Previously covered by Archinect in November 2018, Winy Mass and the design team at MVRDV worked with developer Youngwoo & Associates to "design an innovative project that accommodates a large volume of program while fitting the surrounding context."
MVRDV's principal and co-founder Winy Mass shares in a statement, "Our intention with Radio Tower & Hotel was to become a part of – to strengthen, even – the character of a neighborhood that is wonderful in its color, diversity, and atmosphere." As the firm's first high rise project located in the US, the stacked volumes of this mixed-use building is also the first of its kind in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood.
"Washington Heights is the fifth largest New York neighborhood with a population of 150,000 inhabitants, a mixed-use building like Radio Tower & Hotel is a first for this neighborhood", Mass continues. "Our building shows that new high-rise developments don't have to overwhelm their surroundings and be disconnected from their neighborhoods. They can be a good neighbor, a friendly neighbor, instead. It makes for a colorful, welcoming sign on the thinnest part of Manhattan."
See final construction images of the 22-story high rise below.
While its overall appearance stands out within the neighborhood, the public's response has been positive, explicitly noting the project's use of color and facade detail. Thanks to the project's vibrant exterior, the building's ceramic brick aimed to "draw hues from street-level storefronts up to the sky." The project is set to be completed in 2021.
8 Comments
This will lift the neighborhood, literally and figuratively. Not only do the many colors suggest diversity, they also break up what otherwise would have been a massive, dominating building. I'm guessing people who visit, live, and work there will form group identities based on the color of their section. Let's hope the orange people get along with the green.
Note, too, how it picks up the ordinary style of the housing on the right, common in the area. Those buildings and the people who live there will receive recognition and get a boost as well.
Excellent project. MVRDV keeps the modernist dream of architecture for the masses alive. America needs more work like this.
It's a nice project, a different take on the boxy affordable housing projects, and not a glassy condo.
On an urban scale, I worry that the current yimby movement is going to put more stress on the already stressed infrastructure that is facing budget crises. While all the McUrbanists focus on sidewalk cafes and bike lanes, why is there no movement to build new bridges to NJ to relieve the pressure?
On an even larger scale, you can see how all of the skilled workers from across the US have piled up in big cities, which then become overburdened. Meanwhile the rest of the people become bitter that all of the jobs, companies and money left their backwards mid size town.
The pandemic is moving people out of the big cities to a startling degree. It's not really something that we should plan for in our designs, though. Do you think remote working becoming more of a reality might relocate folks to the mid-and-small cities?
I think there will be a massive snap back after the vaccine -- people are tired of working from home, it is not sustainable for any kind of work production. Unless there is a lot of financial damage and wreckage from dead businesses because of Congress failure. Some may stay away, but they will be quickly replaced by desperate economic migrants from dead red states.
The whiplash we keep going through really gets exhausting. There's gotta be a better way.
Glass half full -- a lot of things still work well. But unless there is some kind of common sense sea change it won't be enough.
Maybe I do not know what Im talking about, but this sucks.
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