Following last week’s visit to New York City-based Andrew Franz, we are keeping our Meet Your Next Employer series in New York City this week to explore the work of BKSK Architects who are currently hiring for a Project Architect.

Founded in 1985, and directed by six partners, BKSK describes their work as “socially, contextually, and ecologically engaged.” Based in New York City, the 45+ person firm has amassed a portfolio of over 200 projects across cultural, civic, educational, institutional, and residential sectors. The firm is also responsible for the design of the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center, the first New York City civic building to be awarded LEED Platinum certification.

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring for a Project Architect to join their office located in New York City’s Garment District. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or those interested in learning more about the firm’s work, we have rounded up five distinctive New York City street fronts by BKSK that reflect the studio’s design ethos.

Gatehouse to One Madison

For their Gatehouse to One Madison, BKSK sought to convey a “sense of arriving home” for residents. The building’s five-story façade was inspired by the historically rich fabric of Madison Square at its surrounding streets, with staggered vertical fins made from custom-glazed terracotta. In addition to screening the interior spaces, the screened facade was developed to add a sense of depth to the street front.

“The variegated hues of creamy glazing imbue warmth and distinction among its limestone-faced neighbors, moving and reflecting light in unique patterns throughout the day,” the team explains. “These details and others, such as the travertine forecourt that leads to the building’s custom bronze and glass entrance doors, were carefully conceived to appeal to the human senses and enhance the ceremony of coming home.”

529 Broadway

A six-story commercial building on the corner of Spring Street and Broadway, BKSK developed 529 Broadway with attention given to the former Prescott House hotel that occupied the site from 1852 to 1935. Through studying both the former building and its neighbor at 101 Spring Street, the team developed a facade design that changes as it wraps around the street corner.

At the western end of its Spring Street front, the building features open-joint terracotta panels that create the appearance of punched opening masonry building. Moving east, the design evolves to reveal more of the curtain wall glass construction existing behind the terracotta system. As the building reaches its western Broadway end, the glass and aluminum curtain wall is fully expressed through protruding aluminum frames and cast iron loft proportions.

1 Great Jones Alley

For their 12-story mixed-use residential development at 1 Great Jones Alley, BKSK once again incorporated a terracotta screen to reflect the masonry and cast-iron traditions of the site’s history. To add a contemporary feel to the primary Broadway facade, the team designed an “unabashedly modern” asymmetrical form to the terracotta fins over crisp glazing.

In contrast to the historical facade along Broadway, the building’s main residential entrance along Great Jones Alley employs naturally oxidizing Corten street along with a cobblestone driveway and green wall, creating an homage to the area’s past “industrial grittiness.” A harmony between the ornate and gritty continues inside the building through a material palette of stone, wood, ceramics, and glass.

44 Union Square

For their extensive renovation of Tammany Hall at 44 Union Square, BKSK sought to create a “daring, iconic design that remembers New York City’s history while anchoring Union Square Park with a proud monumental structure.” The scheme’s defining addition is its glass dome inspired by the form of a rising turtle shell, which adds 30,000 square feet to the usable internal space.

The self-supporting free-form shell grid dome is constructed of a steel frame with dappled grey terracotta sunshades informed by extensive solar insulation and light studies. Elsewhere, the restoration and expansion of the building included careful preservation of the existing facades and new bronze storefronts that draw inspiration from the original 1928 design.

25 Bond Street

At 25 Bond Street, BKSK sought to create a building that reflected the changing composition of the surrounding neighborhoods, while retaining an industrial language that remained faithful to history. The result is an asymmetrical layering of the main facade in which two types of stone create a double-layered screen wall.

In front of a curtain system of bronze and glass, the stone screen bands are regularly spaced to match the internal floor heights. On each level, the degree of openness of the stone screen was carefully studied to reflect those of the building’s cast iron neighbors. While the stone is detailed in a bush-hammered finish and pinwheel jointing, the bronze underneath is left raw.

Meet Your Next Employer is one of a number of ongoing weekly series showcasing the opportunities available on our industry-leading job board. Our Job Highlights series looks at intriguing and topical employment opportunities currently available on Archinect Jobs, while our weekly roundups curate job opportunities by location, career level, and job description.