EASY LIVING

Five amenities-rich residential developments showcase New York apartment-building design at its coolest

text: peter webster

See page 126 for the West Residence Club in Hell’s Kitchen, the first Manhattan condominium project by the Dutch firm Concrete. Photography: Ewout Huibers/courtesy of Concrete.

“A sense of sanctuary is implicit in our interiors— Manhattan is a beautiful place, but you need to be able to shut out the noise when you come home”

Tsao & McKown Architects

project 7W57, Midtown. standout Unlike its supertall Billionaire’s Row neighbors, Hill West Architects’s condominium is a mere 20 stories high, but the serene calm of Calvin Tsao’s flowing interior spaces removes the 15 residences so completely from the city’s bustle they might as well be on the 90th floor. Oak-paneled vestibules, white-oak floors, bronze-finished kitchen cabinets, statuary marble–clad bathrooms, programmable smart-home features, and the skillful interplay of natural and artificial light all help create havens of elegant and cocooning sophistication. photography Sean Hemmerle.

Slade Architecture

project The Cove, Long Island City. standout For SLCE Architects’s new 18-story, 123-unit rental building, Hayes and James Slade’s public and amenities spaces brim with character and mindful detail. Bent stainless-steel pipes define the entry; a membrane ceiling and curved walls fronted with walnut rods give the lobby a soft, sculpted vibe; the library offers a calm zone for study or cowork; metal tubes form dynamic ceiling planes in the fitness center and game room; and more rods and other wooden elements, including benches, bring warmth to the rooftop terrace. photography Tom Sibley.

“The priority was to choreograph a variety of interior environments that are simultaneously well-appointed and luxurious, independent and socially distanced”

CetraRuddy Architecture

project 212 West 72nd Street, Upper West Side. standout John Cetra and Nancy Ruddy have transformed Handel Architects’s 2010 modernist rental building—its rounded corner facade a neighborhood icon—into a state-of-the-art luxury condominium with 126 private residences. Arched forms distinguish interior public spaces, from the double-height, walnut-paneled lobby to the sumptuous resident lounge, adjacent children’s playroom with reading nooks, and fully equipped fitness center, while the landscaped roof deck offers peerless uptown vistas. photography Jason Schmitz.

JG Neukomm Architecture

project The Landon, Midtown West. standout Architect Jean-Gabriel Neukomm drew inspiration from his own photographs of deserts in California and New Mexico when renovating the lobby and amenities areas in this 329-unit building from 1998. “I liked the images’ soft, dusky palettes, and how those could straddle color, tone, and texture,” he explains. Ergo, the inviting spaces include an expansive, double-height lounge—formerly a basketball court—with an abstract sun-motif mural and an oak-and-plaster stair leading to a newly added rooftop terrace with sweeping views. photography Scott Frances/Otto.

“The column-free lounge was kept open but partitioned via a central overscale planter with four new trees”

“A major focal point is the craftsmanship— bespoke interior and exterior elements create an elevated atmosphere in which every detail matters”

Concrete

project The West Residence Club, Hell’s Kitchen. standout The multidisciplinary Dutch firm’s first New York residential project—a 12-story building housing 219 loftlike apartments—incorporates more than 30,000 square feet of curated amenities spaces across several levels. These include a freestanding glass-enclosed library with a fireplace, living room, and coworking table next to the lobby; a double-height fitness center with an outdoor terrace on the eighth floor; and a rooftop swimming pool and lounge area overlooking the Hudson River and city skyline. Photography Clockwise from top left: Adrian Gaut; Ewout Huibers/courtesy of Concrete (2); Adrian Gaut; Ewout Huibers/courtesy of Concrete.