The dark, quasi-Victorian corridors of ODA's 31-unit apartment building on New York City's Renwick Street are a purposeful nod toward British-born James Renwick, 19th century scientist and engineer, after which the street is named. The contrast between the portrait-clad hallways and the light, modern rooms they adjoin is striking; the two spaces almost seem to be from two entirely different buildings. 

However, as an alliterative press release notes, ODA is purposefully trying to "combat the cold modernism of so much contemporary construction" and the architects appear to succeed, primarily because the interiors don't shy away from texture. While the clean lines and unabashed abstract geometry of the modern canon are prominent here, so is an emphasis on not obscuring or disguising the composition of the materials.

The wood grain, both on the kitchen cabinets and the polished floors, is prominent. Instead of a soulless cradle of anonymous perfection, the dwelling spaces are rooted firmly in the organic realm.

In a signature ODA move, the apartments also feature 8,300 square feet of outdoor space in the form of terraces and patios via a clever interpretation of the zoning code, making this a structure that embraces its environment, instead of hermetically sealing itself off from it.