Architectural firm Adjaye Associates, commissioned by the real estate company Lightstone will design a 66-story condominium in the financial district located at 130 William Street. The head architect of the project will be David Adjaye, and this will be his first time designing a skyscraper of this magnitude. Adjaye Associates is responsible for numerous high profile designs, including the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture built in 2010 in Washington, D.C, the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver.
Throughout the design process of the building, Adjaye was sure to keep the history of the location in mind. “…he devised a tower with a facade of deeply textured cast concrete panels that have the appearance of volcanic rock, punctured by rows of arched windows meant to recall New York’s early warehouses.”[1] The aesthetic of the building is meant to be rooted in the city’s history, that’s why he opted not to go with the newer glass building look that has been sprouting up recently. “Instead, he devised a tower with a facade of deeply textured cast concrete panels that have the appearance, he said, of volcanic rock, punctured by rows of arched windows meant to recall New York’s early warehouses.”[2] It will be staggered and jagged, and will represent the brute architecture that began New York.
There will be 244 units in the building, ranging in price from $650,000 for studios, all the way up to $5.42 million for the larger four-bedrooms. Every aspect of the apartments will be customized, from faucets to cabinetry and appliances. The building will truly be a luxury condo with numerous amenities that will include “a large health and wellness center with a spa, basketball court and yoga studio; an IMAX private theater; a golf simulator; a children’s play center; and an indoor-outdoor lounge with a catering kitchen.”[3] There will also be a roof observatory which will include lounging space, grills, and private cabanas.
Unit owners are expected to move in in early 2020.
[1] McKeough, T. (2018, June). David Adjaye Designs a Tower for the Financial District. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/07/realestate/david-adjaye-designs-a-tower-for-the-financial-district.html Accessed on October 10, 2018
[2] Ib.
[3] Ib.