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Showing posts from October 15, 2010

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Designed as a direct descendent of French architect Jean Nouvel’s Parisian landmark Arab World Institute building, his new 23-storey residential tower overlooking the Hudson River is nearing completion. Previously known as 100 11th, the tower has now been named Nouvel Chelsea in admiration of the architect’s prestige but the architect himself has called it his ‘vision machine’. Nouvel’s own input in the luxury condominium block has been felt to the very last detail, from bathroom fixtures to the clever light enhancing technique of adding an extra layer of nearly imperceptible transparent gloss under the windows to boost incoming sunlight. Almost 1700 individually sized colourless glass panes are set at unique angles and torques to create a glimmering pixilated façade and frame some of the most spectacular views in the city, making each of the 72 residences distinctive from the next. Some windows reach as much as16 ft tall or 37 ft across.

October 15, 2010

Connecting the upper 4 floors of the Sperone Westwater gallery on Manhattan’s Bowery is a beguiling, bright red 12 by 20 foot moving room, part gallery – part elevator. The centrepiece of Foster + Partners‘ elegant micro-skyscraper, elegantly wedged between the existing buildings of this busy street, is completely visible from the exterior – offering an utterly unique façade, its leisurely speed offering stark contrast to the traffic below. The gallery itself is light, airy and belying its compact proportions, especially in the imposing street-level double height, 27-foot high space. Opening with an exhibition of paintings by Argentinean artist, Guillermo Kuitca – that runs until 6th November – this new space looks set to heighten the Bowery’s credentials as Manhattan’s next art hotspot, whilst becoming an architectural icon all of its own…

October 15, 2010

ARTIST.....?

October 15, 2010

There has been a lot of speculation and rumor about just who is buying into egolicious artist Julian Schnabel's pinky red behemoth in the West Village, a controversial and ornate building that Your Mama happens to love not for it's missing beauty marks, but simply because it flips the proverbial bird at all the lovely but ubiquitous glass towers that have and continue to sprout all up and down the far West Side of Manhattan. What a nice change of pace to get something loaded with pizazz and personality versus one of these banal Costas Kondylis monstrosities or yet another gorgeous, sleek and minimalist glass things by Richard Meier or Winka Dubbeldam .