handel architects site ribbed residential building next to cathedral in new york

neighboring the fourth largest cathedral in the world, ‘enclave’ has made a mark as a new residential development located on the property of manhattan’s cathedral of st. john the divine. the site was where granite was stored for the construction of the church. due to the clear juxtaposition of old and new architecture, the architects had to respond carefully to the siting, massing and design.

image © bruce damonte / image © david paler (above)

the project is designed by new york-based handel architects, and their response saw a fifteen-storey building separated into two volumes sited along the 113th street frontage. the stepped character opens multiple views of the cathedral’s transept, and a new grand stair provides access to the cathedral’s nave. each side is set back, providing a continuous border of landscape and an extension of the cathedral campus to the street edge. inside 430 apartments follow the material expression of the exterior. the gallery and amenity spaces open to an outdoor terrace overlooking the park.

image © pavel bendov

the enclave’s façade is composed of a series of different shaped cast-in-place structural concrete ribs, directly derived from the transformation of the cathedral’s buttresses. an articulated façade is created by the variation of depths of the ribs along west 113th street. meanwhile at the top, the concrete ribs taper and separate from the glass façade, mimicking the cathedral’s form. at the bottom,  tapering continues and increases the size of the landscape border.

image © pavel bendov

depending on where the building is viewed, the form and solidity varies. when viewed obliquely, the ribs obscure the glazing and unify as a building face, on the other hand, from morningside drive, the solidity of the building disappears, and becomes an abstract form of glass, contained within a delicate concrete frame.

the hand-chiseled concrete of the stepped amsterdam avenue façade
image © bruce damonte

in total there are 460 apartments
image © david paler

the building is stepped to open views of the cathedral’s north tower
image © adrian wilson

an underground gallery connects the towers together
image © david paler

depending on where the building is viewed, the form and solidity varies
image © pavel bendov

façade detail
image © bruce damonte

the enclave’s façade is composed of a series of different shaped cast-in-place structural concrete ribs
image © bruce damonte

enclave is set back on all sides, providing a continuous border of landscape and an extension of the cathedral campus
image © bruce damonte

project info:

location: 400 west 113th street – NY, NY
completion year: 2016
gross built area: 403,000 square feet

lead architect:  handel architects llp
frank fusaro aia, partner, lead designer
gary handel faia, managing partner
elga killinger aia, project architect
honyi wang, project designer

client: brodsky organization
construction manager: t.g. nickel & associates
structural: wsp
MEP: cosentini
lighting: cosentini
traffic / parking: philip habib & associates
zoning: development consulting services
code: jam consultants
vertical: joseph neto & associates, inc.
acoustics: cerami & associates
concrete consultant: reginald hough
exterior wall: gilsanz murray steficek
site / civil / survey: langan engineering
landscape architect: aarris atepa architects
owner’s rep: lehrer, LLC

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