The two maintenance cranes that will be visible on the roof of both towers remind me of artillery cannons, as if defending the building against bad feng shui. Here is an instance where visible BMUs actually enhance a structure, in my opinion.
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Renzo Piano is sometimes referred to as the “Architect of Light” and initially I thought the canopy connecting the two towers at the top was some ethereal Piano design meant to shower light down on residents who are using the third floor’s outdoor amenities space. Alas, it stems from a building code requirement and will just be a small eyesore.
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I dig the rounded edges.
Not sure how much I like the overall design though.
I’m not a fan of all of Renzo Piano’s work. But this building, to me, is like a modern take on the classic, pre-war, two-towered apartment buildings on CPW, while not looking out of place in its SoHo neighborhood.
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That’s exactly how I see it too. That’s often Piano’s schtick, taking a classic form and putting an ultramodern skin on it. Unfortunately he didn’t do that for the new Columbia campus.
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I actually really like the Columbia campus. It’s his signature style. The Forum is better than the first or second building that was built before it. I wish he kept that style when designing the Whitney.
I did a tour of the sales gallery at 565 Broome at the end of last year and was surprisingly disappointed. First and foremost, residents will have to contend with non-stop honking and irate drivers’ profanities as the building is right at the intake for the Holland Tunnel. Secondly, I have no idea if this is a mistake or if it’s actually what it looks like, but what kind of an architect puts two toilets side-by-side? I thought one might be a bidet but the agent told me the apartments don’t have those.
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@ [Anakinra] I’ve got a feeling the agent was wrong on this.
A bit cold, glassy and metallic: and unrelentingly top to bottom, side to side. The overall form is smooth, curvy and precisely detailed; it looks very cool, in the a way jet plane, or ocean liner, always manages to somehow look impressively beautiful. Those window cleaning contraptions on the top are unfortunate: but necessary with that glassy facade.
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one good thing about the design is that the blank sheer walls face each other so no one has to look at them
images via https://www.archdaily.com/929222/565-broome-soho-residential-building-renzo-piano-building-workshop
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Exquisite photos of an exquisite building.
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