With 123 meters of height and that white color, The Bryant is the new residential hotel in New York
Judging by the cranes that stand out on the skyline of New York , the pandemic has had little impact on the construction sector. In recent months we have seen the premieres of impressive skyscrapers, such as the OneVanderbilt or the luxurious Central Park Tower, and this year will not be less.
Without giving so much song or scratching the belly of the clouds that eclipse the scorching sun of New York, Bryant has recently celebrated reaching the finish line. Their 123 meters high they do not detract from its merit because it is added to a collection of the most varied buildings that surround the little paradise that it becomes, regardless of the season of the year, Bryant Park.
Its façade reflects the marble of the Public Library and the black brick of the American Radiator Building.
This is not the first project of David Chipperfield Architects in the Big Apple, but it is the most ambitious of all because of what it represents erect a building of this magnitude in the heart of the island.
Despite its incredible location, in front of the central headquarters of the city's public library, the site it occupies was semi-abandoned for two decades and was only used as a parking lot. The team set to work on a design that, as the architect of the project, Mattias Kunz, explained to Traveler.es, initially raised a first challenge: respect the neighbors.
“The surrounding historic buildings were essential in the design of the project. These masonry buildings have become synonymous with New York and it was important, for us, to create a building that was contemporary but, at the same time, connected and complemented that architectural heritage”, he reflects.
Kunz invites us to play the game of recognize the chosen materials and they are visible to all. For example, the facade of The Bryant contains a conglomeration of pieces that reflect the marble of the Public Library and the black brick of the American Radiator Building.
One of the objectives was to maintain a certain aesthetic connection with the outside
The references do not end here but also affect the structure, as the architect tells us. “In an abstract way, We try to connect with the general arrangement that many buildings follow with a plinth, shaft and crown. The plinth of The Bryant is marked by a higher ground floor and a higher floor that opens onto the hotel's terrace, on the roof of that block. A colonnade in the two attics marks the crown.”
The Bryant is two in one. The first 14 floors are a hotel with more than 200 rooms while the rest, up to 32, are 57 homes with between two and four bedrooms. The building is crowned by that pair of spectacular three-level penthouses. Despite having shared areas, such as the public terrace on the first floors, residents have their own access, on the left side of the hotel's general entrance.
The architectural firm has only designed the interiors of the residences with the aim of maintain a certain aesthetic connection with the outside. The colors are repeated both outside and inside the building, despite using different materials.
Kunz put a lot of care into it to get away from the somewhat tiresome trend of metal and glass skyscrapers. “We wanted a quality building that would offer a sense of permanence and reinforce the architectural identity of the area; we were looking for a little more substance, a tectonic layout and a simple, rhythmic design of column and lintel.”
Time will tell if David Chipperfield's new building becomes a new Bryant Park icon
Interestingly, a few doors down from The Bryant we find not only one of the most beautiful buildings in the park, but another of David Chipperfield's projects. It is The Bryant Park Hotel which opened its doors in 2001 for lovers of luxurious and designer rooms.
The studio created the interiors of the hotel it occupies a historic building from 1924. So it was inaugurated as the American Radiator Building and it was the headquarters of the manufacturer of, that is, radiators. your architects moved away from the traditional limestone that reigned in the construction of new skyscrapers to pay homage to these devices and used the black brick as the symbol of coal and the golden finishes that lit up like flames in the sun. It is a true icon of Bryant Park.
Time will tell if David Chipperfield's new building in the park deserves the same label.