Occupying an entire floor of ahotel building, this expansive 8,000-square-foot apartment boasts a spaciousgallery ambience and offers stunning views of the Central Park . The clients,being major collectors of contemporary and modern art, required a home thatallowed them to inhabit the space with their extraordinary art collection.
In section, an axial viewingstrategy consisting of interiorclerestories, low windows, and vertical openings was used to create viewsextending through multiple spaces out to Central Park. The living room and dining room face the parkand house the majority of the art pieces. Ceiling modulations visually dividethe sweeping hallways to give more emphasis on art hanging on the walls despitethe existing ceiling heights of under 8’-4”
In plan, the objects areinterconnected as a cubist collage. The figure/ground (carving/object) conceptwas used as a design strategy to create spaces around the existing randommatrix of columns and plumbing lines. The building’s existing conditions wereenhanced by exposing cast iron columns in certain spaces. A u-shape footprintis formed by interconnecting hotel rooms to open up spacious thresholds. Inaddition to north-facing views toward Central Park, the apartment’s u-shapefootprint allows views to a south-facingsun filled courtyard.
