Skyline Tower

The tallest building in Long Island City, Skyline Tower rises 67 stories. The 800 condominium units have unparalleled 360 degree views of Manhattan and the surrounding skyline.

This all glass curtainwall building is a sleek, monolithic structure with re-entrant corners articulating the form and creating a place for balconies. The designers used two shades of glass, a neutral blue on the broader faces of the building, and a clear green on the edges. The result is a building that appears to expose its special interiors beyond its glassy exterior.

The base and crown are screened with metal fins that add lightness and conceal parking at the base. This language of metal fins allows the private residential entry and the public MTA entry at the building base to both relate to each other and be separate.

The building features a double-height sky-lit amenity space with a mezzanine lounge overlooking a pool on the 3^rd floor. On the 5^th floor amenities overlook an exterior terrace. A fitness center, sauna, spa, yoga room, parking, and storage round out the luxury experience.

PLG

PLG, a 467-unit luxury rental development designed by Hill West Architects, is located at 123 Linden Boulevard in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Located just seven blocks from Prospect Park, the project carefully balances the history of its surrounding neighborhood with forward-thinking and innovative design. Combining the playfulness and scale of post-war modernism with contemporary styling, PLG elevates this venerable neighborhood into one of Brooklyn’s most coveted places to call home

Rising 26 stories and 320 feet, PLG is the tallest new development in its proximity. The 469,000-square foot tower pays homage to the vibrant surrounding neighborhood and capitalizes on its impressive views of downtown Brooklyn, Prospect Park, Manhattan, the Verrazano Bridge, and beyond. PLG’s façade responds to its environment, with textured precast concrete masonry formed into a chevron pattern as an homage to the area’s masonry, which is juxtaposed against a glass curtain wall to embody a modern interpretation of brownstone bay windows.

PLG’s residential units, ranging from studios through three-bedrooms designed by Whitehall Interiors, boast Caesarstone countertops, stainless steel appliances, spacious closets, in-unit washer/dryers, dishwashers, and remote keyless entry. Many units also offer private outdoor space with unobstructed views. PLG features more than 50,000 square feet of amenities, including a spa-like indoor pool, hot tub, and sauna; an indoor/outdoor fitness center; a residents’ lounge; a game room; and a business center with co-working capabilities. There is also a pet spa, a rooftop pool, and a 27^th floor outdoor terrace with various seating areas and sweeping 360-degree city views.

When designing PLG, Hill West implemented sustainable architecture strategies throughout the project, including an electric HVAC system for the entire building, an ultra-insulated facade that exceeds NYC building code by more than 10% and green roofs.

The Rockwell

Meticulously merging classic with current, Hill West designed The Rockwell, a 13-story residential building, as a study in contrasts. The building is uniquely at home on the Upper West Side, where greenspace abuts urban space, stately and sleek live side by side, and the atmosphere is intimate yet brimming with energy. Named for the iconic American artist, born on the very same block, The Rockwell offers a coveted collection of original condominium residences that create a portrait of timeless style against an idyllic urban backdrop.

Located at 2688 Broadway on the southeast corner of West 103rd Street, The Rockwell is situated between Central Park and Riverside Park on the Upper West Side. The building is comprised of 81 one- to three-bedroom condominium residences.

Designed by Whitehall, the interior design of the residences will feature high-end luxury finishes. Residents will enjoy a best-in-class amenity package, which includes a 24-hour attended lobby, lounge with landscaped terrace, private dining room, fitness center, children’s playroom, screening room, music room, pet spa, and rooftop terrace with grills.

 

Gemma Gramercy

Gemma Gramercy is the first time Hill West has designed to Passive House standards.

Situated on a vibrant corner of Gramercy, the building benefits greatly from the triple glazed, airtight windows required by Passive House design standards. In addition to their importance in building insulation, the windows are soundproof. Standing 20 stories high, the location of the building on the South East corner of 3rd Avenue and East 23rd Street features incredible views from all directions. The large windows Gemma Gramercy host proves visibility does not need to be compromised for high-insulation.

The exterior facade was designed with materials selected to limit carbon. Designed to be dynamic from all angles, Gemma Gramercy’s facade provides an interesting addition to the neighborhood’s skyline.

Gemma Gramercy houses 108 total studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom rental units. Some of the units are affordable. The benefits of sustainable design are present throughout the building. There is fresh air intake in every room. The units feature all electric appliances. Tenants will be able to take advantage of the many amenities designed by Whitehall: A rooftop terrace, fitness center, coworking lounge, and recreation room on the top floor of the building.

Overall, the Passive House design provides tenants many long-term benefits and lifestyle improvements: Year-round fresh indoor air quality and stable temperature; the substantial reduction in energy use and operating costs; and a quiet atmosphere.

Gemma Gramercy’s dynamic facade provides an interesting addition to the neighborhood’s skyline from every direction you consider it from.

Tower 28

Tower 28 in Long Island City was designed to be a 58-story residential rental tower inclusive of a luxury amenity experience to rival any vacation destination. The building is comprised of two connected segments; the tower on 28^th Street houses all of the 451 residential units, while the smaller building on 27^th Street houses amenities including a pool, a fitness center, spa, sauna, and yoga studio. The two segments are connected on the 2^nd floor by a covered breezeway and share a roof deck that can be opened in summer months via a Nanawall to the pool in the amenity building.

The tower’s mass is broken into lighter volumes to create a slender volumetric expression. A combination of spandrel glass and fritted glass panels in a variety of different colors and patterns, are layered to create compositions that move up the building in shifting, dynamic movements. The observation deck on the 60^th floor of the building allows residents to take in the incredible views.

Interiors were designed by Whitehall.

1 Flatbush

1 Flatbush Avenue, a 19-story, 183-unit rental building, sits at a busy intersection in Brooklyn on a wedge-like site. This corner site called for a contextual building with a large, three story, double-height retail base. Hill West created a masonry building with glass structures pushing out as they rise above the base. Referencing industrial language, columns rise from the storefront to the third story where a setback allows for a recessed amenity terrace.

The residential entrance is on Fulton Street with convenient nearby subway access. A two story vestibule with a grand chandelier is set apart from the retail entrances by a bronze marquis. Some units have private terraces and all residents enjoy the rooftop amenity terrace with BBQs, a shuffleboard court and views of the Manhattan Bridge to the South. The terrace parapets were designed with a view gap specifically to allow enjoyment of the views at the 3rd floor and rooftop.

Ocean Dreams

Ocean Drive, 3514 Surf Avenue is a 21-story, 425-unit, market-rate apartment building that brings “Miami sophistication” to the Coney Island Boardwalk. Located outside of the gated communities in the surrounding neighborhood, Ocean Drive enhances the area with a large retail space set to house a quality neighborhood food store, improves the boardwalk and street ends, and ushers in a rebirth to the area.

The beach and boardwalk informed the placement of the structural elements and the program of the building’s foundation. The heavier two towers were shifted back toward Surf Avenue while the lighter garage structure was moved towards the beach to mitigate erosion and depths of excavation required for the foundation. Ocean Drive’s garage location presented a challenge, but ultimately allowed our design team to develop a creative and effective solution. Our team cladded the garage with the goal of creating a landmark while providing a playful, 3-dimensional facade appropriate for the boardwalk and beachfront.

The design team and landscape architect collaborated on a design that serves the community with a public space for food, activity centers, shade, seating, and lush plantings allowing the building and boardwalk to become a destination in the neighborhood.

As the first market-rate building in the area in two decades, Ocean Drive is a renaissance in the community of Coney Island.

1399 Park Avenue

Rising to 22 stories with 78 condominium units, 1399 Park Avenue emerges as a beacon alongside the Park Avenue Railroad viaduct in East Harlem. The sculptural form is composed of architectural concrete, metal and glass. The building rises through a “Mondrian-like” composition of interlocking cubes and volumes. The building is a true expression of New York City urban design traditions, merging zoning, function, and aesthetics into a singular sculptural form.

David West, the project’s lead designer and premiere NYC zoning expert was the perfect counterpart to a client who encouraged excellence beyond the typical hurdles. Despite its height and size, the building has the ambiance of a boutique residence. The scale of the lobby and the amenities provide all that a resident could hope for without sacrificing a feeling of intimacy. An integral part of the 5^th floor amenity space is a lounge that spills out onto a terrace and seamlessly blends interior and exterior space. Even the furniture defies boundaries as the bar/table/grill element penetrates the glass between the lounge and the terrace.

The site’s zoning challenges led to some unique moves that helped to shape the form while also still allowing for function. The building resembles a series of nested cubes suspended from a solid vertical spine.  The mass was first informed by zoning needs but then took sculptural form with deliberate manipulation by the designers. A cube hovers above other forms as the central shape around which other forms wrap. Large exposed columns and a recessed amenity terrace at the 5^th floor augment the impression of a hovering cube separated from other forms by voids all around. Glass surfaces increase as the building rises to allow for views. Private terraces wrap the building at multiple levels and capture spectacular views of a vibrant neighborhood including such hidden gems as the community garden to the south.

Hill West created a landmark in the Harlem skyline by combining function and aesthetic in a tower that Harlem can be proud of.

2230 Cropsey Avenue

Standing 31 stories tall, 2230 Cropsey Avenue is the tallest residential tower in South Brooklyn.

Located in Bath Beach, the residential tower maximizes the incredible views in all directions by leveraging a structurally glazed curtain wall system for the vertical tower. To balance scale and emphasize the interlocking geometrical forms, the tower mass is broken up with recesses. The projected fin articulation on the curtain wall expresses movement and accentuates the vertical tower, while also allowing for sunshading opportunities.

However, the base of the building was constructed from brick and reflects the context of the preexisting buildings found within the neighborhood’s streets. On the 3rd floor of the building residents will enjoy a fitness center with a yoga room and billiards room. The 4th floor hosts a locker room with a Sauna and Steam room and a 2,300 square foot outdoor terrace with a swimming pool and lounge deck. An additional 1,200 square foot outdoor terrace is available to residents at the 23rd floor.

Chelsea 29

Chelsea 29 is a 21-story, 95-unit residential rental building with both retail and parking at West 29^th Street, west of 7^th Avenue. The building’s form is an updated take on the setback, “wedding cake” aesthetic of the pre-war commercial high-rises that line the blocks of the Garment District. The facade has an elegant vertical emphasis and is organized into three bays of windows separated by vertical limestone piers that start at the base and rise to the top through a series of setbacks and terraces. Each pier is capped by a decorative T-shaped metal finial in a dark metal finish. A series of thinner mullions clad in a matching metal rise between the limestone piers to create each of the three window bays. Dark metal grills and limestone bars make up the spandrels between the windows.

A series of setbacks between the 13th and 16th floors create landscaped terraces fronted by glass balustrades. The building meets the street with two lower floors that embrace an aesthetic of polished and textured metal surfaces along with glass. The entrance sits underneath a glass canopy suspended by two steel rods and surrounded by metal mesh. The resulting composition is not an imitation of the past, but rather a modern reinterpretation of the district’s historic spirit that recalls a time when commercial high-rises shared their urban space with light manufacturing facilities.

7 Penn Plaza

Working with our affiliated interiors firm, Whitehall, Hill West created a new entry canopy and lobby for this corporate office tower.

The lobby was transformed into a 16 foot, grand space clad in honed and textured limestone. The new reception desk, wrapped in polished marble and onyx mosaic sits in a central location accentuated by a strategically dropped ceiling. Cove lighting and warm hand applied Venetian plaster finish add warmth to this serene space that is classic, clean, and fresh all at once.