There is a powerful urban dynamic between the streets of New York and the High Line, a layered civic realm that has developed over generations and in many iterations. 520 West 28th conveys this contextual relationship, applying new ideas and concepts to create the latest evolution of the site’s rich history.
The split levels of the design define varied living spaces and echo the multiple layers of civic space on 28th Street and the High Line.
These split levels are expressed within the interlocking chevrons of 520 West 28th’s hand-crafted steel façade which carries the spirit of Chelsea’s industrial past; its detailed workmanship continues the venerable tradition within New York’s historic architecture of enhancing the public realm.
Rather than a staggered zigzag climbing the facade from floor to floor, the chevron is a continuous line, extending along and framing living spaces, bending around the soft curves of unbroken panoramic glass corners and wrapping the facade in free flowing lines each connected and looping continuously from one floor to the next.
Designed and constructed with a practiced understanding of material qualities and manufacturing techniques, the façade conveys the attention to detail evident throughout 520 West 28th—brushed and tinted by hand to resonate with the adjacent structures of the High Line and its neighbourhood.
The façade panels were engineered, cut, and welded by M. Cohen and Sons, a Philadelphia-based metal fabrication group offering design assist, engineering, project management, and installation services. They achieved a lustrous blackened finish by an antiquing process, light orbital brushing and hand tinting, to produce an effect that resonates with the adjacent elevated rail structure of the High Line.
520 W 28th Street’s façade successfully demonstrates a way of achieving a sculptural form by the repetition of a limited number of standard cladding panel types, while the use of common installation details and practices enabled Zaha Hadid Architects to apply the best practices for envelope performance and costs.
The 11-storey 520 West 28th houses 39 residences with 11-foot coffered ceilings, tailored interiors that incorporate Boffi kitchens by Zaha Hadid Design, and integrated technologies including automated valet parking and storage.
With multiple cores to give most residences private elevator lobbies, the amenities of 520 West 28th include the wellness level with spa and 25-yard sky-lit lap pool, sculpture garden, and entertainment suite with IMAX theatre.
Within an established community of over 350 art galleries that has seen the High Line’s transformation from abandoned freight rail line to public park, 520 West 28th embodies a commitment to uphold the distinctive character of its neighbourhood; creating a building with its own architectural presence, yet very much of its surroundings.
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Exterior View
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Exterior View
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Exterior View from the Hgh Line
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Facade Detail
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Facade Detail
Zaha Hadid Architects
Exterior View from the Hgh Line
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Facade Detail
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Exterior view
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Interior entrance
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Interior Staircase
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Interior view of pool
Photograph by Hufton + Crow
Interior View Apartment
Photograph by Scott Francis
Facade Study (digital sketch)
Zaha Hadid Foundation
Facade Articulation Study (painting using multiple perspectives)
Zaha Hadid Foundation
Formal Composition Study (painting using multiple perspectives)
New York City
United States
Related
08/2018
0 mq
Design: Zaha Hadid Architects; Local Architect: Ismael Leyva Architects (ILA)
Design: Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher
Photographs by Hufton + Crow & Scott Francis
Curriculum
Working with clients that have global reputations for excellence, Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) has redefined architecture for the 21st century with a repertoire of projects that have captured imaginations across the globe.
Form and space are woven within the structure of buildings that evolve from their surroundings and tie disparate programmes together. Enticingly contextual, each project combines an unwavering optimism for the future with concepts of connectivity and integration.
Receiving the highest honours from civic, professional and academic institutions worldwide, ZHA is one of the world’s most consistently inventive architectural studios—and has been for four decades.
Collaborating with visionary clients, communities and industry experts on more than 60 on-going projects, ZHA’s hugely talented and dedicated teams of over 400 experienced professionals work with passion and commitment to honour Zaha Hadid’s legacy and create transformational projects on six continents.