knickerbocker Size: 175,000-square-feet Date of Completion: April 2015 hotel Location: Times Square, New York, NY
The renovation of The Knickerbocker Hotel, a fifteen-story, 175,000 SF landmark Beaux-Arts building, is a modern interpretation aimed to recapture the essence of the historic hotel, but reinvigorated for the traveler of the 21st century. Structural improvements, preserva- tion efforts of the historic façade combined with public programming strategy, a refined material palette, and a transformed spatial dy- namic perpetuate the historic hotel into the modern era.
We are interested in what we call “Design Memory”, referring to the continual interplay between old and new, past and present, which pervades the modern city and its inhabitants. To restore a space whether in form, function, or both is to revive its presence within mem- ory and therefore allow it to participate in the present day. We like to think of architectural design as a catalyst of change that should highlight the present, imagine possibilities for the future and burnish the legacy of the historic space, yet without nostalgia and always embedded with a sense of modernity.
All images are photographs by Paul Warchol
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1 plans
TYPICAL GUESTROOM FLOOR PLAN GROUND FLOOR PLAN
4TH FLOOR PLAN ROOF TOP FLOOR PLAN
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BROADWAY 3 W
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GREENE SPRING PRINCE ST ST ST
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BROOME CROSBY ST SPRING
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LAFAYETTE
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GRAND ST KENMARE ST ST MOTT
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ST ST ST HOWARD
CENTRE ST MARKET
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0 50 100 200 500 section 4th floor elevation
typical room elevation
4 space & light The hotel interiors were designed to act as a cocoon from the sights and sounds of Times Square while softly reverberating the glow of the illuminated screens within the public spaces, bringing a sense of the city’s energy indoors. Triple glazed windows maintain a tranquil atmosphere from within. A neutral material palette of various marbles and ambient lighting, custom furniture and signature design elements are incorporated throughout the public spaces and guest suites. An Illuminated diptych mirror in the entry lobby augments the concentric design of the marble flooring and illuminated ceiling panels.
WINE ROOM CHARLIE PALMER BAR
5 adaptive reuse An adaptive reuse in its truest sense, we have reimagined the Sky Pavilions, which were originally used to hold flag poles. Carved within the historic oxidized copper along the mansard roof are private seating areas that give guests a one-of-a-kind experience perched above the cinematic glow of Times Square. This reimagination is a perfect example of adaptive reuse, salvaging the historic shell to create something that is a defining feature for the hotel. The living green wall adds to the sustainability of the property.
ROOFTOP ENTRANCE AND GREEN WALL SKY PAVILION SEATING ON ROOFTOP
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