Soon to be shining from 515 West 18th Street in West Chelsea is Heatherwick Studio’s latest project, Lantern House, developed by Related Companies. The studio has been busy in that part of town – recently completing the Vessel and Pier 55 nearby, but this project is their first residential project in NYC.
Joining many starchitect-designed blocks flanking the High Line, Lantern House features two towers – one 10 storeys, the other 21 storeys – connected by a sculptural glass lobby. Instead of looking into the future, the façade is a contemporary take on historical styles seen in in the neighbourhood, with textured grids of bay windows and hand-laid antiqued grey brickwork with industrial metal detailing.
It was the surrounding maritime warehouses that really inspired the architects: ‘The design came from looking at the city’s existing buildings and thinking about which ones you might want to live in, not just look at. It seemed to us that practical, crafted, human-scale details such as shades, mullions, and window sills might have a role to play again in making homes feel comfortable and inviting,’ says Thomas Heatherwick, founder of Heatherwick Studio.
The name ‘Lantern House’ came from the reinterpretation of the modern bay window, designed this time from the inside out and forming a striking lantern shape. ‘Our design for Lantern House, with its distinctive new bay windows, emerged from this thinking and from wondering what could make the interior experience as special as possible for residents
‘These special three-dimensionally-sculpted windows will allow the building’s residents to have light-filled interiors plus exciting new panoramic views and new visual connections to the city beyond,’ says Heatherwick.
The design of the one- to four-bedroom residences that each feature 10 foot high ceilings, responds to the openess of the bay windows, with their many window seats designed for spending time with the skyline. For more immersion into the city, many residences feature private setback terraces. And if you’re wondering, sales of the 181 condominiums will launch in January 2020.
INFORMATION
heatherwick.com
-
What is the role of fragrance in contemporary culture, asks a new exhibition at 10 Corso ComoMilan concept store 10 Corso Como has partnered with London creative agency System Preferences to launch Olfactory Projections 01
-
Jack White's Third Man Records opens a Paris pop-upJack White's immaculately-branded record store will set up shop in the 9th arrondissement this weekend
-
Designer Marta de la Rica’s elegant Madrid studio is full of perfectly-pitched contradictionsThe studio, or ‘the laboratory’ as de la Rica and her team call it, plays with colour, texture and scale in eminently rewarding ways
-
This Rocky Mountains house is a ski-lover's dream escapeBozeman, a Rocky Mountains house by Pearson Design Group and Frederick Tang Architecture, is a contemporary retreat that sits low in its natural, Montana setting
-
Take a deep dive into The Palm Springs School ahead of the region’s Modernism WeekNew book ‘The Palm Springs School: Desert Modernism 1934-1975’ is the ultimate guide to exploring the midcentury gems of California, during Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025 and beyond
-
A wavy roof tops this sophisticated take on a backyard cabin in CaliforniaThis Californian Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) by Spiegel Aihara Workshop (SAW), offers an aesthetic and functional answer to housing shortages and multigenerational family living
-
Palm Springs Modernism Week 2025: let the desert architecture party beginPalm Springs Modernism Week 2025 launches on 13 February, marking the popular annual desert event’s 20th anniversary, celebrated this year through more midcentury marvels than ever
-
On the shores of Discovery Bay, this wooden house is the ultimate waterside retreatDekleva Gregorič’s Discovery Bay House is a structured yet organic shelter that blends perfectly into the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape
-
The 10 emerging American Midwest architects you need to knowWe profile 10 emerging American Midwest architects shaking up the world of architecture - in their territory, and beyond
-
A light-filled New York loft renovation magics up extra space in a deceptively sized homeThis New York loft renovation by local practice BOND is now a warm and welcoming apartment that feels more spacious than it actually is
-
Inside Bell Labs, the modernist vision behind Severance's minimalist settingWe explore the history of Bell Labs - now known as Bell Works - the modernist Eero Saarinen-designed facility in New Jersey, which inspired the dystopian minimalist setting of 'Severance'
