High Line 23

The West Side High Line in New York City is a continuous elevated bridge structure that will become, over the next ten years, a unique linear urban park. Designed by Field Operations and Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the High Line Park will advance a merger between various urban ecologies both found and implanted. By definition, the High Line has created new relationships between building mass and, in certain local situations, has engendered new forms of urban infill, far different than simple mid-block party wall scenarios. Where the High Line passes through the Chelsea Arts District at 23rd Street, one of these unique site conditions exists. It is here that NMDA has been commissioned by developer Alf Naman to produce a slim-fit, 14 story building for ground floor galleries and 12 condo-lofts rising next to the High Line. This structure is precisely shaped by a confluence of forces, that also like the High Line Park, are a combination of both found and implanted ecologies.

Consisting of one condominium per floor, the main living areas and views are oriented toward the south, while the east façade facing the high line is formed as a sculptural surface with smaller windows allowing privacy and framed views across Manhattan. A curtain wall of glass and stainless steel panels hangs on a complex cantilevered steel frame, generating expression within systematic economy. Since the building sits in the middle of the Arts District, it attempts to deliver a commercially viable, highly crafted object that can take its place among the art shown in the nearby galleries.

HL23 is seeking a LEED-certified gold rating.

Images: Neil Denari Architects