Revealed: 215 West 28th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON NOVEMBER 28TH 2013 AT 6:00 AM
215 West 28th Street - Image from HAP
Further proving the cantilever craze is in full swing, new renderings have been released for 215 West 28th Street, which will feature two cantilevers.
The project is being developed by HAP – PDF on the project at the link – and permits list the architect as Michael Even. The building will stand 21 floors and have a total of 117 units, in addition to ground floor retail.
215 West 28th Street’s facade will be a mix of glass and masonry, and it will be a definite enhancement to the neighborhood. Hotels predominate new development in the vicinity, and their overall quality is far inferior to the rendered design of HAP’s building. At 21 floors, the structure falls under the ‘mid-rise’ category, and will not impact the skyline.
215 West 28th Street – Image from HAP
Beyond the cladding, the cantilevers actually won’t be awkward, as it seems that they will fit snugly with adjacent buildings – though 215 West 28th’s eastern neighbor is a floor shorter than its western sibling. Still, the ‘even-ness’ of the overhangs will make them relatively difficult to notice.
The approval process for the development is still underway, as the initial round of permits was denied in early 2013; new ones are apparently pending, so construction should soon follow.
Revealed: Karim Rashid Design for HAP’s 215 West 28th Street
BY: NIKOLAI FEDAK ON JANUARY 21ST 2015 AT 7:00 AM
Potential new design for HAP 8, at 215 West 28th Street, image by Karim Rashid
Back in November of 2013, YIMBY revealed the first images of HAP’s plans for 215 West 28th Street. The site is located mid-block between 7th and 8th Avenues in Chelsea, and offers ample development rights, so much so that it will cantilever over both of its low-rise neighbors.
HAP appears to be considering a redesign for the project, however, and YIMBY has come across a design for the site by Karim Rashid, though we cannot confirm that it is the final version that they intend to build. True to form, the architect and designer has delivered a futuristic interpretation of what was an already contemporarily-minded project.
While Rashid’s design aesthetic is among the most controversial among current architects designing new buildings, his visions are more creative than most, and their unique flair comes at price-points that are not obscene. Pushing average new development beyond the staid glass box is something most everyone seems to eagerly anticipate, especially as technology allows for increasingly unconventional building forms, but New York City’s zoning rarely accommodates opportunities for large-scale vertical innovation.
Entryway at 215 West 28th Street, image by Karim Rashid
The pulsating facade of the future 215 West 28th Street lends itself to an organic appearance that appears futuristic, but not cold. An obvious nearby comparison is Related’s new building rising at 520 West 28th Street, designed by Zaha Hadid. While swooping accents help elevate that project, it is firmly anchored to the ground; Rashid’s tower gradually spills over the tops of neighboring low-rises, and it almost feels as if it would be home in New New York, where Matt Groening would be Mayor.
Despite the similarities between the two condo projects, the buildings are clearly distinct, and that will be most obvious when it comes to price-points. HAP typically targets the mid to luxury end of the condo market, while prices at 520 West 28th Street will be stratospheric.
And ultimately, whether those numbers are justified will be put to the test by competing product like 215 West 28th Street. With a location significantly closer to multiple transit options and a price-point that likely won’t be astronomical, HAP has an opportunity to prove that eccentric design does not have to cost a minimum of $4.6 million per unit.
No firm completion date for the site has been announced, but permits were first filed for a 23-story and 127,000-square foot tower back in 2012. While HAP has not confirmed that Karim Rashid will be designing 215 West 28th Street, what would seem to be the current stage of the project will stand 21 stories tall and hold 100 units, while also including 7,000 square feet of commercial space along the ground level.
