New World Order

Daniel Libeskind, (in)famous for his role in the ongoing World Trade Center redevelopment, recently released a design for One Madison Avenue, Elad Properties’ proposed 54-story Madison Square Park condominium development. With most developers’ capital among the embers of the financial conflagration sweeping from Wall Street to West Beijing, one has to wonder whether Elad can convert the renderings into reality. The ”sky gardens” designed to punctuate the glossy cylindrical tower have created a bit of controversy. Bloomberg architecture critic James Russell pegs the sky garden as part of a design program intended to evoke the “tragic collision of those 9/11 jets,” a suggestion flatly denied by Libeskind. Instead, he employed the sky garden concept  to “make every apartment a penthouse.” Whether an allusion to the ongoing process of resurrecting the World Trade Center or merely a product designed to reap the highest prices per square foot, Libeskind’s One Madison Avenue, if built, would solidify Madison Square as one of the city’s starchitecture galleries.

Lobbying for Buyers

The New York Times, obviously struggling to break the montony of bad news in real estate, sheds light on the new trend: residential developers leveraging the lobby with “ambitious design schemes that are equal parts amenity and advertisement” for larger shares of scarce buyers. Among  the new developments noted: The Caledonia, one of the coveted buildings along the High Line, whose lobby doubles as an Assouline library complete with “the sound of a burbling stream,” a stone waterfall, bamboo trees and “more than two dozen objets d’art” and The Platinum, a building that sports a high tech lobby outfitted with a 26-foot fireplace and, of all things, a moat. 

Though the author implies that developers mounted such lobbies as artillery in a now defunct amenties arms race, a concept that the experts consulted for the article unsurprisingly labelled ”vulgar” and “crass,” the investigation yields compelling evidence that the 21st century condo lobby, for all of its artwork and technological contraptions, hardly sways potential buyers. It would behoove developers to ensure that the power packed into the look and feel of the lobby flows throughout the building.

Delirious New York

As the economy continues to free fall, the line of architectural marvels it once supported is now out of stock. In New York at least. New York Times critic Nicolai Ouroussoff’s premature obituary for ”one of the most delirious eras in modern architectural history” relishes the palpable end of our contemptibly vain and vulgar period of “outsize architectural statements that serve the rich and self-absorbed,” that threatened to weave the “city skyline into a tapestry of individual greed.” But Ouroussoff hardly registers that for the City of New York this post-millennial building boom delivered a legacy of far more profound proportions. Indeed, New York City’s embrace of starchitecture (however vulgar the term) in the form of residences helped solidify the city’s station as a bold new cosmopolis, fearless in rethinking how we live in and engage with the urban environment. 

Specifically citing Herzog and De Meuron’s 40 Bond, the Times critic needlessly bemoans the world’s architectural stars aligning for luxury residences and not for cultural and civic uses, but never posits what makes this such a problematic development. America’s most provocative architecture for many years has come almost exclusively in the form of museums, universities, and infrastructure. Only now has residential architecture seen such extraordinary attention. And rightfully so.

As a mournful aside, Ouroussoff subtly pegs Jean Nouvel’s planned Tower Verre as a casualty of the concurring financial collapse; the 75-story obelisk apparently will not penetrate the heavens above midtown any time soon.

The Plaza Unsweetened

January’s Vanity Fair traces Eloise’s trail of tears, highlighting Israeli developer El-Ad Properties’ tragic residential conversion of Manhattan’s landmark Plaza Hotel. Though the Plaza Residences and its Versace-designed model homes initially generated record-breaking sale prices and mind-boggling flips, a number of remorseful Plaza buyers have since slammed the developer with a slew of lawsuits, citing breach of contract over design flaws such as “small windows, low ceilings, obstructed views, buckling floors, trashed carpets, glacially slow elevators, and frequent interruptions of running water.” This is hardly a surprise. Last year, a preview of The Plaza revealed a redesign that fell far short of luxury. Relatively cheap finishes, faux fireplaces, and disproportionately low ceilings made for a disappointing first impression. The heavily hyped $400 million renovation restored The Plaza’s public areas, including the legendary Grand Ballroom, home to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball, to their original splendor. 

 But the residential units don a decidely pared down threadbare aesthetic, a far cry from the ornate and overstuffed beaux arts motif that had over time become Plaza Classic. That original design was what most buyers sought during the hand over fist sales process. Now up in arms over the results of the redo, those same buyers seek retribution. And rightfully so;  The once palatial Plaza now has all the charm of an NYU dorm room. If only the developer had enlisted an historic preservation expert to restore the old guest rooms instead of hiring his daughter for a discounted figure… One could go on and on about all that is wrong with The Plaza Residences – and Vanity Fair does just that.

Update: CorcoSun’s Uncensored

The Archinect piece on Corcoran Sunshine’s Planning and Design dynamos inspired an anonymous tipster to conduct some research:

“After reading Archinect’s article on CorcoSun’s Planning & Design team, I wanted to know more about the individuals mentioned. You will not believe what I found.”

The disturbing results of the tipster’s investigation, the Facebook profile of Corcoran Sunshine’s Predevelopment Coordinator/Planning and Design team member, Matt Goodwin (credited but not profiled in Archinect’s interview), includes a photo of the subject “uncensored” holding a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken and what appears to be a 40 ounce bottle of malt liquor in an apparent attempt at racially tinged humor (see below).

This saddening discovery not only disappoints but disgusts. When will racist “humor” die? Any and all respect held for Team CS certainly has. Tag under “tacky” and “tasteless”.

Archinect Beams in on Corcoran Sunshine

In the Working Out of The Box series, Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group’s Planning and Design team, a collective well-known for guiding the design of many of the Big Apple’s best new addresses, gets the Barbara Walters treatment on design website Archinect. CorcoSun’s design gods give us the goods on how they got where they are and how they do what they do so well. Steps for Success from Team CS:

• Maintain a targeted approach
• Employ market research to develop positioning strategy
• Stay abreast (and ahead) of the trends
• Learn how to match developers and their projects with the right architects/designers

Article reprinted in full below.

Working out of the Box: Corcoran Sunshine

From Archinect:

Working out of the Box is a series of features presenting architects who have applied their architecture backgrounds to alternative career paths. Are you an architect working out of the box? Do you know of someone that has changed careers and has an interesting story to share? If you would like to suggest an (ex-)architect, please send us a message. New York has become an interesting case study on the burgeoning collaboration between design and marketing. Recently, notable contemporary architecture has been encouraged and embraced by the forces of real estate marketing. For better or worse, luxury residential real estate has dominated New York’s stake in contemporary architecture and high design, and continues to celebrate the (literal) value of prominent national and international architects. Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group is a New York-based real estate consultant that has sold over $20 billion in new residential development in New York, Los Angeles, and select national and international locations. Established and led by Elisa Orlanski Ours, the CS Planning & Design Department guides the architectural design process throughout all phases of residential and public space planning in order to achieve the property’s maximum potential value during predevelopment and post development. Archinect interviewed Elisa Orlanski Ours, VP, Nadia Meratla and Will Tims, Directors, of Planning & Design (PD) at Corcoran Sunshine Marketing Group Archinect: Where did you study architecture? Elisa Orlanski Ours: As lame as it sounds, dont we as designers make an effort to study architecture everyday? On the job site, in studios, and especially in spaces we occupy. But back to the question, I studied architecture at Barnard College (1994-1998) and received my M. Arch. from Columbia (1998-2001) / ETH in Zurich (2000). While my direct academic focus was urban design, I honed my interest in architecture through explorations in computer science, finance, physics and teaching. Nadia Meratla: I completed undergraduate and graduate studies in architecture at McGill University (M. Arch. 2001), a very enriching experience. I also taught design studio at McGill upon graduation which afforded me the opportunity to straddle theory and practice. Will Tims: I studied architecture at the University of Virginia (1993-1997) and earned my M. Arch. at Yale (2000-2003). Both were a great fit for me Virginia for its focus on the fundamentals of modern design and for the rigor it demanded, and Yale for forcing me to think beyond what I already knew, or thought I knew. The program at Yale encourages such a dynamic and eclectic range of thought everything is on the table, and the spirit of the collaborative studio lives on very strongly there. Elisa: The three of us are very involved in giving back to our own academic communities. We feel that it is important to offer guidance to recent grads by helping them network and learn how to market themselves. ↑ Click image to enlarge 166 Perry, Asymptote Architecture / Perry Street Development Corp. / Archpartners (Click on this and all of the images to get a detailed view) At what point in your life did you decide to pursue architecture? Nadia: I grew up in transition between the US, UK and Canada and had the good fortune to travel extensively and be inspired by great design and horrified by bad design. Architecture mediated well the classic art-science duel. Will: I was drawing house plans since 6th grade and my parents encouraged me by pointing out interesting buildings and details on our family road trips across the country. During the summer before my senior year in high school, I spent four weeks at an Introduction to Architecture program at UVa and really loved it and the school. Jeffersons campus alone could inspire one to study architecture. After this experience, I committed to pursuing this path in college. Elisa: My earliest memories involve building Lego houses for my dolls and Lego cities for my brothers cars. My father fostered this interest in buildings by exposing me to the multiple scales of architecture and dynamic systems through travel, meteorology and cooking. Growing up in both the quiet enclave of Princeton and the stimulation of Buenos Aires raised intriguing questions on urbanism that I find myself answering today. It is interesting to see the cycle repeat itself in my nephew now when I see him navigate through the Lego Factory on the computer. ↑ Click image to enlarge 166 Perry, Asymptote Architecture / Perry Street Development Corp. / Archpartners When did you decide to stop pursuing architecture? Why? Will: First off, I dont think Ive stopped, I just think that I pursue it from a different angle now. A couple of years out of Yale I became frustrated with the slowness of the profession in terms of success and advancement. I had also spent my time either working in small firms or for myself, on smaller high-end residential projects, and was longing for something that was larger, more complex and urban in its influence. I took a year and did the Masters of Science in Real Estate Development program at Columbia. Right around graduation, in October 2006, I came to work in Predevelopment for Corcoran Sunshine. Nadia: Likewise, I consider myself still pursuing architecture however from a real estate perspective. In traditional practice I was greatly intrigued by feasibility analyses that informed development and also the delightful complexities of program, conflicting priorities and the multitude of objectives that were influenced and essentially governed by an intricate balance of both design and real estate. The conceptual stage, massaging of program and critical evaluation of a developments potential from a design perspective has always had a particular allure. Ultimately, marketing and programmatic innovation are not distinct but rather inherent to architecture. Elisa: Stopped? Come on, were just getting started. Throughout Columbia, I tried to always alternate between practice and theory in my apprenticeships and combine the two in my studios and seminars. When I graduated from my seven years there and worked for firms like Wendy Joseph and Peter Eisenman, I might as well have been voted least likely to depart from parametric designs and urban theory. With that, I became a Project Manager for RDRice Construction, a boutique New York City construction company, for almost four years building residences designed by 1100 Architects, Steven Harris, Jacques Grange and BKSK. There I learned the craft of detailing from the installers themselves, demands of New York-centric clientele, and that every line on a drawing has an impact to the schedule and budget. After building six highly detailed residences, from a 16,000SF modernist townhouse gut renovation to installing a priceless Giacometti mantle, it was time to leave and finally try to combine the art of building with my urban theories. That is when I came to Corcoran Sunshine. ↑ Click image to enlarge The Dillon, Smith-Miller + Hawkinson / SDS Procida / dbox Describe your current profession. Elisa: PreDEVELOPMENT describes the phase of a development property beginning with site acquisition through the initiation of construction. That is the short and idealized answer; however the best way to describe the duration of our involvement is from feasibility studies to punchlists or in other terms from the cradle to the grave. CS is the only marketing and sales organization with a full service product planning studio led by trained architects/planners. With our diverse backgrounds, my esteemed colleagues (including Matt Goodwin, Leeana Khalique and Sarah Hardy) and I redefined the scope of the marketing consultant by providing a design / construction / urbanism perspective. Our strategic services are informed by sales feedback and market intelligence that shape the end product and ensure that the offering meets the buyers expectations. While not the designers of the buildings, we are instead the multi-scale design programmers for master plans down to bathroom fixtures, and often punch-list watchdogs. Positioned as a boutique studio with the resources of a corporation, Corcoran Sunshines multiple departments collaborate to customize our approach and recommendations for every site with the benefit of deep market knowledge. Predevelopment consults to assist developers, designers, financers, value representatives, contractors and ancillary consultants through the development process for new construction, conversions, condominiums, rentals, hotel-branded properties, master plans, resort destinations and the unfortunate latest product type, bank workouts. ↑ Click image to enlarge 40 Mercer, Atelier Jean Nouvel / SLCE Architects / Hines Interests / HotesAB / Whitehall Capital / Pandiscio Co. / Studio AMD Will: Similar to the shifting forces of the real estate market and the economy at large, we are able to tailor the scope of our services to the needs of our developers in a very fluid way. While Corcoran Sunshine is primarily a marketing and sales company, we are increasingly able to provide the sort of strategic and product-specific consulting on a variety of projects regardless of their phase and whether or not we sell the real estate. This targeted approach, whether meant to add-value, speed absorption, reposition an offering, or facilitate a sale through a quick re-design, provides developers and their design teams with the sort of facile expertise so necessary in todays challenging environment. Nadia: Predevelopment expertise substantiated by market research assists both developers and design consultants in order to strategically position a development as a premium competitive product. Predevelopment frequently serves as a referral matchmaker between the design and development communities. Our expertise is actively cultivated by innovative design research, attendance of international design shows, internal seminars, design publications, and a critical review of developments on the market and in the pipeline. Elisa: CS has been at the dynamic forefront of high-design developments, collaborating with renowned architects and designers such as Alan Wanzenberg, Annabelle Selldorf, Asymptote, Bernard Tschumi, Cesar Pelli, David Chipperfield, Frank Gehry, Gwathmey Siegel, Herzog de Meuron, Incorporated Architecture & Design, Jacques Grange, Jean Nouvel, John Pawson, Legorreta + Legorreta, Piero Lissoni, Philip Johnson, Philippe Starck, Polshek Partnership, Richard Meier, Rockwell Group, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, Shigeru Ban, Steven Learner, Tsao & McKown, UN Studio and Zaha Hadid, among many others. Any trends or emerging designers Archinect readers would like to recommend are welcome. Pease email pd@corcoransunshine.com. ↑ Click image to enlarge Soho Mews, Gwathmey Siegel and Associates / United American Land / Archpartners What skills did you gain from architecture school, or working in the architecture industry, that have contributed to your success in your current career? Will: Architecture school taught me to think critically, to push myself to try new things and take a chance, even if it was uncomfortable. It is an amazing course of study that involves so many varied disciplines and lines of thought, from art and engineering to psychology and science I dont think there is another path that includes so many interesting and related fields. Much time working for Steven Harris Architects, Ryall Porter Architects, and then for myself was spent trying to find solutions to residential design problemsNew Yorkers want it all and there is rarely enough room! This experience enabled me to understand the wants and needs of a primarily luxury clientele, and to thus provide recommendations that result in elegant yet functional living spaces in exceptionally designed buildings that feature unparalleled lifestyle offerings. ↑ Click image to enlarge One Jackson Square, Kohn Pedersen Fox / SLCE Architects / Hines Interests/RFR Holdings / Eric Schuldenfrei & Hayes Davidson Nadia: Architecture school nurtured inspired collaboration and an innovative and experimental creativity. It further nourished a persuasion toward minimalism. Upon graduation, working at Saia Barbarese Topouzanov in Montreal, I was afforded the exposure to exquisite design principles and a unique collaborative spirit and creative milieu. At Gluckman Mayner Architects in New York I was inspired by a culture of design finesse and rigorous standards. Here my curiosity for real estate was stimulated by strategic feasibility analyses for New York development bids, residential acquisitions and working on Olive 8, a luxury residential hotel complex in Seattle. My pursuit of architectural journalism has also afforded me an exploration of innovations and opportunity to expose younger firms. Elisa: I always knew I wouldnt fit into the traditional role of an architect, designer, developer, builder, teacher or planner. In a way, I had to create a career that didnt exist to combine my design/marketing accomplishments at architecture studios, my management/ negotiating skills from construction, my passion for dynamic modeling and curiosity in parametric designs. The biggest challenge and greatest success of my role in starting this department at Corcoran Sunshine has been to strategically collaborate with brilliant teams to innovate truly exceptional architecture. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

New Developments Among NYMag’s Top 10 Designs of 2008

In New York Magazine’s Culture Awards issue, three new residential developments are among the mag’s top 10 designs of 2008. The spectacular cantilevers of 23 East 22nd Street (Rem Koolhaas/OMA), glossy shanty town 56 Leonard Street (Herzog & De Meuron), and the “shine and shade” of extraterrestrial HL23 (Neil Denari) garnered the second, third, and fourth spots respectively on this year’s list.

Each of the projects definitely earned their place, even if (in at least one case) the interior finishes and spatial layouts lack much in the way of originality. Just so you know, Denari’s HL23 (below), a small yet impactful building with premium access on the High Line, ranks a little higher on our list.

Death by Design: The Rise and Fall of the House of Chupi

Courtesy of New York Times

Academy Award-nominated neo-expressionist artist/film director-turned interior designer, Julian Schnabel’s coral-tinted stucco Palazzo Chupi, a controversial 12-story residential tower looming over the tony Far West Village, ascends dizzying heights in interior design, if not physical stature. The lush Tony Duquette-uptown-meets-downtown decor even caught the eye of Vanity Fair – no doubt a major marketing coup. With Page Six cachet, art-world street cred, and a much lusted-after location, Chupi seemingly has it all. Except buyers.

Aside from Richard Gere and a token finance wizard – both of whom bought into the pink fortress – a blindingly bright constellation of superstars, including Bono, Johnny Depp, Martha Stewart, Hugh Jackman, and Madonna, gave the pink palace a once-over. And passed. Regretful Gere even decided to flip his full floor unit after a few months. Acquisitive flurry over the palatial digs has quieted to a whisper. Meanwhile, the gravity of a troubled market slowly pulls the originally stratospheric prices back to earth. All but two of Chupi’s five units remain on the downward spiralling market.

Why is Schnabel’s Venice-on-the Hudson-esque stab at design/build failing so miserably? I’ll hazard a guess. For all of the Old World accoutrements and Hollywood glamour, Schnabel & co. recklessly neglected the basics sought by today’s level-headed luxury buyers: light, space, and multifunctionality. Floor plans illustrate demoralizingly small bedrooms and a dearth of closet space in archaically compartmentalized apartments. TheVanity Fair spread reveals dark kitchens and baths heavy on patina and low on polish (and sunlight…and space), a far cry from the Jetson-style finish packages dominating the new development market. And the minimalist amenities package (“parking, elevator, air conditioning, pool and 24-hr doorman”) hardly entices. Especially at $6000+ per square foot.

The astronomical prices obviously reflect an over-valuation of the star-powered design. The value creation formula for the downtown luxury market is simple: maximum daylighting + unobstructed view corridors + minimal interior manipulation outside of kitchens and baths + wide open spaces + targeted amenities. Read: ethereal tabula rasa for customization. Instead, Schnabel’s regal interior design flourishes ignore the market, prioritize style over substance, and sacrifice function for fashionable form, placing the seemingly haughty auteur’s unchecked hubris on gratuitous display. The Gesamtkunstwerk has given way to schadenfreude. 

But all is not lost. Palazzo Chupi could easily convert to a very successful extended-stay/boutique hotel. Then again, the Schnab’s contract with hotelier Ian Schrager likely involves a non-compete clause, forbidding a hotel conversion. Nix that. Maybe new hire Corcoran Sunshine can save this.

Honestly, I would take a unit in this famed fixer-upper. If ole Schnabby would just take another mill off the asking price.

Behind the Curtain Wall: 56 Leonard

Courtesy of Curbed

The Sales and Design Center for Alexico Group’s much ballyhooed new Herzog & DeMeuron-designed 56 Leonard Street recently opened to the masses, giving us a chance to see what’s in store once we get inside of the still incomplete Tribeca tower.

Despite the unique floor plans and expected breathtaking views, like that of many of its competitors, 56 Leonard’s interior finishes appear stale and uninspired. Tricked out kitchens with inset refrigerator freezers and gourmet cookware have become de rigeur. While the kitchen’s cabinetry succeeds in accentuating the development’s relatively high ceilings ( ceilings perfect for the art collecting residents – a plus), the black granite countertop pretentiously mimics a grand piano yet fails to effectively demarcate the kitchen apart from the rest of the unit. Imagine: a dinner party where the mess of the kitchen is clearly visible from nearly any vantage in the public spaces of the apartment. Not a good thing. 

The gauche bathroom mirror with Vegas-style lighting needlessly distracts. While many commenters on Curbed poo poo the faux wooden sink found in the wc, I cannot disagree more; at the very least, the sink provides an element of surprise.

The rest of the living space, however – the ubiquitous soaking tub, the pretentious shower tile, and the travertine flooring, - looks like the undernourished love child of Ikea and some wonkish, deformed cousin of Design Within Reach. And with prices starting at $3.5 million at this Tribeca outpost, a variation of Ikea does not suffice. With an exterior form so unique, why install such mundane finishes?  Certainly, the fixtures and finishes fulfill the mission of framing the views, but what else is there to the living space?

Some marketers might argue that the attractive amenity package more than compensates for 56 Leonard’s lackluster interiors, but sadly, those too are a dime a dozen in today’s market. The library lounge and infinity edge pool effectively blur the line between indoor and outdoor, maximizing access to the cityscape as do many of the other amenity spaces (Tribeca Tot Space, screening room, conference room). But none of these amenities are rare enough to justify the price tag when the actual space deeded to the buyer reflects a lapse in judgment, if not a lack of taste.

56 Leonard – a stunning disappointment destined to become a beautiful disaster.

Pedigree for B+B

Courtesy of City File

Predictably, Southern belle turned entrepreneurial Manhattan social scenester Tinsley Mortimer found yet another venue to expose her one-of-a-kind aesthetic. This time she’s Lifestyle Director for fledgling real estate outfit B+B Investment Group at the behest of founder and Prudential Douglas Elliman superbroker Ilan Bracha. With Mrs. Mortimer advising on layout designs, amenity packages, and décor for B+B’s gutsy 29-story condo-hotel at 18 West 57th Street, we can hardly wait to see how Tinsley’s decidedly eclectic sense of style will translate into a cohesive interior design. Harper’s Bazaar provided a look-see at the fashion doyenne’s domestic handy work, but what can one expect for this midtown megaproject? Will it be Upper East Side exuberance, downtown bobo chic, or postmodern minimalism? Tinsley: take your pick, but pick wisely – buyers are fickle. There’s no room for error in this market.