ODA turns high-rise building upside down with 100 Norfolk residential tower
New York plots can often pose a serious challenge to architects. Squeezed and narrow, with strict zoning and massing requirements, it’s not always easy delivering a client’s brief – particularly when its a series of airy, contemporary residences set in a modern, tall building. But if you’re NYC-based architecture firm ODA – of 123 Melrose, 1040 Dean St and Bedford Hotel fame – you turn the conventional high rise on its head; welcome to 100 Norfolk.
This residential development, created between Delancey and Rivington Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan for Adam America Real Estate, is a tall building with a twist. The architects designed it as an inverted stepped volume, where the base is narrow, but the the outline widens as the height increases, becoming its most generous towards the top – providing plenty of light and space for the coveted top apartments.
When Eran Chen of ODA was called upon to propose a solution for the site, while researching local planning regulations and the surrounding area he uncovered an interesting fact. There were some ‘11,000 square feet of unused air space ripe for construction above the adjacent buildings’, he explains. By transfering the nearby structures’ air rights – which allowed the architects to work on 100 Norfolk’s finely chiseled form and extend cantilevered floors over the existing neighbouring buildings – the architects were able to include more units exactly where the building gets the best light and optimal views, in a gesture towards a more balanced distribution of space and sunlight within the scheme.
100 Norfolk is built in glass and steel, with curtain walls wrapping around the main frame, so as to create bright interiors and allow for far-reaching views for the residents. The scheme comprises 38 homes, which range from studios to three-bedroom apartments. The interiors are clean and minimalist, leaving space for the striking vistas to take centre stage. Meanwhile living spaces are matched by a series of amenities, such as a gym, yoga room, extra storage and two terraces for the residents – one of which sits on the building’s roof, rather fittingly for this development which is all about making the most of what you’ve got.§
INFORMATION
For more information visit the website of ODA
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
‘You have to face death to feel alive’: Dark fairytales come to life in London exhibition
Daniel Malarkey, the curator of ‘Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley’ at London’s Alison Jacques gallery, celebrates the fantastical
By Phin Jennings Published
-
Wallpaper* takes the wheel of the Bentley Blower Jnr for a rich automotive experience
Hedley Studios has shrunk the mighty Bentley Blower into this all-electric, road-legal barnstormer. We take it to the streets of London
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
A suburban house is expanded into two striking interconnected dwellings
Justin Mallia’s suburban house, a residential puzzle box in Melbourne’s Clifton Hill, interlocks old and new to enhance light, space and efficiency
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Zaha Hadid Architects’ new project will be Miami’s priciest condo
Construction has commenced at The Delmore, an oceanfront condominium from the design firm founded by the late Zaha Hadid, ZHA
By Anna Solomon Published
-
A West Austin house invites you to commune with nature
Westview Residence by Alterstudio, a West Austin house among trees, makes the most of large windows and open-air decks in a verdant setting
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Apple’s new Miami store employs the principles of biophilic design
Apple’s first mass-timber store connects shoppers to nature while echoing the Art Deco architecture of Miami
By Anna Solomon Published
-
The World Monuments Fund has announced its 2025 Watch – here are some of the endangered sites on the list
Every two years, the World Monuments Fund creates a list of 25 monuments of global significance deemed most in need of restoration. From a modernist icon in Angola to the cultural wreckage of Gaza, these are the heritage sites highlighted
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Reflections from Los Angeles: a local writer's personal account of the LA fires
Architecture writer and local resident Michael Webb reflects on the devastating 2025 Los Angeles fires and offers his personal account of the events of the last two weeks in California
By Michael Webb Published
-
LA Mayor Karen Bass outlines her plan for rebuilding the city
Following the devastating LA wildfires, which have destroyed more than 12,000 structures, the city’s mayor has outlined her plan for reconstruction
By Anna Solomon Published
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House, a Usonian modernist Michigan gem, could be yours
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Weisblat House in Michigan is on the market – a chance to peek inside the heritage modernist home in the countryside
By Audrey Henderson Published
-
Cabin House is a simple modernist retreat in the woods of North Carolina
Designed for downsizing clients, Cabin House is a modest two-bedroom home that makes the most of its sylvan surroundings
By Jonathan Bell Published