Riverhouse, One Rockefeller Park, New York, Battery Park City Building, Project, News, Design

Riverhouse, One Rockefeller Park New York

Battery Park City Residential Development, Manhattan – design by Polshek Partnership

Oct 1, 2009

Riverhouse One Rockefeller Park

New York, October 1, 2009 – Riverhouse, One Rockefeller Park, designed by Todd Schliemann of Polshek Partnership Architects, is being honored tonight with a 2009 Brick NY Award for its contribution to the overall vitality and success of brick masonry construction in New York. A spectacular 32-story, 264-unit Green luxury condominium developed by the Sheldrake Organization, Riverhouse overlooks the Hudson River in Battery Park City and is situated on one of the last true waterfront sites in Manhattan.

Schliemann’s design adheres to the Battery Park City Authority’s rigorous environmental guidelines for New York City residential architecture, while simultaneously pushing the envelope with its application of forward-looking technologies and detailing. Riverhouse marks the first residential use of double-glass wall technology in the United States, besides being the largest LEED Platinum residential project built in the city of New York to date.

Masonry cladding was a requirement in Battery Park City, so great attention was paid to the careful detailing of the masonry openings and window systems to add character and nuance to large expanses of façade. An almost iridescent iron-spot brick gives the masonry texture and richness, and the ‘Norman’ brick module emphasizes the horizontal, breaking down the scale of what is a large building.

Glass parapets and perforated metal railings are intended to blur the line between building and sky. The movable glass and aluminum photovoltaic array at the top of the tower appears from a distance to be a diaphanous screen. Deep window recesses and mullion depths are played off against the crispness of the glass to give each façade its own character. The double-glass curtain wall actually combines two effects in one system: it exhibits a lovely sense of depth, linking it to the rhythms and scale of the masonry construction while at the same time displaying the tautness of a modern glass tower. This duality ultimately informs the identity of the building and the glass wall makes a clear statement of the building’s green intentions.

The Brick Awards are sponsored by two New York area industry associations, the Brick Industry Association’s New York/New Jersey Brick Distributor Council and the Associated Brick Mason Contractors of Greater New York. The award will be presented at the inaugural 2009 Brick NY Dinner and Awards Ceremony held tonight, October 1, at Tribeca Rooftop in Manhattan.

Riverhouse, One Rockefeller Park information from Polshek Partnership Architects

About Polshek Partnership Architects
Known for powerful building designs for cultural, educational, scientific and not-for-profit institutions, Polshek Partnership Architects is a 150-person firm based in New York City. Projects have been published internationally and recognized with numerous awards for design excellence and for their important contributions to the life of their cities and campus precincts. The firm’s research-based design process sponsors the creation of signature building designs that are expressive of an institution’s philosophy and vision and address each project’s unique programmatic, technical, aesthetic and environmental issues.

Location: Rockefeller Park, New York City, USA