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Metal Shutter Houses / Shigeru Ban

By David Basulto — Filed under: Featured , Housing , , ,
 

Starchitects are all over New York, giving an extra value to new condos in Manhattan. A few months ago i visted the Herzog & de Meuron and Bernard Tschumi projects on the lower east side, and they looked quite impressive. While most people didn’t liked the Tschumi’s Blu Condo, despite it’s iconic image, i had mixed feelings with HdM’s 40 Bond St.

But on West Chelsea a new 9 unit condo is under construction, designed by japanese Shigeru Ban. The project is located on the south side of West 19th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues in West Chelsea’s art gallery district, right next to the High Line, the Hudson River Park, Ghery´s IAC Building and Jean Nouvel´s 100 11th.

On this building, Shigeru Ban once again innovates on the material use by incorporating motorized perforated metal shutters on its -dynamic- facade, which act as light-modulating privacy screen at the outer edge of each residence’s terrace adjacent to the double-height living rooms.

From their website: This subtle “removable skin” echoes the neighboring gallery after-hours shutters, subtly contextualizing the building within its site. The building can literally become a uniform minimal cube, or it can open completely (as well as virtually unlimited permutations between). South of the loggia, twenty foot tall, upwardly pivoting glass walls open completely, thus blurring the boundary between the inside and outside – the double height living room and loggia become one. Similarly, a series of interior sliding glass doors create an open “universal floor” in each of the duplex houses – one vast and uninterrupted expanse which transitions seamlessly from inside to outside, or partition the space into private areas.

Penthouse view, with Ghery´s IAC on the background

Cantilevered kitchen sink designed by Ban

Double height living room

West-East unit, lower level

Lower level plan

West-East unit, upper level

Upper level plan

Project is under construction as of now, and features a bamboo fence on the construction site. It´s expected to be finished for winter 2008.

 

25 comments »

pixel says:

Nice article,

Does someone knows who did the visuals ?

 
# June 27, 2008 at 05:23
    Joshua says:

    Looks like dbox strikes again. The visual consultant, i think, rivals the cost estimator or even project manager in terms of their importance to getting a project built.

     
    # September 7, 2009 at 05:33
Farrel says:

That is crazy awesome!!

 
# June 27, 2008 at 06:59
NYC says:

http://www.dbox.com
They also did the branding, graphic design and website for the project http://www.metalshutterhouses.com/

 
# June 27, 2008 at 08:18
Furniture says:

Amazing pictures. Great article.

 
# June 27, 2008 at 16:06
Justin says:

You can’t get more impressive than this! I love it!

 
# June 30, 2008 at 02:21
Nalyn says:

wow!!! that’s all i can say!!! ang ganda!!!

 
# July 4, 2008 at 11:22
Charles says:

Images are probably by arte-factory, paris…?

 
# August 31, 2008 at 06:47
    Zaki says:

    As said above- dbox.com (check their design section and promo materials for this building- just awesome!)

     
    # November 5, 2009 at 06:39
Flug says:

This looks so awesome! I want to have such a penthouse, but guess I cannot afford it.

 
# November 10, 2008 at 06:14
Billigflug says:

Hey iam a Facility Management study from Germany.
I´ve seen alot of awsom buildings in the past future…
But this is one of the most interesting objekt i have ever seen!
This idea with the “Metal shutters” would be use here in germany/Gelsenkirchen .

A link to the building

http://www.aufschalke2006.de/media/presse_gelsenwasser_hauptverwaltung.jpg

Sry i only have This pic from the building , and you cannot see the “metal shutters” – But when the sun is shining ,the roller blind closes itself automaticly … Nice inventions i think …

Greets , Billigflug

 
# November 26, 2008 at 08:53
christina says:

does anybody know who is the manufacturer of the metal shutters??

 
# January 22, 2009 at 15:02

Absolutely love those windows, although the bedrooms’ floor plan might be a bit confined, it makes up for it with the transparency it gets from both facades. Brilliant design. Kudos Shigeru Ban.

 
# September 4, 2009 at 18:17
foonzee says:

this is a good idea for buildings that are at risks in zones with tornados because of the shutters

 
# September 5, 2009 at 17:02
Michael says:

These are some of the most provocative architectural renderings I’ve ever seen. Nice one!

 
# September 6, 2009 at 14:43
Tunji says:

The visuals are stunning…

 
# November 3, 2009 at 18:40
Tunji says:

And the design itself, though simple, is just amazing..

 
# November 3, 2009 at 18:42
pelican says:

looks like this works better than the Nicolas G Hayek Center in Ginza [swatch house]

 
# November 3, 2009 at 21:27
stiggywiggy says:

can anyone tell me, whats the white(empty) space inside the core?

 
# November 4, 2009 at 02:07
Tunji says:

I think the white empty space is a Mech & Electrical service core. The lift motor appears to be attached in the core.

 
# November 4, 2009 at 04:34
d.teil says:

@stiggywiggy : here will be the stair isn’t it? of course not an electrical service core.

without any question a nice design, with a very expensive detail to open both fronts. one bedroom is not really good working (not a good ventilation here, luxury that they will have 2 (!!!) stairs inside, living room in the north is not really nice (but perhaps it was not possible to place that room in the south (????), a huge space for the entrance (jesus!!!!). it’s very luxury by wasting a bit too much the space inside. of course it’s very nice to open both fronts, but to have at one ending (and actually in the south) the kitchen where u can not sit is also not too great (but again: i think there will be not a good view to the south anyway).

people are to fast blended by a in this case very good rendering, but anyhow, it’s a Ban and he is doing very good work.

 
# November 8, 2009 at 21:14

This looks so awesome! I want to have such a penthouse, but guess I cannot afford it.

 
# November 17, 2009 at 12:22
godil says:

what about fire escape / emergency exit…via elevator ?

 
# January 26, 2010 at 01:54

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