http://www.sloanspringer.com/portfolio/red-hook/

Red Hook presents a unique situation within an urban framework, with a seemingly immediate adjacency to Manhattan yet it’s striking disconnect via public transit. It both exists, and does not exist, as a part of New York City, offering unparalleled views of downtown and the harbor while maintaining an identity that is it’s own.

The proposal seeks to leverage the dual nature of Red Hook, with a mid-rise tower that torques to maximize panoramic views and an integrated podium that merges public space with the immediate context, providing a high level of transparency between recreational and professional program. These drivers generate a form that is iconic yet dynamic, allowing the building to exist within the greater context of the city while ultimately remaining an integral piece of Red Hook.

Through the use of structural timber as the primary method of construction, the building functions literally as a tree, where the tower core functions as a vertical mainstay from which all horizontal elements emanate, allowing for the torquing form to generate a level-by-level gridded structure. Each floor rotates independently around the “trunk” while also stepping off of the floor below. The skin of the building follows these contours via horizontal banding, creating a form that continuously changes from all view points.