City Palazzo

Residential interior for a penthouse unit at a new condo tower located nearby Columbus Circle and southwestern gate of Central Park, New York. The design enlightens a renowned housing type of Palazzo, a legacy from Renaissance era, and brings it to contemporary city life for a family. Through a process of translating and simplifying the ancient design language and its materiality, the neutral living unit is transformed into a unique and elegance home.

The main communal living area was characterized by a series of columns formed by a series of punched windows of the building which allows picture-framed panoramic vista towards the city and the riverside along with wonderful shadow effects drew by sun light. To keep and enhance this uniqueness in the space, invented and applied a new cover ornament to the each column fabricated by natural pink travertine in a layered shape. The shape of the cover is inspired from the famous ‘zoning bulk’ drawings developed by Hugh Ferriss in 1929, which impacted to form the identical Manhattan skyline, therefore, the stone covers are eventually harmonized with picture-framed city view of Manhattan while creating a dominant stone-covered living space. In addition, insulted LED strips along the edges/fins of the stone cover create unique geometrical city mood at night.

Another key element suggested for the space was a new gallery hall designed along the existing entry hall. Relocating some existing partition walls and extending the hallway make the space much brighter and more grandiose from the entrance. The gallery walls are equipped with a series of in-wall closets and provide additional storage space within the limited living area. The gallery walls and doors are finished with tiny-grooved American oak panels which provide comfort home feeling when entered while harmonized with veins of layered pink travertine finishes installed through the living and the dining room.