416-420 Kent, Williamsburg
In April 2016, the designs for three new residential towers for Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighbourhood were revealed. New York-based ODA’s aim is that the towers, called 416-420 Kent, have a revitalising impact on the neglected East River waterfront, introducing a new sense of community, along with natural light and green space.
Comprising 800,000 sq. ft, of accommodation the three 22-storey towers are made up of 857 apartment units, of which 20% will be affordable housing. The main claim of the studio is that their design ‘reinvents the language’ of apartment buildings.
Traditionally, residents wanting a corner apartment would only have the option of one of the four that frame each floor on a normal building. ODA has designed corner units that comprise more than 80% of the apartments. Using two standard floor plans and mirroring them around the central axis, ODA has created three distinct towers featuring multi-dimensional facades and mid-floor ‘corner’ units. Private garden terraces will be created by cantilevering shifts in the floor plan.
ODA architect Eran Chen said:
“420 Kent’s design strays from the classic commercial extrusion consumed by today’s typical residential towers. The vast majority of rectangularly extruded towers in NYC are formal results of many historical, contextual and practical influences. For years, the archetypal -curtain wall- towers were realms of massive corporations, and as population density in New York increased, our habitats naturally adopted a similar two dimensional shape.
“The BIG BOX concept created an inherent hierarchy with the four corners being most desirable: corner apartment, corner office, corner view etc. ODA challenges this hierarchy by designing a tower where most dwelling units are a corner apartment. Furthermore, this formal condition articulates architecture’s effect on creating dynamic skylines with 420 Kent’s towers and voids engaged in a conversation between figure and ground.”
(Images courtesy of Bloomimages.)
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 262 Fifth Avenue.
- Arches Boulogne, France.
- Empire State Building.
- Fox Plaza, LA.
- Kaplan North Masterplan Complex.
- New York Horizon.
- Nexus.
- One Hyde Park.
- Pier 55, New York.
- Shanghai Tower.
- Tallest buildings in the world.
- The Lowline.
- The Mile.
- Trump Tower New York.
- US Embassy hotel plans.
- Vista Tower, Chicago.
- West End Green.
Featured articles and news
Not buildings. Happy holiday from DB.
Future Homes Standard: Industry calls for more ambition
As the Government FHS consultation finally closes.
Improving government projects with data and AI
Enabling better outcomes, efficient modern delivery and influential leadership on government projects.
BSRIA Living Laboratory Innovation Challenge
Final days for submission, closing March 29.
Windows, their frames, forms, factors and functions.
The hidden subtleties of U-Value calculations
Different contexts and what to include as variables.
A brief run down with related articles.
Electrical sector calls for safer public EV charge points
Serious concerns about electrical safety in the public domain.
Building Blocks manifesto presented to parliament
Architects Declare call in for support of five critical policies.
The four elements of project management with APM
Analysis, expectations, collaborative communication and partnerships.
City of London launches Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit
Empowering owners to initiate necessary adaptations.
Guidance on RAAC in listed buildings
Published by Purcell, endorsed by IHBC, SPAB and C20.
Learning from the past.
Reluctance to hire people with criminal convictions revealed
Employing People with Criminal Convictions Report.
Tackling unconscious bias; Women's History Month
Personal reflections, as the last week of March approaches.