Japanese architect Tadao Ando has unveiled details about his first creating in New York City, explaining that he wanted to “create some thing that only a Japanese individual could do” (+ film).
Ando was commissioned by developer Sumaida + Khurana to design 152 Elizabeth Street – a 7-storey, luxury condominium developing now under construction in Manhattan’s Nolita neighbourhood.
“I would like to make architecture that has that kind of subtle sensitivity,” says Ando in a film about the undertaking launched this week.
“I would like to generate some thing that only a Japanese man or woman could do.”
The movie features Ando speaking about his aims for the undertaking and showing his models of the constructing, which he describes as “a really quiet piece of architecture”.
Related story: Tadao Ando’s initial New York building shown in new images
The architect says his goal for the 32,000-square-foot (three,000-square-metre) undertaking was to use basic supplies, including as iron, concrete and glass.
Ando also aimed to weave in normal components, such as light and water, and deal with them as a “residing thing”. He intends for the interior to evoke contemplation and relaxation.
“A living room should be a sanctuary,” stated the Pritzker Prize-winning architect. “It has to be a area where you can reflect on your existence. When one arrives residence, there’s a tranquil feeling. This venture is about that.”
The architect describes New York City as a distinctive metropolis full of cultural offerings, such as MoMA and the Guggenheim Museum – areas “where 1 can really feel most truly alive in a city”.
“I locate New York fascinating due to the fact so many people arrive here to collect and express new items,” he says.
The movie also features Michael Gabellini, co-founder of Gabellini Sheppard Associates. The New York-primarily based company is collaborating with Ando on the building’s interiors, in addition to serving as the project’s architect of record.
Gabellini says his staff sought to develop “a stability between the lights and darks” that would consequence in a “warm and inclusive” environment.
The building will contain seven residential units, every single of which is becoming handled as a customized residence, according to the developer.
The southern facade will be covered in a residing wall measuring 55 feet high and 99 feet broad (17 metres by 30 metres). The landscaping company M Paul Friedberg & Partners is collaborating on the design.
Alexandra Munroe, senior curator of Asian art at New York’s Guggenheim Museum, is also featured in the film. She speaks of Ando’s aptitude for designing with concrete and for producing buildings that blend with their context.
“I have always thought of Ando basically as an artist who helps make architecture,” she says. “He actually has maintained a really fierce, independent spirit.”
Renderings are by Noë & Associates and The Boundary.
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