category Architecture

one jackson square new york, ny

Located in ’s , One Jackson Square is a 35-unit luxury residential development that responds in dramatic fashion to its celebrated locale. This historic district is home to the highest concentration of early architecture in , and introducing new structures to this intricate fabric must respect its existing architecture, the artistic life within its boundaries, and the history that permeates its streets. The district, however, is not frozen in time, as its recent transformation into an affluent enclave has demonstrated.

Formerly a surface parking lot, the six-sided, split-zone site above two subway tunnels poses significant challenges, which the design negotiates through its massing, material expression, and robust foundation. It also provides a long-missing north edge to Jackson Square Park, a wedge-shaped space formed by the convergence of Greenwich and Eighth Avenues.

The building volume steps down from 11 stories to seven stories, from north to south, accom- modating the zoning laws and mediating the varied scales of the neighborhood. Undulating bands of glass identify individual floors, creating a ribbon-like series of convexities and con- cavities along the street wall. The predominantly masonry structures of the immediate sur- roundings, along with the park, are “played back” in the glazed façade, creating an intimacy of scale congruent with the local context through juxtaposition. The fluid form of the façade is reprised in the lobby, where a bamboo-clad volume is conceived as a block of wood eroded over time by the ebb and flow of residents, much like a river erodes its banks.

A series of green roofs extends the private realm of the building into the public domain of the park. The planted decks also signal the project’s environmental agenda, which includes sustainable materials, rainwater harvesting, and daylighting.

Born from the idiosyncrasies, scale, and spirit of the neighborhood, One Jackson Square sets a new standard for exceptional additions to the district’s historic fabric. physical context The site is an obtuse corner defined by the angle at which Greenwich and 8th Avenues meet. Fronting Jackson Square Park, a public park in one of the oldest historic districts in Manhattan, the site is a unique place in the Manhattan’s predominantly gridded fabric. One Jackson Square reflects the unique form and history of its site. manhattan perris, 1855 manhattan bromley, 1911 manhattan bromley, 1935

urban edges Once lined with a consistent edge of row houses, the site was flattened in the late 1920s by the construction of the 8th Avenue Subway Line. The subway tunnel had been seen as an obstacle for new construction since that time, so the site served as a surface parking lot for over 80 years. The flat lot exposed the rear walls of the buildings on , which were never intended for view, and left the northern edge of Jackson Square Park undefined. gateway to historical district At the boundary of both the Greenwich Village Historic District and Jackson Square Park, the site demands an urban edge significant enough to mark this complex intersection while allowing the Historic District to change and evolve with the passing of time. A product of the dynamism of its own time, One Jackson Square provides such an edge. zoning erosion The split-block site falls within two different zoning districts: The denser of the two relates to 14th Street; the other relates to the intimate scale of Greenwich Village. The as-of-right building volume generates an unusual form and requires the joining of a taller mass to a lower one. The object-making power of this unusual form is adopted in the design and accentuated with a series of horizontal glass ribbons. contextual dialog Context is a consideration unique to art of architecture. Healthy urban environments occur when buildings engage one another. Rather than imitating the old stylistically or formally, successful new structures engage existing buildings by establishing a point of view that heightens the awareness of the old. One Jackson Square places its surroundings in high relief, seeking dialogue through contrast rather than mimicry. The spirit of Greenwich Village and the character of its urban fabric necessitated a unique response from the building. The surface quality of its glass façade coupled with its geometry of undulating ribbons achieved such a response. zoning as-of-right horizontal segregation elevation VEGETATED ROOF WITH INDIGENOUS PLANTING HIGH LOCAL INDOOR AIR MATERIALS QUALITY

500mi 800km GREY WATER LOW VOC RECYCLING FOR PAINT AND IRRIGATION ADHESIVES

LOW-VOC

RECYCLED FINISHES

DOUBLE GLAZED LOW-E GLASS

NATURAL EFFICIENT VENTILATION LIGHTING WITH OPERABLE WINDOWS

BICYCLE OFF ENERGY STAR STORAGE APPLIANCES

INDIVIDUAL CONTROLS

sustainability Located in a dense, walkable neighborhood, the building offers indoor bicycle storage and ample subway and bus stops. Passive heating and cooling strategies complement a highly efficient HVAC. Low-e glass allows ample daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting. An indoor air quality program was implemented to keep mechanical systems clear of construction debris and dust, increasing their longevity and efficiency. Interior finishes use local materials high in recycled content and low in volatile organic compounds. An expansive sedum green roof insulates the building and mitigates the “heat island” effect. Indigenous vegetation reduces storm water runoff and provides a habitat for urban fauna.

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1 Curtain wall anchor 2 Horizontal mullion

10 3 Fire stopping and smoke seal 4 Foil faced mineral wool insulation 5 Split spandrel structure 11 6 Split spandrel

12 7 Polyurethane sealant, closed cell backer rod 8 Gwb soffit fascia 9 Vertical mullion 10 Low-iron, low-e IGU 11 Wide plank solid white oak flooring 12 Extruded aluminum trim

ribbon spandrel The split horizontal joint at the floor slab allows each floor to undulate independently. A head and a sill are created by the split in the steel horizontal mullion. Fifteen to twenty foot segments of these pre-fabricated steel horizontals are attached to the edge of each structural slab. The head of the unit is joined to the sill of the unit below with a vertical mullion. This horizontal and vertical undulating grid is then in filled with an insulated high performance glazing unit. Curtain wall anchor Horizontal mullion Fire stopping and smoke seal Foil faced mineral wool insulation Split spandrel structure Split spandrel Polyurethane sealant, closed cell backer rod Gwb soffit fascia Vertical mullion Low-iron, low-e IGU Wide plank solid white oak flooring Extruded aluminum trim faceted curve The curves that define the facade are made of flat panels. Like a sequin dress, the panels reflect light and images dynamically. The facets “break-up” images of the surrounding buildings on the surface of the façade through reflection. The fractured reflected image on the façade brings the context to the surface and is “played back” in a unique fashion. street wall The undulating street wall made of glass is informed by traditional serpentine brick walls which require fewer bricks due to the stability of their curved forms. Reflecting the park and the surrounding buildings at subtly varied angles, the panes form a cinematic façade that is both dynamic as one moves around it. The street-level retail and lobby of the building further enliven the street wall. lobby An extension of the undulating street wall, the lobby is envisioned as a solid whose form has been carved by the ebb and flow of passersby. For the lobby, bamboo plywood is used in lieu of glass in order to convey a sense of warmth and welcome people into the dwelling. A skylight at the end of the lobby brings natural illumination to the far end of the lobby—an unusual feature in a Manhattan apartment building.

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directed movement Within the lobby, points of interest—the concierge, a shelf for flowers, a bench, a banquet shelf, and a shaft connecting to the lounge below—are placed along a meandering path. These elements direct the flow of people through the lobby as they are drawn inward by the sunlit elevator vestibule.

1 Vestibule 4 Visual connection to lounge 2 Concierge 5 Elevator lobby 3 Lobby bench 6 Elevators pattern making A tempered, organic modernism guides the arrangement of interior space and detailing. Four-inch stone discs were placed into the terrazzo floor in a seemingly random order. They are distributed most densely at the center of the pathway and more sparsely towards the edges, anticipating the distribution of foot traffic in the space. wall fabrication During the design process, a detailed computer model of the lobby was crafted for visual and spatial studies. The model was then thickened and cut into vertical pieces. These pieces were then nested with sophisticated computer software and routed with a CNC machine into 4’x8’ sheets of bamboo plywood. The pieces of bamboo were then stacked, glued, sanded, and finished in a controlled environment of-site. The resulting prefabricated panels were delivered to the site and hand-placed, one by one, into the interior of the lobby. “nested” panel shapes stacked fabrication elevator cab

vertical movement The structure’s two elevator cabs visually reinforce the major themes of the building. Calacatta stone slabs form the floor, a walnut plank wraps the inside, and a seemingly random aesthetic guides the placement of the LED lights in the mirrored stainless wall. Instead of the kind of top lighting commonly used in elevators, these LEDs illuminate the space from the sides. amenity space The major element that shapes the amenities space is the 8th Avenue Subway. The shape of the plan required inventive solutions to the problem of arranging program elements. Geometries such as irregular, faceted walls create moments within the plan that temper what would otherwise be an ungraceful plan shape.

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plan The lounge at One Jackson Square was designed to provide a flexible series of uses. Considered the buildings collective living room, the lounge can be used for informal meetings, hosting parties, watching film, and exercise.

1 Lounge vestibule 4 Kitchen 2 Fireplace 5 Treatment Room 3 Living room 6 Exercise lounge vestibule Tower apartments 1/2 - 1 unit per floor

Duplex apartments 3 units per floor

Low-rise apartments 5 units per floor

Retail

apartment types Three basic types of apartments make up the building. Low-rise units connect to street and park. Mid-rise duplex units strongly connect to Greenwich Village. High-rise units look out to the city and the river beyond in three directions, letting residents watch both the sunrise and sunset. 4 Bedroom Studio 3 Bedroom Lobby 2 Bedroom Retail 1 Bedroom low-rise The low-rise portion of the building houses the majority of the apartments. A mix of one, two, and three bedroom apartments fill the second through fifth floors. These apartments participate in the activity of the park and street. mid-rise The mid-rise section of the building is spread across two floors. Housing two-level duplex apartments and terraces, this portion of the building participates in the verve of Greenwich Village. At the datum of the rooftops of Greenwich Village, these units are physically and visually connected to the surrounding neighborhood. high-rise The most spacious apartments are located in the tower portion of the building, which offers views in all directions. The windows of each apartment extend below the edge of the hardwood floor, hiding their bottom casings, so the floor appears to float independently from the glass walls. Floating above street, park and Village, these spaces blend fluidly into the New York skyline.