ARCHITECTURAL WRITING SAMPLE, A NEW YORK CONDOMINIUM
Leroy Street Design Narrative
Architectural Design By Richard Yates, AIA
Narrative Shaping and Editing By Aaron Bohrer, AIA
“The aspirational design objective for the Leroy Street project reflects today’s bold geometric forms coupled with a collected memory that recalls New York City’s historic neighborhoods”
Richard Yates, AIA
Undertaking new development, post pandemic, on an intimate site in the West Village certainly demands thoughtful consideration. For the purposes of providing a design narrative, (5) primary design considerations are herein referenced, building use and floor area ratio (FAR herein), zoning setbacks, site design and building design. Through the lens of these five rubrics, this narrative describes site and building design to better parse the unique challenges found within each. A clear understanding of these rubrics logically presents the underlying design considerations that uniquely reflect the proposed designs’ primary characteristics. In summary, the design intent deftly mirrors the neighborhood’s existing street character, which is then juxtaposed with the design’s bold and soaring form, aspiring to be an unforgettable New York City architectural landmark.
BUILDING USE AND FAR
To achieve both an architectural landmark contribution and a feasible development pro forma, a variance changes the as-by-right use from M1-5 Manufacturing to Mixed-use, which is in sync with successful and broader market development patterns in both the neighborhood and throughout the region. As-by-right development limits development economic feasibility, as Storage and Manufacturing require less expensive land costs than the current property value and does not allow residential use. In addition to the change in use, a FAR 7 is required and will provide the needed density for an economic return. Even if a variance is granted for residential use on the site, the existing FAR and setbacks severely limit the feasibility of development. A market study for hospitality using the existing FAR was commissioned. In that study, it was determined only 50 hotel rooms could be accommodated making that use financially unfeasible. Since the hospitality study was conducted , there is recent legislation requiring specific approvals for hospitality. The point here is that even if hospitality were a possibility, the existing FAR would decisively render development unfeasible.
By changing building use, building FAR, and the sky plane setbacks, the proposed design effectively expands the site and buildable envelope possibilities, maximizing development opportunities, and unfolds the raw potential evidenced in this highly creative landmark building design. The resulting architectural design originates with these primary suppositions, which drive the corresponding site, floor plan, and sectional organizations, while remaining focused on a financially successful development project.
SETBACKS AND SITE DESIGN
The size of the subject site, 50’-0” by 101’-9” or 5,596.25 square feet, is a very small parcel of land, even by New York City standards. In addition to the limited lot area, prescriptive zoning and building code restrictions further limit development. In concert, the prescriptive restrictions and limited lot area establish the as-by-right building envelop, which the resulting design seeks to leverage while creating a development advantage; additonal FAR, relaxing of setback requirements, and change of use as necessary steps to assure a feasible project. The following line items are an iteration of these limits, and the proposed adaptations and modifications incorporated in the proposed design.
a. Front Yard Setback: 49’-0” from the Street Wall to the centerline of Leroy Street. This requirement positions the building facade at the Leroy Street property line, thusly maximizes the building area to the property line.
b. Rear Yard Setback: 20’-0” for natural light and air. Although there is a 1,100 square feet reduction to the buildable area this requirement creates space for natural light and air from the adjacent building, especially at the lower residential levels of the proposed building.
c. East Side Yard Setback: No minimum requirement*. There is a multistoried Federal Express Warehouse along the subject property’s east property line. Should Federal Express move their facility in the future, a new and much taller building could be built along the eastern property line, rendering the subject site’s access to light and air severely restricted or eliminated. The east wall is therefore designed as a solid 4-hour fire resistant wall. Since the building core (elevators and stairway) does not require natural light, it is situated on the east side of the building.
d. West Side Yard Setback: No minimum requirement*. Because 160 Leroy is setback off the west property line of the subject site, access to light and air can be captured in the residential floor plans including a light well at the side and rear of the property. A new building elevation within 8-feet of a property line cannot have operable openings and fixed openings require special fireproof glazing unless the existing adjacent building is 60-feet from the opening. Therefore, at the commercial section of the building (cellar and level 1) the conditioned envelope is pulled back 10’-0” from the western property line to meet city building code requirements for operable glazed openings. The residential section, however, is taken to the property line, per the footnote describing the opening protections required for this condition to be as-by-right.
e. The street wall is limited to 85’-0” above Leroy Street and the sky plane setback starts at 85’-0” at a 2.7 vertical to 1 horizontal slope. The envelope design originates with respect to existing neighborhood building profiles. Using the 160 Leroy Street precedent, the subject site’s closest neighbor, sets the proposed design envelop height at 155’-0” with no sky plane setback. The proposed building elevations, however, are mostly not parallel to either the rear, front or west property lines, like 160 Leroy’s sinuously shaped facade street walls.
f. The subject site is located within FEMA Flood Zone D, requiring a minimum elevated first floor 18” above Leroy Street.
*Although there is a not a side yard setback requirement, all openings are limited to 10% of the wall area per floor and shall be fixed and include fireproof glazing to be considered as-of-right for R2 and R3 uses. It is also noted that the building shall meet current NFPA fire protection standards and have a full equipped sprinkler system.
Since the subject site is not a large or a corner site but instead, situated between and surrounded on three sides by large residential and industrial buildings, there is but one public access off Leroy Street. This “inner block” condition demands that all building-related services and building exits are directly located off Leroy Street, a Public Way.
BUILDING DESIGN
The building design is broken into a tri-parti of three vertical uses (sections) and a mechanical roof top; the cellar and first floor level are dedicated to commercial use, with building utilities entering at the cellar level. The second level is dedicated to an exterior roof terrace. The third through twelfth levels are dedicated for residential condominiums. Mechanical, fire suppression equipment, stair, and elevator bulk heads form the roof landscape. The commercial section differentiates itself from the residential section, namely with historic architectural references from Manhattan’s industrial past. The residential architectural section is highly structural with its muscular base; a three-legged stool so to speak; that is placed strategically above and through the historic commercial façade and functions located at the cellar and first floor levels.
Building Form
The notable rotation or twist of the building, highly evidenced in the residential section, accomplishes two aspirational design objectives. First, it angles the western wall away from the property line, allowing openings with a greater than ten-foot setback requirement to be operable and without special glazing. Secondly, the “parabolic form generated by the rotation of successive floors” allows light and air to reach the lower floors, an invaluable necessity. The same parabolic curve occurs on the south side for increased natural light and air to reach the level 2 roof terrace.
The lower section of the building’s iconic detailing at the garden and Level 1 creates a streetscape, recalling the historic character of the West Village. The modern parabolic walls that rise from this historic stylobate, make a striking contrast between the two eras, edifying the concept that the upper floors have grown out of the historic building, like e The Standard High Line Hotel, at 848 Washington Street. Level 1 setbacks allow natural light and air to Leroy Street and pay homage to the open space created by 160 Leroy Street. The sloping parabolic walls are unique to New York, creating visual tension, especially relative to neighboring extruded rectangular building forms. The one exception is 160 Leroy Street.
The design of the roof line intentionally avoids a typical high-rise flat roof condition with a mechanical screen, like 160 Leroy Street. At the top of the building, the floor plate at level 12 diminishes in size. This level’s diminished floor area allows for level 11 to have a double height living room space under the sloping roof over level 12 and continues to enclose the living space for level 12. The roofing material is turned down onto the walls, appearing as if a rectangular box form is placed on the north side of the building. A similar box form sits on the south side to enclose the bedrooms on level 12. The space left between the two boxes creates another outdoor terrace. When placed together, the multiple intersecting box forms reflect shapes and profiles more commonly seen in Paris roofscapes. A rectangular form conceals the water tank, mechanical units, and elevator bulkhead on level 13 and 14.
Commercial Use
In the proposed design, commercial use is relegated to the cellar and first floor. The cellar level (garden level herein) is 10’-8” below grade. To make this subterranean level more attractive for leasing (read natural light and air), the Level 1 floor plate is reduced in length and width, intentionally creating a void at the front and along the side and toward the rear of the building. These two “voids” conjoin to create green areas that are open to natural light and air from above. At the rear of the building, a gym and yoga room are situated along the greenspace void. The greenspace void at the front of the building is also strategically placed, aimed at creating a dramatic building entry that overlooks the garden level below. This sectional condition mimics the masterful design for the Whitney Museum, located on 75th and Madison Avenue by 20th Century Bauhaus Architect, Marcel Breuer. Breuer’s design effectively separates the museum building from the street with a semiprivate plaza, one level below the street level, a special rarity among Manhattan’s ubiquitous building street wall. With the building entries positioned 11’-0” back from Leroy Street, two independent entry walkways connect the street and the building, each shouldering the entry void below. Hence, the design recalls Breuer’s precedent, and when entering the Leroy building views are directed to the Garden Level. The commercial entry façade with its historic arched openings is designed as a ubiquitous, industrial era palimpsest evidenced throughout lower Manhattan.
Level 1 is elevated two feet above the street to meet and exceed FEMA flood level projections. Because Level 1 is elevated above Leroy Street, the commercial access is via an ADA compliant ramp. Level 1 also serves as the condominium entry lobby and its access is by a small pedestrian lift. The residential elevators are on the east side and project into the commercial space on the west side. Encore, there are several architectural details that echo buildings and materials from historic New York. Each of the commercial and residential entries are stone clad and present familiar archways found on brownstone buildings throughout the boroughs. In the rear and west of Level 1, the floor is pulled away from the west property line by ten feet. The architectural detailing in this section echoes the cast iron building facades found in Soho, marked by their cast iron columns, and oversized display windows.
From Leroy Street, there is a massive structural column rising to the third-floor super structure above but originating from the garden level below. This muscular structural expression looms above the level 2 roof terrace to the underside of level 3, which is read as an exterior ceiling. Moving upward, exterior residential balconies successively cantilever from one to seven feet into Leroy Street Right-of-Way, as the northwest building corner slowly angles over the viewer, creating the sensation the building stands with magical powers. Another massive structural column supports the southwest corner of the building where the west and south walls also slope over the viewer. The window openings in the parabolic skin, given their variable wall thickness, create irregular shaped geometric forms, that are considered sculptural elements in the building façades.
Residential Use
Residential condominiums start on Level 3 and continue through Level 12. Level 2 is an exterior common use terrace and commercial space. In the best scenario, the envisioned use is an outdoor sculpture garden and accessible from the commercial space below, which, ideally, is an art gallery. Level 2 is also dedicated open space for the building occupants. The roof terrace is designed to be used by the condo owners and is the roof of the commercial space on Level 1. It steps back 43’-0” from the street to allow light to filter into the commercial space as well as the condominium entry. There is a large, open air, vertical separation, 20’-7” between level 2 and 3 and this architectural relief ostensibly allows greater natural light to the terrace area.
The leasable condominium floor areas range in size from 2,121 square feet to 3,202 square feet net usable area. Given the rather intimate average dwelling floor area size, there is only area for one residential condominium per floor. The largest residential floor plate has a floor area of 3,202 square feet, located on level 10.
The building core uses a scissor exit stair that has been commonly used for a century in New York City high rise buildings. However, in today’s building code, a standard riser height of 7” and a tread length of 11” render the older scissor stairs obsolete. The proposed scissor stair moves the landings from the end of the stairs to the middle of the stairs at every third level and requires a floor-to-floor height of 12’-10”. This allows for minimum head clearance between the stairs while an internal stairway chase is added between the stair runs. This chase is intended for mechanical-plumbing lines that run vertically through the building core. The elevators are located to the south of the stairs, and both the stairs and elevators are pulled away from the east exterior wall to allow a landing at every third level. By placing the service core 8’-6” away from the east wall, space for circulation, kitchen functions, and trash chutes are provided.
Level 12 is laid out in a more rectangular form in relation to the service core location. The northern boundary of this rectangle is eleven feet off Leroy Street, its east and west boundaries are at the property lines, and south boundary is positioned at the 20’-0” setback. The building’s rotation, surprisingly, starts with Level 12, at the top of the building and works itself down through the subsequent floors. Level 12 floor plate is copied to the next lower level and rotated two - and one-half degrees from a common pivot point, located at the intersection of the eastern property line and the southern light well line. This rotation happens in succession through level 3. To enclose the wall space between the rotated floor edges, metal studs are placed at the edge of each slab. Since the edge of the slab below is shifted inward, steel framing is placed from the lower slab to the upper slab. When a surface material is applied over the framing, a smooth and subtlety curving skin is created, expressing the building’s angling wall surfaces, and creating a notable parabolic skin. While the outer walls twist and change slope simultaneously, the interior walls are held plumb, which creates variations in the wall thickness. Window openings expose these playful variations in the parabolic wall thickness.
Summary
What does this building design bring to New York? Maybe first, one should ask what it doesn’t bring to a city known for its progressive architecture? Following the strict as-by-right requirements would result in a typical rectangular shaped building and have seven floors of storage space without windows. The adjacent Federal Express building and the next block to the east are good examples of what was built as by right and would be thusly continued without variation on the subject site. Even if an increase to the FAR is granted and the sky plane is eliminated, the floor plates would likely all be identical and the resulting building form is like its neighbors, except for 160 Leroy.
Allowing construction for this proposed architectural landmark, on a subject site saddled with severe restrictions, creates a unique building form that continues the rich contextual fabric, commonly found at street level, and its juxtaposing modern, sculptural residential tower above. The proposed design, in concert with 160 Leroy, will likely continue to attract neighborhood notoriety given their diverse and progressive architectural styles. It should be noted here, and stressed with special emphasis, that the proposed design successfully overcomes the financial limitations of an as-by-right building design and contributes the developing character of the neighborhood.
In conclusion, the proposed building design aspires to join a long architectural tradition found within Manhattan. This tradition recognizes contributions to the built environment that transcend purely functional forms of expression, with those buildings that aspire to become a living testament to progressive ideas, techniques, and materials of its time. These architectural contributions make compelling, memorable places and buildings for generations of New Yorkers. The proposed design, after all, aspires to become not just another building, but a landmark building.