The Building
When describing 152 Elizabeth, Tadao
Ando felt that along with embracing Manhattan, it was a paramount for the
building to create a sort of sanctuary apart from it. According to Ando, “A
home has to be a place where you can reflect on your life. This project is
about that. When you come home, 152 Elizabeth should give a quiet feeling. I
have to make something that touches human hearts and leaves a feeling inside of
them”.
In regards to the building, Ando speaks about 152 Elizabeth being made of “20th-century materials” — concrete, iron, and glass. For a building to truly work, Ando believes there has to be a balance of its elements — not just between the light and the shadow, but also between the water, the greenery, the steel, and the glass. About 152 Elizabeth, Ando says that “Every single thing has to be in harmony”.
In regards to the building, Ando speaks about 152 Elizabeth being made of “20th-century materials” — concrete, iron, and glass. For a building to truly work, Ando believes there has to be a balance of its elements — not just between the light and the shadow, but also between the water, the greenery, the steel, and the glass. About 152 Elizabeth, Ando says that “Every single thing has to be in harmony”.
The Interior
At 152 Elizabeth, Michael Gabellini
likens his role as its interior architect to that of a made-to-measure suit
tailor. Of integrating his immaculately detailed designs into the Tadao
Ando–designed building, he says, “I wouldn’t say what I’m doing is couture. I
don’t know if I’d even use an overused word like ‘bespoke.’ I think the word
for this building is ‘tailored.’” By that, he means that each of the seven
residences is individually configured to create, as he puts it, “optimal
proportionality so that programmatically these apartments are sustainable
through successive owners.” The main idea, he stresses, is for the spaces to be
so timeless—and of such high quality—that they’re cherished, maintained, and
passed down, not torn apart and replaced by something else a few decades later.
Establishing the 152 Elizabeth residences required honing in on four main
concepts, or elements, that define the interior and exterior spaces: light,
air, sound, and water.
While light has long been a signature of Ando’s architecture, Gabellini
points out that Ando has mastered light because he combines it “with the idea
of the shadow playing in.” Upon entering the building, one will immediately
experience the tension between light and shadow to profound effect. In the
residences, natural light will be brought in via floor-to-ceiling windows that
frame the space. Artificial-lighting concepts will be incorporated to provide
ambience and balance daylight—or occasionally simulate it.
Sound was also a “defining element” for Gabellini,
who wished to construct an acoustical cocoon that allows for concentration and
comfort. Using airport-quality exterior glass, the window-wall façade removes
outside noise. Wood-paneled areas between each residence’s public and private
areas will contribute to each space’s acoustical qualities, as will the custom
Dinesen oak flooring planks. Accentuating this seamless setting will be
full-height doors and floating walls.
Nature is celebrated throughout. From the water wall in the vestibule to reflecting
pools in the penthouse, water will add a sense of animation and contemplation.
The sprawling downtown views will round out the space, bringing the outside in
and the inside out. One of the building’s most distinctive features will be a
55-foot-high and 99-foot-wide living green wall that hugs the fourth and fifth
floor terraces. Of the resulting residences, Gabellini
says, “I look as this as a composition of complementary opposites. Ando’s
primary elements—light and water—have been layered with two additional
elements: air and sound. These environmental spatial attributes—light, air,
sound, and water—are creating the frame for these portraits that are individual
living spaces.”
The word ‘luxury’ is so amorphous and anonymous. For us, this idea of luxury is how you think about fitting out a space with proportion, with a sense of materiality.Michael Gabellini
Model Apartments
152 Elizabeth is singular in its approach
to delivering on an unprecedented level of craft and quality. There has been an
exceptional commitment to offering a level of detailing and use of materials
that would only be exhibited in custom residences.
This is clearly demonstrated upon visiting the recently completed model apartments. The synergistic relationship between the nuances of the architecture of Tadao Ando and the subtlety of the interiors of Michael Gabellini is viscerally felt upon entering. It is in this moment that one can truly experience the vision of 152 Elizabeth as an urban sanctuary.
This is clearly demonstrated upon visiting the recently completed model apartments. The synergistic relationship between the nuances of the architecture of Tadao Ando and the subtlety of the interiors of Michael Gabellini is viscerally felt upon entering. It is in this moment that one can truly experience the vision of 152 Elizabeth as an urban sanctuary.
