Waterline Square is a mixed-use development that completes Riverside South, a vibrant new neighborhood at the southwestern edge of New York’s Upper West Side and the new Hudson River Waterfront. The massing of 1 Waterline Square was generally prescribed by a Master Plan approved by the City of New York in 1992. The design of the tower simplifies that singular geometry with subtle and graceful refinements. It is condensed into 4 basic components with varying degrees of closure and weight.
The tower shaft is a simple crystalline composition of varied glass types, expressing a lightness and transparency essential to such a large building among others on the river. Our objective is to absorb the mood, light, and color of the day, whether a bright blue sky, the orange sunset, or a brooding storm. On West 59th Street, the regular geometry and punched openings of the southern 23 story mass reinforces the existing urban street line, and speaks to the monumental stone façade of the power plant across the street. It is an anchor from which the angular tower ascends. The north park facade is a lightly “peeled and folded” layer inspired by the leaves of a tree, a gesture to its park setting in the Master Plan. The shield shape’s glass pattern is more transparent than the tower behind it, with a slight reflectance to capture the different qualities of light on the folded surfaces. The 12 floor sail shape appendage to the northeast corner hovering over the building entry has been softened and solidified from its quirky angular Master Plan configuration to give it an individual identity appropriate to its more modest size.
The tower’s vertical composition breaks naturally into a Base, Middle, and Top that is consistent with the prescribed zoning massing, our general functional distribution within it, and the massing of the surrounding buildings. The overall scale and composition of the building is further balanced with strategic events carved into the façade. Terraces are cut into seams at the changing of building mass, or assembled in larger compositional gestures to facades that nod towards the city and/or garden.
The material palette is a subtle blend of light materials: various glasses and a warm gray brick. With flexibility in mind, those materials are assembled in a conceptually modular and panelized approach that yield a family of options for both the level of solid/ void expression, and the location and size of vision glass, operable windows, and solid panels for interior walls.
The ground floor is comprised of a single drop off for both condominium and rental lobbies. The arrival area is designed as a gracious public plaza and porte cochere to enhance the feeling of openness and connection to the interior and park beyond. The more active rental lobby faces directly onto West 59th Street, and the more tranquil condominium lobby faces directly onto the mid-block green space. Larger more desirable apartments are generally situated towards the river south and west, while other units on the south and east enjoy city skyline views.
壮观的日落景色丰富了哈德逊河滨水区标志性塔楼优雅精致的几何形状。
Waterline Square 是一个混合用途的开发项目，它完善了 Riverside South。这是一个充满活力的新社区，位于纽约上西区西南边缘的哈德逊河滨水区。塔楼的垂直构图自然地分为底部、中部和顶部，符合严格规定的分区。它尊重周围的建筑，并最大限度地欣赏河流和纽约天际线的壮丽景色。
在西59街，规则的几何形状和南部体量的穿孔开口加强了现有的城市街道线，并与街对面发电厂的巨大石头立面相呼应。棱角分明的塔楼从这个锚点升起，其几何形状经过精心调整，以确保位于大楼南侧和西侧的单元享有哈德逊河的壮丽景色，而大楼另一侧的单元则享有标志性的天际线景观。到达区被设计成一个优雅的公共广场，以增强开放感以及与内部和公园之外的联系，而面向公园的北立面被剥落并折叠成一个受树叶启发的分层结构，完成塔与周围环境之间对话的手势。
塔楼的水晶组成采用了一系列玻璃类型，展现了这种规模的建筑不寻常的轻盈和透明。立面的不同材质使建筑对其环境格外敏感，吸收当天的情绪、光线和颜色，无论是明亮的蓝天、橙色的日落，还是阴沉的风暴。
