Feature: Building Blocks
March 1, 2008
Pelli Clarke Pelli
The architectural firm Pelli Clarke Pelli is making New York
their kind of town with one of several sustainable residential towers in Battery
Park City, Manhattan—the Visionaire. "It’s a well-designed building in every
regard: use of materials, level of sophistication and exceptional detailing,"
notes principal Rafael Pelli, who added a curved-glass facade that allows for
stunning southern views of the Hudson River Harbor, including the Statue of
Liberty. Natural light washes far into the open floor plans of 250 condominiums
on 33 floors, expected to open this fall.
"Sustainable design has come quite a long way in 10 years in America. You can’t distinguish between it and any other high-design aesthetic," says project architect Craig Copeland. Tim Button of Stedila Design devised the Visionaire’s elegant interiors, mixing natural materials like river-washed black stone, hand-finished cut glass, oak wood and creamy limestone. "The green products out there are extraordinary," says Button. "The market is much more sophisticated now—people understand more."
While the firm’s Solaire (The Robb Report Collection, November 2006) was designated an AIA/COTE Top Ten Green Project for 2004, further technological and material advancements have been utilized in the Visionaire. The building employs all of the latest green engineering elements, including optimal humidifying and de-humidifying HVAC. "Maybe there’s a museum in town that has better quality air," says Copeland.
Pelli Clarke Pelli, 203.777.2515, www.pcparch.com
The Visionaire, 212.425.2550,
www.thevisionaire.com
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