoil and unrest. The French scene was changing drastically with the introduction of technology and consumerism, traits that were reluctantly being acquired from the American nation. During this time, France struggled to find its identity and grew increasingly resistant to the American lifestyle that was permeating their once “ideal” cultural silhouette. France’s identity was slowly fading, as its leaders, President deGaulle and President Pompidou passed away, leaving the “guiding light of world civilization” in a state of loss [Sheppe, 2]. On top of it all, the French economy was also in rapid decline as the Arab oil embargo from 1973 – 1974 prevented them from entering the modern production industries with full force. This paved the way for the introduction of American and English

imports, staining the image of what was once a country filled with pride in its own creations.

This cultural turbulence was what formed aspects of Jean Nouvel’s design characterister. He became a rebel within the field, completely rejecting traditional ideals of the 17th century and foraging new ties with the fields of science and technology. In 1976, he formed the Mars 76 movement; a group of young architects ready to overthrow all that was respected by the old, venerated architecture community.

They were completely unhappy with passive modes of reinterpreting old forms and styles, and instead wished to fully embrace the ability for architecture to create unique, dynamic experiences. Mars 76 published manifestos, promoted street demonstrations, and fought against the corporatism of the profession, against zoning and everything else that was purely technocratic and ignorant of humanism. He and his colleagues in the movement designed numerous public housing projects [gratis] that would not entail evicting people from their homes, while providing them with the comforts of modern life such as large living spaces, sunlight, and architectural decoration. Their work was a testament to rebellion, progress, and invention in the field.

In all of his work during the ‘70s, Nouvel was forced within the constraints of the formwork imposed

Figure 2.05 Jean Nouvel with two clients, Claudine Colin and Youssef Baccouche at Tour Sans Fins, circa 1990.

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by the industrial system, but even with these encroachments he managed to radically criticize the norm. At this time, there was an architectural standard catalogue of parts, called the Meccano set, comoposed of fifty pieces. Nouvel focused on using only three: post, beam, and façade panel which he played in an obsessive grid, mastering the limits and abilities of each element [Boissiere, 14]. It was with these three tools that he began to parody functionalism by associating façade panels and color for decorative purposes. He went on future to set posts and beams in his buildings that did nothing to support the building structurally. He saturated his spaces with modern memes such as neon lights, fake statues, and numerous rose windows, a riot of sigs, images, and colors, even creating Mondrianesque patterning with the shadows, a tipping-of-the-hat to Modernist obsessions, but seen in his work as the aftermath to architectural forms.

Figure 2.06 Jean Nouvel.

“When you go around the world, you see all the same buildings, you feel like you are in the same place.”

- Jean Nouvel 24

After the ‘70s came to pass, so did Nouvel’s hyper-rebellious nature.

He soon began to gain a clearer understanding of his theoretical position and his research gained substantial depth. This was the shedding of his former skin, in conjunction with the shedding of intense turmoil in his country. He soon gained strong interests in two forms of architecture: the home and the theatre and ran with these ideas to become a hybrid, master architect-scenographer.

In one of his first large projects, the renovation of a theatre for actress-director Silvia Monfort, Nouvel’s resolution emphasized the opposition between modern technology and old form. In his own words, it was conceived out of “a respect for history taking into account the present and posing the question of time” [Boissiere, 16]. This theatre design was an exemplary showcase of opening the old into the existing world. He did this by peeling apart one of the facades so it peered out and into the modern city [Boissiere, 17].

To replace Corb’s often-repeated “clever, magnificent play of volumes in light,” Nouvel saw “architecture as means of introducing values of culture and civilization into the built” [Boissiere, 19]. He did not appreciate taking architecture as a re-reading of old archetypes, but wanted an extensive repertoire made available by current civilization: the sciences, technology, plastic arts, media,

Figure 2.07 Facade, Institut Monde Arabe [IMA]. Completed 1987.

press, advertising, cinema, video, television, and the performing arts.

He wanted to capture the emotions, images, and signs embedded within the modern environment.

The contrasts between interior and exterior are also manifest in many of Nouvel’s projects to date. There is careful articulation of material palette, color, and texture as one moves from interior to exterior in many works. At the extravagant hotel, Saint-James at Bouliac, there is a contrast between “a rusted

Figure 2.08 Foundation Cartier for Contemporary Art. Completed 1994.

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exterior and refined interior” [Boissiere, 21]. Also, at the opera house in Lyons, the exterior burns with intense, colored lights, a living play of media and show, while the interior is bathed in pearly white.

At 100 11th Ave, too, there is a sophisticated contrast between black and white, delineating public from private spaces. The public spaces, namely hallways, the lobby, and recreation spaces are coated in a heavy, matte, charcoal-black, whereas living spaces are starkly white. But not just white, there is a spatial layering of glossy whites, and whites with sandy particles growing in scale from very fine-grained to larger conglomerates. All of the horizontal surfaces in the kitchens and bathrooms are “peeled” up from the ground plane and made of the same material as the floor to fully embrace the contrast between interior and exterior. The façade itself also stands in contrast to the interior dichotomy between black and white, by expressing neither of the two at any time, but rather being a magnificent play of blues, greys, oranges, and yellows.

Figure 2.09 Interior penthouse suite, 100 11th Ave.

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During the early ‘80s, Nouvel entered many architectural competitions, but was unsuccessful.

At a time when most would have given up, he pushed forward and in doing so developed a highly clarified process for design, thought, and his architectural position. He began designing by expressing each concept as a scenario, stating “Architects

should cultivate fiction so as to approach reality better,” a clear indicator of his direct involvement with the theatrical arts for such a long period of time [Boissiere, 19].

After many successive trials with competitions, Jean’s work began to develop reoccurring themes. His mature work often deals with: cinematography, tension, interfaces, virtuality, dematerialization, and connection to the sky. He typically expresses a paradoxical relationship between simplicity and complexity between the interplay of forms and scales [Boissiere, 20]. Ultimately, the rigor of Nouvel’s architecture comes from two characteristics: that of building construction and craftsman-like precision. These characteristics reform typical concepts in terms of the limits provided by program, context, and economy, all mastered during his architectural development in the 1970’s, while in France: “the richness of his architectural concerns belongs as much to the ancient world as to the hyper-technological dreams of contemporary science” [Boissiere, 24]. His obsessions were driven by deep-rooted interests in the imagetransmission techniques: framing, panoramics, zooming, high and low angle shooting, with transparencies, reflections, and refractions of light and depth of field as events on a façade. This drove him to take his own initiatives in experimenting with glass manufacturing techniques and developing a

Figure 2.10 Interior lobby, 100 11th Ave.

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Figure 2.11 Jean Nouvel working with a light box 28

system for screen-printing on glass [Boissiere, 26]. To this day, Nouvel is one of the first and only architects to have experimented with printing on glass [Boissiere, 25]. Furthermore he is known as a master in the field for working with glass and glass technologies. One of his unbuilt works, the Tokyo Opera House also touches on his mastery of tension and interface. This building appears as a mysterious black box whose envelope is stretched to its limits to the point that it is so thin it blurs the distinction between interior and exterior. The Arab World Institue is considered the ultimate example of his work. It is the mastery of filtered, reflected, and refracted light, the work of “an architect in full possession of his gifts,” as recognized by Norman Foster.

Figure 2.12 Southeast facade of 100 11th Ave.

“I fight all the time for the specificity of architecture.

I fight against global architecture.”

- Jean Nouvel

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Jean Nouvel: Firm History 1970 - 1995

Ateliers Jean Nouvel, established in 1995, is the outcome of a series of firms and practices that Jean Nouvel started creating in the 1970’s after working for Claude Parent. Nouvel’s first partner was Francois Seigneur, a graduate from Ecole Boulle and the National School of Decorative Arts. After both working for Parent, they created their own practice and received work from Parent’s office to get them started [Morgan, 89].

In 1974, Nouvel and Seigneur split up and created two different firms.

Nouvel started collaborating with theater consultant Jacques Marquet and completed projects such as the Clinic at Bezons, School at Antony, and Theater at Belfort. In 1980 the firm moved to the rue Lacuee and won the competition for the design of the Institut du Monde Arabe project. This project helped Nouvel gain an international reputation and was later profiled by the magazine L’Architecture d’aujourd’hui in 1984.

Figure 2.13 Jean Nouvel in the office.

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Soon after, Nouvel set up a parallel partnership with job architects from his office. They completed projects such as the INIST building, the Lyon Opera House, Tour Sans Fins, and the Onyx Cultural Center.

Nouvel and his team participated in many competitions; however, none were ever built. In one of his own statements, he says this period was like “a training camp for boxers where the method used to toughen up

contenders was to knock them out as brutally as possible” [Bossiere, 21].

During this time, Nouvel’s office quickly grew to 70 people, which led him to get a business partner, Emmanuel Cattani, in 1988. Cattani was a close friend to Nouvel and had many industrial and political connections, and had graduated from Laussane Polytechnic as a technical architect [Morgan, 89]. Nouvel and Cattani’s firm was successful until the recession, when Jean Nouvel was forced to restructure his firm again and created his current practice, Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

Figure 2.14 Jean Nouvel and architects reviewing a model.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel: Firm History 1995 Nouvel’s current practice has upwards of 140 people, and has locations in Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Copenhagen, Minneapolis, and London [Kitazawa, 139]. Each person in the team has a specialty that ranges from model building, draftsmen, and construction to landscape, graphic design, and industrial design. Nouvel relates his office and architecture to the production of a film, stating, “both work with big teams in which there is a share-out of tasks that correspond to precise needs” [Kitazawa, 139]. He leads the current practice with partner, Michel Pelissie. Although Nouvel has over 140 people working for him, he tries to limit the size of his office so they don’t have to

Figure 2.15 Ateliers Jean Nouvel at work.

Figure 2.16 Aerial view of Ateliers Jean Nouvel workstations.

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rely on each individual commission to get by [Kitazawa, 140]. Nouvel also likes to take in interns, whom he often gives large tasks to. This treatment and understanding of internships is directly related to the way he was treated by his mentor, Claude Parent.

Figure 2.17 View from staircase in Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

The office itself is located on three floors, with white walls and dark planked floors. In the center of each floor is a long room with desks and computers that everyone works at. The room is flanked with meeting rooms, with glass tables and aluminum chairs. No previous work is posted on the walls, in order for everyone to focus on the present and future, and not the past. This also shows clients that the firm is completely immersed in their project, with no distractions of other projects. Nouvel himself doesn’t have his own office. When working, he pulls up a chair to someone else’s desk, in order to create a dialogue between the workers and himself [Morgan, 20].

Figure 2.18 On-site.

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Nouvel’s role in the firm is the concept creator, sometimes working on the concept and vision of three or four projects at a time. After he establishes the concept, he assigns a project team and leader, whose job is to keep the project on schedule and on budget. He limits his use of the computer, as he argues that computer’s use is to create images that the public can understand. He uses a pen and paper for almost everything else, stating, “there is

something too graphic and final in computer rendering” [Kitazawa, 139].

Nouvel

also

stresses

the

importance of “a synthesis phasethat takes place more in solitude, because once all the matter is together, you have to resolve things, synthesize, so as to be able to propose something that is already in the order of inventing the form” [Kitazawa, 146].

Nouvel in the Office A typical day for Nouvel is to have lunch with clients or his project architects. He will then work until nine or ten. On days where the office has a charette, the firm will work for fourteen hours, finishing at around three in the morning [Kitazawa, 150].

From June to September Nouvel goes to SaintPaul-de-Vence in the south of France. During these months he has people from his office come to him, to spend a half or full day on a project [Kitazawa, 146].

Figure 2.19 Jean Nouvel with consultants.

“Nouvel is a figure whose power to mesmerize rivals Josephine Baker’s. Erotic, prolific, Nouvel throws out ideas the way Baker used to toss fruit into the audience. The diversity of his projects is as impressive as their individual merits. And if you get hit in the head with a pineapple, you can be confident that the fruit will be extra juicy. ” - Herbert Muschamp, The New York Times 33

Figure 2.20 Jean Nouvel creating a sketch.

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Nouvel’s interactions with his staff are often described as being encompassed with feelings of fear, intimidation, and admiration. The “Nouvel-desk crit” is one with little

sketch with layers of sketches for the description of views, hallway angling, and the advantages for each apartments’ layout and one more sketch for the façade patterning

attention paid to the computer, but an intense focus on seeing what work has been produced and how this fits within his overarching vision.

At any one time, Jean has over fifty projects in his head at once and without the computer, drawings, or writing he is able to maintain a clear vision for what he wishes to become manifest. The project architect, architects, and interns are given very little physical data to work from, but instead partake in lengthy conversations about concepts, details, and experiences Nouvel has anticipated for the project.

The product of his hand, sketches, drawings, and writing are rare and often jotted down at a fast pace.

This is how his Project Manager and close friend, François Lillinger, has decribed experiences with Jean

– at first his vision for horizontal concrete panels, interlocking with expressive joints. These are the few documents he leaves behind with his firm before taking off to speak in public, travel abroad, visit a site, a client, or a friend.

Nouvel. Nouvel himself does not use a computer, a radical departure from the focus in many schools and firms across the globe, although, his projects are only realizable with rigorous use of computer technology. This fact helps frame the view of the power he beholds in his speech. The words, hand gestures, and experience Nouvel creates during his seated discussions are enough to generate fantastical buildings of immense scale and dense, architectural complexity. For instance, in the making of 100 11th Ave., Nouvel drew only the plan - a

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NOTES 1 Boissiere, Olivier. “The Architecture of Jean Nouvel.” In Studio Paperback: Jean Nouvel, edited by Irene Bisang, Brigitta Neumeister-Taroni, 9-26. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag, 1996.

2 Morgan, Conway Llyod. “Jean Nouvel: The Elements of Architecture.”

London, Thames and Hudson, 2002.

3 Sheppe, Adrian. “France in the 1970’s: A Time of Decline, Doubt, and Anti-Americanism.” Americans in Paris, Fall 2010. Last modified on December 13, 2010. http:// uramericansinparis. wordpress. com/ 4 “100 11th Ave. Residences by Ateliers Jean Nouvel with Beyer Blinder Belle.” Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2009.

5 Kitazawa, Ai. Interview with Jean Nouvel About “Work, Lifestyle and Himself.” Architecture + Urbanism. 138-153.

IMAGES Figure 2.01 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.02 D-B City.com Figure 2.03 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.04 Joel Rios photography. Taken November 25 2011 Figure 2.05 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.06 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.07 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.08 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.09 Wade Zimmerman Figure 2.10 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 2.11 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.12 Joel Rios photography. Taken November 25 2011 Figure 2.13 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.14 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.15 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.16 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.17 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.18 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.19 Olivier Boissiere Figure 2.20 Olivier Boissiere

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

JEAN NOUVEL

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The Monolith Context (Chelsea) Hudson River + Building Context Highway + Movement

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Context (Chelsea)

“I feel like every site has a right to have an architectural aesthetic...

Architects today try to create a little world, a petit monde, a micro monde.

It’s important to try to create a building in its context.”

100 11th Ave. is located in the Chelsea neighborhood along the West Side Highway. Chelsea is located on the western side of Manhattan and is bordered in the north-south direction by 14th Street and 30th Street and in the east-west direction by the Hudson river and 7th Avenue (see figure 3.02). Known for its “industrial” feel, Chelsea is primarily made up of refurbished warehouses and apartment buildings (see figure 3.03). Chelsea also has a large art community with more than 350 art galleries, as well as high end fashion boutiques, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Chelsea

100 11th Ave.

-Jean Nouvel

Figure 3.02: Chelsea District

Located directly across from 100 11th Ave. is the Chelsea Piers, which houses a sports complex with a driving range, health club, a rink, and a bowling alley. Right across the Hudson, Hoboken can be seen, as well as Jersey City farther to the south.

The urban fabric in Chelsea is not clearly defined, due to the large amount of new development that has been going on in the area. One example of this is Frank Gehry’s IAC building, which neighbors Nouvel’s 100 11th Ave. The contrast between the facades and features between these two buildings is distinct, with the smoothness of Gehry’s subtly curved facade, and the jagged lines and edges of Nouvel’s curved glass curtain wall; however, the overall

Figure 3.03: Chelsea District

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

THE MONOLITH

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CHELSEA NEIGHBORHOOD

CHELSEA PIERS

100 11TH AVE. IAC BUILDING

STANDARD HOTEL

HIGHLINE

Figure 3.04: Surrounding architectural sites in Chelsea

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curved geometries play off of each other (see figure 3.04).

Frank Gehry’s IAC building is characterized by the fritted glass pattern that creates a soft gradient pattern and transitions from white to blue. Similar to 100 11th Ave. the facade is made up of different size and curved panels that create the subtle curvature of the building.

Nouvel seems to play off of this logic, but does so in a more faceted way.

Figure 3.05: Highline in the Chelsea district

The tilted windows on the facade of 100 11th Ave. reflect Gehry’s building, as well as the rest of its surroundings (see figure 3.06). Perhaps the most obvious connection is to the Hudson River.

The facade changes with the time of day, reflecting the sunset off of the river, as well as the sky.

To the back of 100 11th Ave. is the newly constructed highline, an elevated walkway and green belt that reuses an abandoned elevated railway.

From the highline, the black brick facade with punched out windows can be seen. Each of these windows attempts to connect to the city by framing views of specific buildings in the city.

Figure 3.06: Surrounding architectural sites in Chelsea

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The highline itself is a 1.5 mile long walkway that was designed

by Diller, Scofidio + Renfro, along with landscape architects James Corner Field Architects.

The highline acts as a public park that is unique because it is raised above the normal pedestrian level

and is uninterrupted by traffic (see figure 3.05). The highline passes underneath the Standard Hotel, which rises 18 stories and allows the highline to carve out a pathway on one side of the building.

The new architectural elements in the area all build off of each other to create a unique blend of industrial and modern styles. Many of the buildings are masonry construction that have been refurbished for new uses. The older buildings in the area still have hints of their past, with parts of the facades still painted, and windows boarded up or broken (see figure 3.07).

Figure 3.07: Brick warehouse

From block to block the architecture and layout changes dramatically.

Rem Koolhaas states in his book Delirious New York that “the grid makes the history of architecture and all previous lessons of urbanism irrelevant. It forces Manhattan’s builders to develop a new system of formal values, to invent strategies for the distinction of one block from another” (Koolhaas, 15).

This can be seen in direct relation to the Chelsea district, in that due to the time period of the variety of buildings, each block has a unique style associated with it.

More recent buildings have been inserted into the spaces not already filled with older warehouses, such as 100 11th Ave. and Gehry’s IAC Building.

Figure 3.08: Public parks (the Highline)

Figure 3.09: Steel on elevated roads and the Highline

Another characteristic that can be seen around Chelsea are public parks, such as the Highline, Chelsea Park, and 14th Street Park

Figure 3.10: Hudson River

43

(see figure 3.08). Landscaping is inserted along the Hudson River, as well as in city blocks and between apartment buildings.

Steel and glass are other elements that make up the building materials in the area. Most of the elevated roadways and the structure for the glass curtain walls in the area are dark steel or other metals (see figures 3.09).

Located on the far west side, the Hudson River is perhaps the most dominant element (see figure 3.1).

The Chelsea Piers extend the city out into the water, making the river an important material in the scheme of the city.

100 11th Ave. stands as a monolith in its urban context.

Across the Hudson river it can be seen glistening and reflecting light, while within Chelsea it stands tall along its neighboring buildings (see figure Figure 3.11: Back facade of 100 11th Ave.

3.11).

Figure 3.12: Study model in context

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Hudson River + Building Context The most apparent neighboring object next to 100 11th Ave is the Hudson River, which serves as a source of inspiration for the facade of the building. Looking at the glistening qualities of the river in the sunlight, Nouvel’s aim was to create the same affect in his facade (see figure 3.14). By acknowledging this relationship, the building accepts the Hudson River onto the surface of the building and the context of Chelsea.

Across the river, the building contrast the New York City skyline as a bright mirrored object alongside a field of matted facades and objects (see figure 3.13).

Over the course of the day, from sunrise to sunset, the building changes with the transitioning light qualities. The color changes from varying shades and hues of orange in the morning, to scattered hues of

Figure 3.13: View from across the Hudson River

Figure 3.14: Hudson River water qualities

45

blue in the daylight, similar to what would happen on the surface of any body of water. In addition to this, different parts of the facade catch light during the varying times of the day and days of the year.

Nouvel was also influenced by the fashion designer Paco Rabanne and his line of dresses that contain pieces of metal that shimmer as the body is in motion. Facade studies were done to mimic these industrial textiles by tilting acrylic and mirror materials to create the same quality of movement and play with light that happens when the dresses are in motion.

Figure 3.15: Facade study model

Figure 3.16: Paco Rabanne dress

Figure 3.17: Paco Rabanne dress

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Highway + Movement Another important feature that is next to the site of 100 11th Ave. is the West Side Highway. Nouvel sees the road as a different way to experience the building and compares the views created from within a moving car to a series of snapshots a cinematographer would take.

Drawing inspiration from the shimmering qualities of the river, Nouvel’s aim was to create the same illusion as would happen to a viewer that is driving at a high speed and approaching the building. Seeing the car as a design consideration, the facade becomes a dynamic piece of work that shimmers both during the day and at night, from the lights of the surrounding city.

Figure 3.18: West Side Highway and 100 11th Ave.

“You compose a building a little bit like you make a movie . . . the relationship between the color and the shadows and the view of the city.”

-Jean Nouvel

Figure 3.19: West Side Highway and 100 11th Ave. at night

47

NOTES 1 Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: a retroactive manifesto for Manhattan. 1994 ed. New York: Monacelli Press, 1994.

IMAGES Figure 3.01 Factory Lab Figure 3.03 “Chelsea, New York real estate for sale.” Real Estate, Homes or Sale, Condos for Sale, Houses for Sale, Real Estate Agents. http:// www.neighborcity.com/property/105-Fifth-Avenue-Unit:-Ph11d-ChelseaNY-10003-863747-9125171/ (accessed November 19, 2011).

Figure 3.05 “The Highline | A DESIGN MAFIA.” A Design Mafia. http:// adesignmafia.com/the-highline/ (accessed November 19, 2011).

Figure 3.06 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 3.07 Karapon-http://www.flickr.com/people/kkp0226/ Figure 3.08 “High Line Park Photos | The High Line.” The High Line. http://

www.thehighline.org/galleries/images/high-line-park-photos (ac

cessed November 19, 2011).

Figure 3.09 “ The High Line: elevated railroad in Chelsea - Page 16.” Wired New York. http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread. php?t=2868&page=16 (accessed November 19, 2011).

Figure 3.10 wuestenigel-http://www.flickr.com/photos/30478819@N08/ Figure 3.11 FactoryLab Figure 3.12 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 3.13 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 3.15 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 3.16 Figure 3.17 Figure 3.18 Figure 3.19

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

THE MONOLITH

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Ateliers Jean Nouvel Ateliers Jean Nouvel Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe FactoryLab

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100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

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The Plan Conceptual Layout + Arrangement Jean Philosophy of the Plan The New York City Consumer Market

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Conceptual Layout + Arrangement Many would think that the facade of 100 11th Avenue was the driving force throughout the design phase of the project. However, Ateliers Jean Nouvel based the concept of the building in regards to its unique site located at the north corner of the intersection of Eleventh Avenue and West 19th Street.

1

Riv er

2

Hu

dso n

Within the city of New York, it is not uncommon to have a spectacular view of the infamous skyline. On the other hand, only a small percentage of buildings in the city have the opportunity to take advantage of the view of the Hudson River. With such a strong and competitive real estate market in New York City, it really comes down to “selling New York.”

Bronx New Jersey

100 11th Avenue

Stunned by the view, Ateliers Jean Nouvel capitalized on the opportunity and potential the 12,500 sq. ft. site had to offer. To the southwest, a resident has a sprawling, unobstructed view of the Hudson River through 12’ floor to ceiling glass walls. To the North and East a series of punched openings in the black brick facade expose the rest of the city that never sleeps.

The narrative begins amount the townhouses and historic warehouses of West Chelsea, sweeping northward towards the Art Deco grandeur of the Empire state Building and post-modern icons of Midtown (Figure 4.02).

4 1

BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

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Queens 3

7 4 6

5

5

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Brooklyn

7 Figure 4.02 - Situation Plan

100 11th AVENUE

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1. North Hudson River

2. Upper West Side

3. Times Square + Empire State Building

4. Nineteenth Street

5. Financial District

7. New Jersey Front-Side

6. Hudson River + Jersey City Figure 4.03-04

53

In an effort to give 100 11th Avenue as much exposure as possible to the Hudson River and its stunning backdrop to the sunset, Ateliers Jean Nouvel curved the facade facing the river.

Internally, Nouvel began organizing a variety of 1,2,3 and 4 bedroom apartments to give them each a view of the Hudson River through the highly-engineered curtain wall. To satisfy the desires and needs of the plethora of clients, each apartment is unique and has different spatial and visual qualities.

that the corridor should not simply act as a hallway, but that it should also serve as a function to the rest of the apartment. When you walk into your house or apartment,

building. A certain percentage of the tower had to occupy the “street wall.” Using it to his advantage, Nouvel used the volume of space generated between the parallel

where do you put your keys? your purse? your coat? Jean Nouvel integrated closets and builtin “cubbies” into the corridor to provide for the needs of the user.

curtain wall and the street wall to place terraces of loggias. These outdoor spaces would increase the homeowners’ living space and give them a condition that is not available in any floors higher than the 7th floor.

Nouvel also believed that if a particular apartment did not have a view as desirable, than that apartment would have a larger proportion of living space or another “feature.”

As one opens the door to their apartment, they step into a narrow corridor or hallway that tappers and opens up to the main living space (Figure 4.05). Nouvel believes

Due to local zoning laws, the street facade of 100 11th Avenue that extends to the seventh floor must also provide a function to the

Figure 4.05 Views framed by corridors 54

Since the climate in New York restricts outdoor living to only 6 months out of the year, electric radiant heat was installed in the loggias floor slab and sliding and pivoting floors gave the homeowner the flexibility to make the space fully enclosed and climate-controlled.

Jean Nouvel’s Philosophy of the Plan A major theme stemming from the north facade, “creating framed views” can also be seen through Nouvel’s development of the plan.

As described in the precedent sub-chapter, the corridor at the entrance of each apartment serves a purpose much greater than that of a “hallway.”

The tapering of the corridor does more than direct the occupant into the living area, but through the use of construction lines on drawings, and material seams within the apartments, Nouvel creates a series of framed views (Figure 4.06). The view that is created is generated based on the limits of the room.

Ateliers Jean Nouvel strived to keep the floor space as open as possible.

By thickening the edge of the floor slab for structural purposes, Nouvel was able to do without any columns within the units. The lack of columns created a much more open feeling throughout the apartment, and allowed for unobstructed views. In addition, pocket sliding doors and pivoting walls were used to construct an “endless view” (Figures 4.07-09).

Many of the units were designed with the intention of adapting to the change in usage of space.

Through the use of folding doors.

An office/study room can easily be transformed into a private bedroom to accommodate any overnight guests.

Figure 4.06 Framed views

Figure 4.07 Pivoting doors leading to terrace

Figure 4.08 Folding doors opening up bedroom

Figure 4.09 Continuation of view out of bedroom

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The New York City Consumer Market The context that gave rise to Jean Nouvel’s 100 11th Street is a neighborhood embedded within one of the most complex, innovative, and ever-changing cities on the planet.

Centered within the compelling and vibrant neighborhood of Chelsea, 100 11 Avenue offers its residents immediate proximity to Chelsea’s standout neighborhood qualities such as the Chelsea Piers, the Chelsea Market, and the Hudson River Park.

mixture, of tenements, apartments, housing projects, townhouses, and old row houses. However, recently, Chelsea has come to the forefront of the world stage in the eyes of visual

two biggest industries having a significant impact in this relatively small community.

artists, performers, and musicians.

up and coming neighborhood, the clients 100 11th Avenue attract are not typical of the average NYC luxury apartment.

The Art District in Chelsea is home to over 200 international art galleries, solidifying Jean Nouvel’s 100 11th Avenue at the epicenter of architectural innovation and creative expression.

Characteristics that define the atmosphere of Chelsea will often refer to the supremacy of the visual arts, theatre, and food varieties in the area. Food and fashion are the

Chelsea is defined as a residential neighborhood with a complex

Due to the fact that Chelsea is an

The lack of a subway stop nearby limits the clientele that would call 100 11th Ave home. Many of the residents within the building are local artists and designers that work in the Chelsea neighborhood or are involved in finance and are often traveling.

W. 25th Street

W. 24th Street

1

Seventh Avenue

100 11th Avenue

C E

Eigth Avenue

W. 23rd Street

W. 22nd Street

W. 20th Street

Ninth Avenue

Tenth Avenue

W. 21st Street

W. 19th Street

W. 18th Street

1

ue ven th A ven Ele

W. 17th Street

W. 16th Street

W. 15th Street

W. 14th Street

Galleries Shopping Restaurants Figure 4.10 Map of Chelsea neighborhood

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A C E

L

1

2

3

USERS

DESCRIPTION

TIME

LOCATION

DOORMAN

Monitors the users in the public portions of the building, including the lobby, pool, sauna, and gym, as well as security at the street level

24 hours

Entry level (located four feet above street level)

FLOOR LEVEL LEVEL 22

LEVEL -1

MAINTENANCE

Maintains the landscape area in the second level courtyard, the pool (lifegaurd), and overall cleaning maintenance of the public areas.

9:00-5:00

Entry level, basement level, outdoor courtyards, public curculation on private apartment levels

LEVEL 22

LEVEL -1

DWELLERS

VISITORS

Large portion of international residents (as well as local residents) that are typically young designers, artists, and people in finance

Visitors that residents may have over

24 hours, but Entry level, basement, typically and level of residence vacant from the apartment between the hours of 9 and 5

LEVEL 22

Evening and weekends

LEVEL 22

Level of residence

LEVEL -1

LEVEL -1

REALTOR

A team of five to six people working for Prudential Douglas Elliman who are working to sell the remaining apartments

Weekends 2:30 to 4:00; Weekdays in their offsite office.

Entry level and fourth floor leasing office, as well as apartments they are showing to the public.

LEVEL 22

LEVEL -1

Figure 4.11 Building users

57

NOTES 1 Leininger, Francois - Ateliers Jean Nouvel 2 Tabor, Philip - Prudential Douglas Elliman IMAGES Figure 4.01 Wade Zimmerman Figure 4.02 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 4.03 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 4.04 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 4.05 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 4.06 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 4.07 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 4.08 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 4.09 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 4.10 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 4.11 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

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The Facade Background + Previous Designs Facade + Context Modulation + Patterning Turning the Corner The Missing Spandrel

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Background Story + Previous Designs “Nouvel has a unique understanding of the way light and water work together, and a special talent for using daylight as an architectural material.�

-John Beyer, Associate Architect, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP (100 11th Ave. Residences) Utilizing the qualities of light on the site, Nouvel was interested in magnifying the changing light during the duration of the day, while also creating the largest and widest views of the city from within the project. At the time of the facade design, Ateliers Jean Nouvel knew that the facade would be placed upon a curved building, not a typical stepped back building that can be seen at various locations throughout Manhattan (see figure 5.03).

Figure 5.02: Early rendering of 100 11th Ave.

100 11th AVENUE BENNETT, FABRIZIO, KEHOE

THE

FACADE

62

To do this, he came up with two main design schemes that were presented to the client that incorporated both design criteria (see figure 5.04). The first was made of strips of concrete and glass that traveled along the curve of the plan. The glass strips allowed for a continued view of southern Manhattan and the Hudson river that would be uninterrupted from within the apartment. From the exterior the facade would look like a continued stack of concrete and glass blocks, making the floor plates read as large masses.

This facade was declined by the client and Ateliers Jean Nouvel chose the second scheme to continue with.

The second (and built) scheme was made up of a series of different sized glass panels (see figure 5.01).

These glass panels were designed as tilted elements that would catch the light on the site and change throughout the day. Also, since the facade would be made up of mainly glass with small amounts of steel and aluminum, it would allow for wide views of the city and water from within the apartments, an element that would not have been present in the unbuilt design.

Figure 5.03: Study model of geometry of building according to New York City zoning laws with massing of final design superimposed

Figure 5.04: Initial sketch by Jean Nouvel of the two competing facade designs

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CADE

DISTRICT FRONT FACADE

BACK FACADE

Facade + Context

-CHANGES TO CURTAIN WALL WITH CAVITIES AT STREET LEVEL

Jean Nouvel often talks about BACK FACADE: the “schizophrenia” of modern AND architecture, in that -FACES one sideMIDTOWN or CHELSEA DISTRICT facade of the building always

-BLACK BRICK FACADE overpowers all of the others, creating WITH PUNCHED OUT WI a simple one-sided iconic structure.

DOWS THAT STRATEGI Nouvel disproves thisCALLY critique, yet VIEWS OF FRAME SPECIFIC BUILDINGS still creates two different surfaces through the use of materials and the -BACK FACADE IS MADE massing of windows. THIS WAY BECAUSE OF

THE NEW YORK STATE ENEGY CODE [LESS THA

BACK Figure 5.05: FACADE Front facade

The front facade faces50% the GLAZING] Hudson River, which serves as a major FRONT FACADE: source of inspiration for the -FACES THE HUDSONglistening aspect of the facade.

RIVER AND FINANCIAL The tilting glass, which causes the DISTRICT dynamic changing of reflections and colors in the facade switches -CHANGES TO CURTAIN WALL WITH CAVITIEStoAT an inhabitable screen with STREET LEVEL suspended trees and patios at the ground level. This facade is the obvious focal point, seen by most BACK FACADE: traffic and pedestrians, yet the back -FACES MIDTOWN AND CHELSEA DISTRICT facade utilizes some of the same techniques to create a different -BLACK BRICK FACADE surface.

WITH PUNCHED OUT WIN DOWS THAT STRATEGI CALLY FRAME VIEWSThe OF back facade, which consists of SPECIFIC BUILDINGSoversized black brick and punched

out tilted windows, faces midtown

-BACK FACADE IS MADE and the Chelsea District.

The THIS WAY BECAUSE OF THE NEW YORK STATE windows are strategically placed, ENEGY CODE [LESS THAN and are different in each apartment, 50% GLAZING]

Figure 5.06: Back facade

64

to create certain views to specific buildings and areas in Manhattan.

Black brick is used on the back facade to fit into the surrounding industrial area; however it also complies to the New York State energy code in which less than 50% glazing is required on the facade of the building.

Figure 5.07: Front facade

Figure 5.08: Back facade

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Modulation + Patterning To create the faceted pattern of tilted panels that interact with light, a system of modulation was needed to create a seamless surface (see figure 5.10). To do this, a megapanel system was created that held the individual glass components. The megapanels were designed for specific purposes, such as meeting the ground, creating a railing on the roof, or creating the curve in plan.

The front facade is composed of 51 different megapanels repeated, to create a total of 165 megapanels in the facade. The height of the megapanels has four different steps: 11 feet, 12 feet, 13 feet, and 18 feet.

Figure 5.09: Facade studies

“It must be impossible to put the building in another place...That is my criterion.�

-Jean Nouvel

Within the megapanels, there are 32 different window frames that are each individually tilted in random directions to create the glistening affect on the facade.

There are a total of 1,274 window frames in the facade. Each frame is used approximately 40 times.

The window frames are tilted in four different ways either vertically or horizontally.

The angle of rotation varies from two to five degrees. There are also different material properties that occur in four stages from less opaque to more opaque, which is accomplished through varying levels and coats of Low E glazing.

The process for which this facade

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1

2

3

4

5

Figure 5.10: Facade sketch diagram by Jean Nouvel

1

Size of panels 2 Thickness of frame 3 Opacity of the material 4 Tilt of the panel 5 The compostion of the stepping of the panels

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A

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DIFFERENT MEGAPANELS TOTAL

IN 165 MEGAPANELS FACADE

11’ HEIGHT OF 12’ MEGAPANELS: 13’ 18’

+234’_LEVEL 21 +222’_LEVEL 20 +210’_LEVEL 19 +198’_LEVEL 18 +186’_LEVEL 17 +174’_LEVEL 16 +163’_LEVEL 15 +152’_LEVEL 14

+141’_LEVEL 13

+141’_LEVEL 13

+130’_LEVEL 12

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+119’_LEVEL 11

+119’_LEVEL 11

+108’_LEVEL 10

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+18’_LEVEL 2

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+4’_LEVEL 1

+4’_LEVEL 1

B

C

D

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G

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I

was designed was manually on the computer. Study models were first TOTAL WINDOW IN created to investigate the material 1,274 FRAMES FACADE APPROXIMATE properties and the affects of tilting NUMBER OF 40 TIMES EACH WINDOW FRAME the glass to create reflections (see USED 32

DIFFERENT WINDOW FRAMES

figure 5.09). This process was then moved to the computer where windows were arranged manually and continually re-arranged to create a consistent density of tilting, transparency level, and size.

Figure 5.11: Megapanel and glass maps

Material maps were created in order to insure that the glass material, direction of tilt, and angle of rotation were all randomly distributed to create the dynamic facade (see figure 5.13-5.15). These drawing effectively insure that the effects of the glass will be randomized, and that the facade will act as a glistening object within the New York City skyline.

Figure 5.12: Glass size map

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DEGREE OF OPACITY

+108’_LEVEL 10 +97’_LEVEL 9 +86’_LEVEL 8

CLEAR

+75’_LEVEL 7 +64’_LEVEL 6

LOGGIA

+53’_LEVEL 5 +42’_LEVEL 4 +30’_LEVEL 3 +18’_LEVEL 2

MORE OPAQUE

+4’_LEVEL 1

Figure 5.13: Materiality map on unrolled elevation

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ANGLE OF ROTATION

+108’_LEVEL 10 +97’_LEVEL 9 +86’_LEVEL 8

2

+75’_LEVEL 7 +64’_LEVEL 6

3

LOGGIA

+53’_LEVEL 5 +42’_LEVEL 4

4

+30’_LEVEL 3 +18’_LEVEL 2

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+4’_LEVEL 1

Figure 5.14:Angle of rotation map on unrolled elevation

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CURVE

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DIRECTION OF ROTATION

+141’_LEVEL 13 +130’_LEVEL 12 +119’_LEVEL 11 +108’_LEVEL 10 +97’_LEVEL 9 +86’_LEVEL 8 +75’_LEVEL 7 +64’_LEVEL 6

LOGGIA

+53’_LEVEL 5 +42’_LEVEL 4 +30’_LEVEL 3 +18’_LEVEL 2 +4’_LEVEL 1

Figure 5.15: Direction of rotation map on unrolled elevation

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Turning the Corner The challenge of designing a facade made out of rectangular surfaces for a curved building is that there is not a clear resolution to make the curved and straight portion to appear as the same seamless surface. To resolve this issue, the facade uses the design of the megapanel to allow for a slight curve. The individual glass panels within the curve remain straight and orthogonal, creating a faceted geometry.

Within the facade, there are techniques and elements that hide the subtle seams that become more apparent along the exterior curvature. The shadows created by the extended mullions cause distraction and noise on the facade, while also masking the lines between the individual glass panels (see figure 5.16). In addition to this, the glass panels begin to get smaller, creating more angled turns that can happen within the megapanel.

As a result of the change in scale of the glass panels, the wrapped surface has more apparent reflections on the center of the facade. From the interior of the building, the curvature allows for a wide and seamless view of the Hudson River, with no obvious evidence of the scalar shift of the windows.

Figure 5.16: Installation of curved megapanels

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"The architecture diffracts, captures and watches. On a curving angle, like that of the eye of an insect, differently positioned facets catch the reflections and throw out sparkles.

The apartments are within the 'eye,' splitting up and reconstructing this complex landscape...�

-Jean Nouvel

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The Missing Spandrel COVER PLATE OVER HUNG FACADE ELEMENTS

The scale of the mass of the building, as compared to the scale of the facade masks the location of the floor plates and eliminates

COVER PLATE OVER ELECTRICAL AND HEATING

the need of a spandrel unit (see figure 5.19). In order to achieve this detail, the megapanel extends to the midpoint of the thickened floor plate.

Since the glass is highly reflective, the thickness of the floors can not be seen from the exterior.

SHADING DEVICES

Figure 5.17: Axonometric section of the facade connection detail

STEEL PIN PLUNGER WIND LOAD CONNECTION

In addition to the materiality and translucency of the glass, the interior shading and lighting devices are hidden in the gap between where the floor plate ends and where the facade is hung (see figure 5.17 and 5.18).

TEFLON BUSH

TOP TRANSOM TYP. [1.5’ X 6’ X 1/4’’]

INTUMESCENT SEALANT

PRESSURE GASKET

ELECTRICAL BOX

STEEL ‘C’ SECTION WELDED TO TRANSOM ALONG GLASS

RADIANT HEAT PANEL COVER PLATE

CASSETTE

RADIANT HEAT PANEL

TOOLED IN CHAMBER GASKET

ELECTRICAL CABLING

STEEL END PLATE WELDED TO ‘C’ SECTION

4’’ STEEL PLATE

INSULTATED GLAZING UNIT

POURED-IN-PLACE EPOXY SMOKE SEALANT

GLAZING MOUNTING BRACKET WITH THERMAL BREAK

STEEL ANGLE EMBED

RIGID INSULATION

FIRE-SAFING INSULATION

ALUMINUM CAP

FLOORING FINISH STEEL BRACKET MECHANICALLY FASTENING TO VERTICAL MULLION SHIM PACK STEEL DEAD + WIND LOAD CONNECTION TO SPREAD BEAM STEEL DEAD + WIND LOAD SUPPORT BRACKET TO SLAB SPREADER BEAM TYP. [10’ X 4’’ X 1/6’’] MULLION [SIZE VARIES] ALUMINUM FINISH PLATE

PROPERTY LINE FACE OF STEEL FACE OF CONCRETE SLAB

FACADE EXTENSION FROM FACE OF SLAB BRACKET

Figure 5.18: Detail section of the facade connection

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LOGGIA

+53’_LEVEL 5 +42’_LEVEL 4 +30’_LEVEL 3 +18’_LEVEL 2 +4’_LEVEL 1

Figure 5.19: Unrolled elevation with floor plate markers

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NOTES 1 “100 11th Ave. Residences by Ateliers Jean Nouvel with Beyer Blinder Belle.” Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2009.

2 “Nouvel’s 100 Eleventh Avenue: Through a glass, brightly | The Real Deal | New York Real Estate News.” The Real Deal | New York Real Estate News. http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/nouvel-s-100-eleventh-avenue-through-a-glass-brightly (accessed November 20, 2011).

3 “Nouvel wins the 2008 Pritzker Architecture Prize - Page 2 - latimes. com.” Los Angeles Times - California, national and world news - latimes. com. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-et-pritzker31mar31,0,351027.story?page=2 (accessed November 20, 2011).

IMAGES Figure 5.01 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.02 Hanartus Figure 5.03 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 5.04 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 5.05 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.06 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.07 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.08 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.09 Dezeen Figure 5.10 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 5.11 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 5.12 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 5.13 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 5.14 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 5.15 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 5.16 Wired New York Figure 5.17 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 5.18 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of drawing by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 5.19 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagram by Ateliers Jean Nouvel)

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Megapanel Production The design and construction process of the 165 megapanels was elaborate and integrated in that Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Front Inc., two different fabrication factories, and an installation construction firm in New York were all involved directly involved (see figures 6.02 and 6.04).

Although Front Inc. was brought into the design process during the early stages, all design decisions and details were performed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel in order to achieve the desired affect that was expressed from the very beginning of the project.

Figure 6.02: Thickened floorslabs meeting with the megapanels

"There is a huge amount of dimensional variety, but it is not a mathematically generated facade.

It really is hand composed from a very architectural idea. It is a game of fragmentation."

-Marc Simmons, Front.

Figure 6.03: Megapanel detail

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The megapanels were created in order to allow for the complex facade to be manufactured.

Structurally, the “megapanel joints are the only areas on the facade that have a continuous vertical mullion�

(Minutillo). The steel structure of the megapanels are three inches thick and have varying levels of depth that are visible from the exterior and interior of the building. Because the megapanels are so large and heavy, they do not overlap, but instead hang off the thickened floor plates that meet with the facade (see figure 6.02).

The megapanels are a combination of aluminum and steel. The structure is composed of steel, allowing for the pieces to be welded together, rather than moment connections.

The exterior is covered in silver aluminum. This hybrid system of megapanels do not rely on each other, but instead are independent

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Ateliers jean nouvel created the way the geometry would tilt with single polygons (created in rhino)

Front created a spreadsheet with the different parameters of tilt direction, tilt angle, and glass opacity level and brought into digital project to create a 3d model

Front communicated with Beyer Blinder Belle (executive architect) and coordinated the facade design with the building design Beyer Blinder Bell produced construction documents for the building, but not any for the facade (digital project model served this function) Front communicated with Beyer Blinder Belle by sending drawings and renders to verify that the facade was matching up with the structure

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Front sent the digital project model to the fabrication studio in china, who extracted their own drawings from the model.

Figure 6.04: Megapanel production and responsibility process

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TORS + CHINA CONSTRUCTION AMERICA FABRICATIO N RESPO NSIBI LITY P ROCE S S :

FACADE CONTRACTOR [CCAFT]

Manufacturing in China

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CHINA BASED]

DESIGN WORK: FRONT INC.

INSTALLATION WORK: ISLAND INDUSTRIES, NY

FORMED NEW FACADE CONTRACTOR [CCAFT]

KGE FABRICATORS [CHINA BASED] SGT

DESIGN WORK: FRONT INC.

INSTALLATION WORK: ISLAND INDUSTRIES, NY

The fabrication of the megapanels occurred in China. The process began with private investors and China Construction America who formed a new facade contractor [CCAFT].

This contractor was later fired and Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Front hired two China based fabricators, SGT and KGE.

KGE

Harnart Engineering working with FRONT in design of steel brackets.

Harnart Engineering working with FRONT in design of steel brackets.

Photo courtesy of engineering firm Harnart

Photo courtesy engineering firm Harnart Figure 6.05: Facade of responsibility network

Full scale mock ups were made in a Chinese steel factory and were tested against water penetration, high wind strengths, and durability.

Another important design criterion was the constraints for shipping and delivering the megapanels to New York City. Ateliers Jean Nouvel got permission to ship each mega panel in an open container system, allowing the height of the megapanels to exceed the height of the containers.

Although this allowance was a

Figure 6.06: Mega panel mock up in leasing office

Figure 6.07: Mega panel transportation and installation

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benefit in the design process of the overall facade and floor to floor height of the apartments, these containers were only allowed on the top deck of the ship, constraining the amount of megapanels that could be shipped at one time, as well as constraining the overall amount and time schedule of the mega panel production.

Although this process ended with full scale mock ups of the built facade, the design of the megapanels went though many iterations of construction details before ending with the varying depth of mullions.

MEGAPANEL FABRICATION

Figure 6.08: Mega panel fabrication process (production, testing, mock ups, shipping)

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Iterations (Design) Front Inc., invited by the client, developed the overall system for the interior and exterior mullion effect, creating a built up thickness of metal to make each window panel appear as a separate piece(see figure 6.10).

Two fabrication contractors were hired, first CCAFT and then KGE. CCAFT came up with a series of details that had many connections and pieces that would have to be connected by moment connections (see figure 6.11). This was seen as a problem because the outcome of these details created a series of flat mullions that contradicted the concept of the tilted glass panels.

After a design solution could not be found, KGE was hired.

KGE came up with an extrusion system that gave each window pane its own frame, creating a strong sense of visual noise on the facade (see figure 6.12). This system had a smaller amount of parts, but also achieved Nouvel’s design goal.

Nouvel was very specific about the width of the mullions on the interior of the facade, wanting them to be exactly three inches, no larger, no less. This width would provide the apartment dweller with the sense of the facade from the interior, but would also not obstruct the wide views to the exterior.

Figure 6.09: Process of mullion extrusions

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Figure 6.10: CCAFT design detail proposal

Figure 6.11: KGE design detail proposal

"We wanted the mullions to look strong and create strong frames...You can feel the presence of metal.�

-François Leininger, Ateliers Jean Nouvel Project Manager

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Construction Assembly In order to install the panels and hang them off the floor plates, a clip system was needed. Unlike a typical connection where four clips would be used for each panel to insure an equal load distribution, three to four clips were needed per horizontal span.

Figure 6.12: Mega panel delivery

Figure 6.13: Mega panel clip

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Theomoetrics and Gotham Construction used a laser technology and transferred information from the BIM model directly onto the edge of the floor slabs. This technology was also able to map the 51 different megapanels onto their exact location on the slabs, organizing the entire layout of the facade as if it was done digitally on the computer.

Figure 6.14: Mega panel installation

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NOTES 1 Eastman, Charles M.. BIM handbook: a guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors. 2nd ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2011.

2 Interview with Francois Leininger 3 Minutillo, Josephine . “Behind the Curtain Wall.” Continuing Education Center. continuingeducation.construction.com/article. php?L=5&C=695&P=5 (accessed November 20, 2011).

4 “Theometrics Architectural Navigation | Case Studies.” Theometrics Architectural Navigation | Welcome. http://www.theometrics.com/theometrics_case_studies.html (accessed November 20, 2011).

IMAGES Figure 6.01 Wired New York Figure 6.02 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (adaptation of drawing by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 6.03 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 6.04 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe and Front Inc. Figure 6.05 BIM Handbook: a guide to building information modeling for owners, managers, designers, engineers and contractors Figure 6.06 Wired New York Figure 6.07 Wired New York Figure 6.08 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 6.09 Front Inc. Figure 6.10 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 6.11 Figure 6.12 Figure 6.13 Figure 6.14 Figure 6.15

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Effects Reflections on the Hudson River Framing the View Building up of Thickness Pattern Behind a Pattern

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Reflections on the Hudson River

The sites unique relationship to the Hudson River, Gehry’s IAC building, and Lower Manhattan are the driving actors of the project. The footprint of the building plays with the curves

“ It is a site that requires exceptional architecture because of the exceptional potential. Could you ever find a more open view? Could there ever be a location with more reflections upon the Hudson River?

A site like this encourages optimism. To exalt in the light. To make a mark in this rich and diverse neighborhood.

The architect diffracts, captures and watches. On a curving angle, like that of the eye of an insect, differently positioned factors catch the reflections and throw out sparkles.... The architecture is an expression of the pleasure of being a this site.”

- Jean Nouvel 1

and lines that are generated by the IAC building’ shifting facade, while the front facade of 100 11th Avenue mimics the glistening of light on the river by utilizing tilting glass panels that catch the reflections of the prominent light from the surrounding area. The glass panels deconstruct the environment into thousands of small images (Figure 7.02).

The combination of tilted, rotated, and tinted glass creates a “sparkle of light” on the facade with out the use of colored glass. The variation of glass panes catches the plethora

Figure 7.02 Facade during sunset

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of color in the surrounding area, in an effort to mimic the reflective qualities of the Hudson River (Figure 7.03-04).

“Architecture is connecting, belonging... but it is also harmonizing the inanimate with the living.”

- Jean Nouvel

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Figure 7.03 View of 100 11th Avenue from New Jersey during sunset

Figure 7.04 View of 100 11th Avenue from New Jersey mid day 93

Framing The View “The apartments are like the “eye,” Roof Terrace splitting up and reconstructing this complex landscape: one framing Twenty-First Floor the horizon, another framing the white curve in the sky, another Twentieth Floor framing boats on the Hudson River, and on the other side,Nineteenth oneFloor framing the Manhattan skyline. The transparencies are in keepingEighteenth withFloor the reflections. And the patterns Seventeenth Floor of New York brickwork are echoed and contrasted in the geometric Sixteenth Floor composition of these rectangles of clear glass.” - Jean Nouvel 3 Fiftheenth Floor Fourteenth Floor

View corridors of Manhattan’s rich fabric offer a living textbook of Thirteenth NewFloor York history. The narrative begins Twelfth Floor among the 19th century townhouses and historic warehouses of West Eleventh Floor Chelsea, and sweeps northwards to Tenth Floor include the elegant London Terrace, Art Deco grandeur of the Empires Ninth Floor State Building, and Midtown’s post Floor modern icons, concluding atEighththe Starrett-Lehigh Building on the Seventh Floor riverfront. Just as this Bauhausinspired neighbor demonstrated the Sixth Floor artistic potential of new engineering, Fifth Floor each of these landmarks defined contemporaneity in their unique Fourth Floor time period (Figure 7.06).

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Figure 7.05 Section of 100 11th Avenue

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Figure 7.06 Framed views of Manhattan through north facade

1. Hudson 3) River/New Jersey Times Square NY TimesGarden Headquarters 2. Madison4)Square 5) 23 Street Building 3. Times Square 6) Empire State Building 7) Headquarters Madison Square Park 4. NY Times 8) 10th Avenue Church 5. 23rd Street Building 9) 19th Street 6. Empire State Building 7. Madison Square Park 8. 10th Avenue Church 9. 19th Street Figure 7.07 Punched openings through north facade

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Figure 7.08 Unrolled elevation of north facade

The South Facade Every residence within 100 11th Avenue includes floor-to-ceiling window walls with operable windows oriented to the southwest.

Taking advantage of the sites proximity to the Hudson River, occupants of 100 11th Avenue have an unobstructed view of the river and lower Manhattan (Figure 7.09).

Figure 7.09 View of the Hudson through the south facade

Roof Top Terrace

Penthouse Suite Figure 7.11 Unrolled elevation of south facade

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The North Facade The back facade of 100 11th Avenue incorporates a series of punched openings, framing different views of Manhattan’s rich urban fabric. Unlike the sprawling panoramic view from the south facade, the north facade creates view corridors which direct one’s vision to the surrounding districts and neighborhoods (Figure 7.10).

Figure 7.10 Framed views from the north facade

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Figure 7.12 Section showing thickening of floor slab

Building Up of Thickness Through the thickening of the floor plates (Figure 7.12), Ateliers Jean Nouvel was able to do much more than create a column free floor plan. As the edge of the concrete floor slab is thickened, Nouvel is able to hide many of systems that operate within the building. The moment where the floor plates met the facade was a very crucial.

From the exterior, Nouvel did not want a spandrel condition where one could read the floor slabs.

Figure 7.13 Render with shades up

A method was used that prevented use of a spandrel, and created a void between the edge of the slab and the facade. This space allowed for Nouvel to integrate a semi transparent shading device to provide a degree of privacy for the residents (Figure 7.13-14).

Figure 7.14 Render with shades down

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Figure 7.15 Pattern created by shading devices

Pattern Behind a Pattern Known for designing everything down to the smallest details, Ateliers Jean Nouvel developed a unique shading system that was incorporated into each of the residential units. Due to the nature of the extremely large window walls, Nouvel providing a uniform system throughout the building, rather then giving the occupants the freedom to choose their own. When viewed from the exterior, the uniform system not only creates a sense of harmony throughout the building but it introduces another pattern behind that of the facade.

Similar to the patterning of a variety of glass panes, Nouvel introduces a series of shades that vary in width and color. The edges of the strips overlap each other and create a layed effect.

Figure 7.16 Series of photographs of shades lowering

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NOTES 1 Jean Nouvel 2 Jean Nouvel 3 Jean Nouvel 4 Leininger, Francois - AJN 5 Tabor, Philip - Prudential Douglas Elliman IMAGES Figure 7.01 Wired New York Figure 7.02 DBox Figure 7.03 Wired New York Figure 7.04 Wired New York Figure 7.05 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 7.06 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 7.07 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 7.08 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 7.09 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 7.10 Prudential Douglas Elliman Figure 7.11 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 7.12 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe ( Adaptation of diagrams by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 7.13 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 7.14 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 7.15 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 7.16 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe

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“Just as the High Line elevated railway is being transformed into a public park, Jean Nouvel uses living materials to celebrate a powerful work of engineering. His use of living materials is a crucial component of his engineering virtuosity, and unmistakable element of his aesthetic �

- Prudential Douglas Elliman

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Figure 8.02 Facade Render of the High Line.

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Interpreting Chelsea Zoning Laws

The loggia space is a kaleidoscope of meaning, function, and imagery.

In New York City, there are strict zoning laws that require the use of setbacks and street wall to provide the city with more open light and air between adjacent lots. With this project, Nouvel decided to challenge the street “wall” concept, to try and develop a “screen,” or veil to hide his tower behind [Francois Leininger].

There were numerous iterations of this space, the final design arising from an intuitive trial-and-error process. Through the study of the architectural development of this additional layer of the building, one begins to see Nouvel’s genius arise from blending the combination of strict urban code with engineering and aesthetic ingenuity.

In Chelsea, New York, as well as in many other districts in Manhattan, the street wall is a building requirement, and not only must it exist, but it also has to serve a function for the building and building users [Francois Leininger]. In the office Nouvel began to push the idea of the “tower behind the screen” to develop a new rhetoric for this design component. Whereas most other street walls in the city were solid wall structures, with holes punched into them, Nouvel wished to create a breathable “screen” with spaces for views permeating a dense network of materials and Figure 8.03 Render, view looking south - Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

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Figure 8.04 Diagram of mega panel map on the loggia.

Figure 8.05 Diagram of loggia structure matrix via Ateliers Jean Nouvel.

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structural elements. This was the first time an architect began to reinterpret the street wall system as a screen in New York City, and stands alone as such to test other

The strict rules governing the trees also control many other visible phenomena in the loggia.

The horizontal structural elements were designed to allow a specific

designers to this day.

percentage of breathability and views from the outside into the cast of tent trees, as well as to maintain vertical shafts for window cleaners.

These vertical spaces also had to dance around the extending apartment terraces, all fighting for the same space.

According to the law, Nouvel knew that a certain percent of the street wall had to serve as actual façade for the building. This is where he created extensions from apartments on the lower levels and opened these spaces as terraces with operable windows on the loggia layer. In these spaces, inhabitants feel themselves occupying layers of the façade system. Caught between the extending tower façade, and the porous loggia façade, the apartment owners can eat, relax and spend leisure time suspended between two exterior membranes, a space that creates a dialogue that blurs the edges between interiority and exteriority.

Figure 8.06

Here, too, inhabitants are brought into the presence of the cast of ten trees. This aspect of the façade was seen as a “modern hanging garden,” and carefully articulated as to express as random an arrangement and assortment as possible [100 11th Ave. Residences]. No two trees occupy the same plane horizontally or vertically, such that any view one has of the set of trees, they are immersed in a combination of seeing trunks, branches, plan-views, and views of the mirror-plated planters.

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Figure 8.08 Corner condition of a tree in the loggia.

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Figure 8.09 Composition of ten trees and planters suspended in the loggia. Unrolled elevation.

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Figure 8.10 View to terrace extension from Apartment 4A.

This view is of Apartment 4A. On the ceiling, one can see the construction lines running horizonally across the ceiling plane in the image. These construction lines delineate material

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To the far right, is apartment 4A’s kitchen [hidden behind a wall here], where a vertical shaft of light and volumetric height can be seen just around the bend. The kitchen beyond this point has raised ceilings, as well as another bedroom on this side of the apartment.

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Figure 8.11 Threshold between interior and terrace space, Apartment 4A.

Here is a view of the loggia terrace - an extension into the facade - that occurs in apartments below the 7th floor. These spaces can be enclosed in many ways. In apartment 4A, the terrace is closed-off from the sky and to the left, but opens to views of trees to the right.

This loggia terrace also has operable windows that open up onto a view of Frank Gehry’s IAC building, which is just next door.

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Practicality + Architectural Intelligence

The loggia space both strictly follows and reinterprets the zoning laws of Chelsea, New York. At the same time, it talks to the tower it shields in profound ways through the expression of its elements and its connection to the roof terrace.

Figure 8.12 View of mirror on planters .

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Connected to the penthouse suite, Nouvel and his team designed a breathtaking roof terrace, a private garden for the owner of the twentysecond floor. This space was meant to be greater than any existing roof terrace, an occupiable space spanning the entire foot print of the building. The roof terrace belongs not only to the sky and penthouse suit, but it is intimately connected to the faรงade. Here, the mega panel faรงade is pulled up from below to form a railing on the south-west sides, and the black brick faรงade is pulled up in a similar manner on the north-east edges. Elements on the roof terrace had to include the clearance space for the elevator shafts, as well storage space for building maintenance crews.

Nouvel used these obstructive elements as characters in the roofscape, positioning them in ways to create cinematic views out onto the Manhattan skyline, while maintaining and expansive, unobstructed view to the Hudson River. On the roof terrace, one is connected to the fine, diminishing

Figure 8.13 View looking southwest on the roof terrace.

Figure 8.14 View looking northeast on the roof terrace.

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Figure 8.15 Penthouse suite exterior terrace.

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line of the mega panel façade, as well as the earth’s horizon just beyond, skimming the edge of the vast Atlantic Ocean. There is also a vertical, open-air space that connects the penthouse suite to the roof terrace. Much like the spaces extending from the apartments into the loggia, this space is also trapped between an interior façade membrane and the tower’s extending mega panel façade. From the roof terrace, there is a small footbridge that crosses over this vertical space, where viewers can see into the indoor-outdoor space, as well as into the penthouse’s office space, directly adjacent to the indoor-outdoor room on the penthouse level. After crossing the small footbridge, one is on the edge of the building that looks down upon the High Line. Here, exposed to the High Line Park, one is also connected to the brown and red-brick expanses of Manhattan to the left and the glittering blue and yellows of the Hudson River to the right. This is a place where Nouvel has captured the connection between past and present in the building, reconnecting New Yorkers to their current situation in the constructed forms of Manhattan and at the same time, tipping a hat to the Hudson River, an element that has defined the city since its inception.

As Olivier Boissiere points out, Nouvel’s “respect of history meant taking into account the present and posing the question of time” [Boissiere, 16].

Figure 8.16 View south from outdoor penthouse terrace.

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NOTES 1 “100 11th Ave. Residences by Ateliers Jean Nouvel with Beyer Blinder Belle.” Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2009.

2 Interview with Francois Leininger 3 Interview with Francois Leininger 4 “100 11th Ave. Residences by Ateliers Jean Nouvel with Beyer Blinder Belle.” Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2009.

5 Boissiere, Olivier. “The Architecture of Jean Nouvel.” In Studio Paperback: Jean Nouvel, edited by Irene Bisang, Brigitta Neumeister-Taroni, 9-26. Basel: Birkhauser Verlag, 1996.

IMAGES Figure 8.01 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 8.02 Good Blog Figure 8.03 DBox Figure 8.04 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe (Adaptation of diagram by Ateliers Jean Nouvel) Figure 8.05 Ateliers Jean Nouvel Figure 8.06 Wired New York Figure 8.07 Wired New York Figure 8.08 Wired New York Figure 8.09 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 8.10 Bennett, Fabrizio, Kehoe Figure 8.11 Wired New York Figure 8.12 Figure 8.13 Figure 8.14 Figure 8.15 Figure 8.16

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Our experiences as a group of three students with this building, the characters that went into its design, and those involved with its current realization has been a journey beyond our wildest dreams. From experiencing the building exterior during a simple walking tour two years ago, to being immersed in the breathtaking penthouse suite, and learning first-hand from the project architect, this building has touched our minds and shaped our dreams as students in profound ways. We took multiple trips across the northeast to search out conversation, information, and experiences that have come together to shape this exhibition on 100 11th Ave., and still we only begin to skim the surface of the complex architecture laden in this project.

Learning from the practice and product of the architectural master, Jean Nouvel, we have come to see and value so much more about the built world. Like the revolutionary himself, we wish to provide as many facets and reflections into this project as there are stories, images, and experiences to be had with the grand vision machine.

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Designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 100 11th Avenue stands as a monolith against the backdrop of Manhattan.

Reflecting the changing light of the sky in a dazzling multicolored and ever-changing pixeled array, the complex curtain wall creates a dynamic element in the otherwise gray skyline of New York City. Coined as the “Vision Machine”, Nouvel uses 100 11th Ave. as a continuation of his studies of light, cinematography, and architectural studies to negotiate a full on view of the city and Hudson River from some of Manhattan’s newest most desirable addresses while disguising its scale and eroding its street edge in kaleidoscopic camouflage.

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