June 2007 in Handel Architects

Summer 2007 Construction Update Hard hats required beyond this point So much for the lazy days of summer! Handel Architects currently has over 4.8 million square feet of space under construction in New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Santa Barbara, and Santiago, Chile: 40 Bond Street with Herzog & deMeuron for Ian Schrager Company The Caledonia along the High Line in West Chelsea for the Related Companies and Taconic Investment Partners The Arbor at 3260 Henry Hudson Parkway in Riverdale for Hudson Arlington Associates. The Trump SoHo Hotel for Bayrock Group and the Sapir Organization The World Trade Center Memorial with Peter Walker Associates and Davis Brody Bond The Flushing Meadows - Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York City Economic Development Corporation Millennium Tower at 301 Mission Street in San Francisco for Millennium Partners 631 Folsom Street in San Francisco for Malcolm Properties, Inc. and Lennar Urban The Ritz-Carlton Residences in Philadelphia for AGC Partners

May 2007 in Handel Architects

Arthur Bruzzone Interviews Glenn Rescalvo on San Francisco / Unscripted Glenn discusses the city's architecture on NBC Channel 11 Glenn Rescalvo, Partner-in-Charge of Handel Architects' San Francisco office, shared his thoughts on the city's changing architectural landscape with Art Bruzzone on San Francisco / Unscripted this month. The show, which airs weekly on the local NBC affiliate, presents conversations on contemporary San Francisco politics, businesses, and arts with prominent local personalities. The 15-minute discussion covers topics from San Francisco's planning policies to the new de Young Art museum to the booming development in the Rincon Hill and Transbay Terminal areas. Click here to watch the entire interview.

The Caledonia Tops Out in West Chelsea New residential tower reaches construction milestone Handel Architects joined The Related Companies and Taconic Investment Partners in celebrating the topping out of the Caledonia this month. Located in West Chelsea along the High Line, the Caledonia rises 24-stories and includes 245 rental apartment and 189 condominiums. The lower floors include a residential lobby, residents' space with reading library, retail space, a landscaped courtyard, a 30,000-square- foot Equinox sports club, and parking. The building's exterior is designed in response to the unique site with a base of predominately warm- colored, iron-spotted brick and lobbies and storefronts accented in a flamed jet mist granite. The tower of glass, metal, and brick rises out of the base along 17th Street to a height and scale of the towers directly to the east. The High Line crosses the corner of the site at Tenth Avenue and 16th Street. The building's mass is eroded away by the High Line to reveal a glass wall that abuts the park. Top: View of the courtyard. Center: View from the top. Bottom: Rendering.

Blake Middleton Honored at 2007 AIA National Convention in San Antonio College of Fellows elevated at investiture ceremony On May 4th, in front of the historic Alamo, the American Institute of Architects elevated 76 members to the level of Fellow, including Blake Middleton, Partner at Handel Architects. The Investiture ceremony included remarks by AIA President RK Stewart, FAIA and Chancellor FAIA Chancellor Frank Lucas, FAIA. Above: Investiture ceremony at the AIA National Convention in San Antonio

March 2007 in Handel Architects

Construction Begins at Linden78
		New Residential Tower Rises on the Upper West Side Located on West 78th Street and developed by Urban Residential, Linden78 will include 35 residential apartments in 95,000 square feet. The site, bisected by a diagonal setback off of Broadway, is in both wide and narrow street zones, providing opportunities for varying heights and terraces at different levels of the building. The project also encompasses a neighboring four-story building. Linden78 rises six stories to the east of the building, then, via a steel truss, cantilevers over the building and continues up to 20 stories. At the top of the building, a portion of window-wall diminishes the scale of the building on 78th Street and creates dramatic views from the penthouse units. The use of a warm, weathered brick and the discreet window types helps create a sense of "implied history," tying Linden78 to its context. As a counterpoint to the brick, other elements are dark, painted metal. A steel and glass marquee canopy announces the entry doors. This canopy is the lower terminus of an inset metal reveal. which travels up the building and marks the zoning transition created off of Broadway. There are only two residences per floor, with one per floor on the top three levels. Most apartments have at least three bedrooms and are of a scale reminiscent of the pre-war apartments found in the area. Windows in the living spaces open fully to a Juliette balconies with railings subtly bent in a branch motif. Linden78 is scheduled for completion in Summer 2008.
Residential Project for SoMA Neighborhood
		570 Jessie Street Reinterprets Surrounding Warehouse District 570 Jessie Street creates a contemporary mid-rise project suitable for its South of Market neighborhood. The 36,000-square-foot project includes studio and one-bedroom units, parking, and a landscaped roof terrace, and is designed on behalf of 570 Jessie Street LLC. The project is eight stories, consisting of seven floors of residential units over a ground floor with a residential lobby and parking. The Jessie Street façade is a dynamic but carefully considered composition, using contemporary versions of architectural features commonly found throughout the city such as bay windows, balconies, and projections both vertical and horizontal. In addition, the façade incorporates a large vertical recess with balconies in an alternating pattern. A signature "wrapper" element that begins as a canopy above the lobby entrance, continues vertically along the side of the elevation, and returns to the horizontal to form a dramatic floating plane capping the top of the building. In keeping with the spirit of the surrounding warehouse buildings, party walls, including a portion of the Jessie Street façade adjacent to the lot at the end of the street, are of concrete relieved by a pattern of rectangular recesses and reveals. A vertical bay window element has an unusual mullion pattern with anodized aluminum projections that provide a vertical contrast. The base of the building and the signature wrapper are of perforated weathering steel panels that will develop a dark-orange patina, while the entry lobby is a simple but sophisticated all-glass element. Construction on 570 Jessie is set to begin in early 2008.
Arbor Condominiums Tops Out in Riverdale
		Project Will Bring 127 Residential Units to the Bronx Located at 3260 Henry Hudson Parkway, Arbor Condominiums is a new mid-rise residential project developed by Hudson Arlington Associates. The project includes 127 condominiums with one to four bedrooms ranging from 787 to 2,125 square feet. Residences will feature floor-to-ceiling windows, some with private terraces and patios. The project, composed of a blend of three brick colors and window wall, can be entered from the quiet, central courtyard, or from the service road of the Henry Hudson Parkway. The sloping site allows the lobby to be situated on the second floor, providing a dramatic view upon arrival to the garden, one floor below. Other common amenities will include a doorman, fitness center, lounge, children’s playroom, and attended parking garage. Both the lounge and the children's playroom open onto the public garden. Construction on the Arbor is scheduled for completion in February 2008.

February 2007 in Handel Architects

Blake Middleton Elevated to Fellow by the AIA
		AIA Honors Architects' Significant Contributions to the Profession Blake Middleton, Partner at Handel Architects since 1997, was nominated by the New York Chapter and elected to the College of Fellows by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) this week. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level. Out of a total AIA membership of nearly 81,000, there are fewer than 2,600 distinguished with the honor of Fellowship. The AIA Jury of Fellows elevated just 76 AIA members to its College of Fellows in 2007. Blake holds his Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture in Urban Design from Cornell University. He is a member of the Society of Fellows of the American Academy in Rome, the U.S. Institute of Theater Technology, the Urban Land Institute, the Boston Society of Architects, the Van Alen Institute, and the Architectural League of New York.
3303 Water Street Declared NAHB Award Finalist
		Project Honored for Excellence in Multi-Family Design The National Association of Home Builders announced last week that 3303 Water Street is among its 2007 Pillars of the Industry Award Finalists. The project, developed by EastBanc, is located in Washington, DC and was completed in late 2004. Sited in historic Georgetown between the Potomac River and the C&O Canal, adjacent to the Whitehurst Freeway, this six-story residential building with 72 apartments and 136 parking spaces presents an authentically new design that also reflects the area's industrial past. In response to its historic context, brick, black metal, and precast concrete are used to invoke material elements of an industrial building, but the project also includes large amounts of exterior glass surfaces to provide views to the Canal and the Potomac. Ground floor units were turned into townhouse-style duplexes with private backyards, reinterpreting the typical Georgetown row house in a modern vernacular. A "green roof" was added to the adjacent electrical substation. The NAHB Pillars awards, considered the multifamily housing industry’s most prestigious, honor superior achievement in apartment and condominium development, design, marketing, and management. Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony held in conjunction with NAHB Multifamily’s Pillars of the Industry Conference in April. Above: C&O Canal facade. Below: The Whitehurst Freeway, substation with green roof, and private backyards at the southern edge of the site. Photos by Maxwell MacKenzie.
Cornell Alumni Gather to Discuss Two New Projects
		Glenn Rescalvo Introduces Mission Street Tower On February 2, The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University, the Cornell Entrepreneur Network, and the Cornell Alumni Associations of Northern California and Orange County hosted Glenn Rescalvo, Partner-In-Charge of Handel Architect's San Francisco office, to present 301 Mission Street Tower to a crowd of over 100 alumni and friends at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. At 60 stories, 301 Mission Street, which is currently under construction, will be San Francisco's fourth- tallest building when it's completed in spring 2009. Developed by Millennium Partners, the exterior design creates the impression of a translucent crystal, delicately detailed and taut in character, incorporating a variety of glass and metal fins to craft a sense of lightness and transparency. The event also included an introduction to Milstein Hall, the newest building of Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP), by Dean Mohsen Mostafavi. Milstein Hall, designed by Rem Koolhaas and the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), is also scheduled for completion in 2009. Cornell alumni at Handel Architects include Partners Glenn Rescalvo, Gary Handel, and Blake Middleton. Above: Glenn discusses the design process for 301 Mission Street. Below: Rendering and current construction progress of the tower.

January 2007 in Handel Architects

Construction Continues at the W Hotel Santiago
	Mixed-Use Project in South America Will Open in 2008 Located in downtown Santiago, Chile and developed by Territoria, this one million square foot, mixed-use project combines a five-star W Hotel and convention center with residential, retail, parking, and office uses to create a world class facility. The site faces Plaza Peru, a major public square. The project's plaza foreground and mountainous backdrop provided an opportunity to design an iconic building with a singular formal language. The building's glass facade reveals the diversity of programs to the street. The various uses feed off this circulation zone, with bridges and escalators that punctuate the continuous vertical space. Faceted planes modulate the building’s immense scale and create an undulating roofline that reflects the mountains surrounding Santiago. The proportion of the office tower was broken down into intersecting skins, enhancing its verticality within a modest height limit. The project is scheduled for completion in 2008. Handel Architects is also currently designing the W Hotel Philadelphia on behalf of Urban Residential. Above: The project with Plaza Peru in the foreground. Below: Construction progress.
Manhattan's First Luxury Golf Gym Opens
	Drive 495 Swings Into Soho Located on the second and third floors of the historic New Era Building and developed by CPM Enterprises, LLC, Drive 495 is a 10,000 square foot luxury gym unlike any other in the city. Unique features of this year-round golf training facility include 3D computer swing analysis, personalized instruction, and a state- of-the-art "driving range" that allows members to practice on 36 international courses. The design is modern and minimalist with a muted color palette of dove white, warm gray, nickel, and pale citrus greens, allowing for a quiet, focused workout experience. The second floor is a long open space with windows at either end, letting in natural light. The prominent Corinthian columns reflect the style of the surrounding SoHo neighborhood, while a custom metal and glass staircase floats between the two floors. The materials used at Drive 495 convey the idea of ‘muscle beneath the surface.’ The FusionFlex flooring, a polyurethane, seamless poured flooring, uses microspheres of glass to achieve a simulation of depth within a small amount of material. Back-lighted Panelite is used throughout the office and locker room spaces to provide soft light and a sense of privacy, while also allowing users to see the activity occurring in each space, contributing to the kinetic qualities of the gym experience. Visit Drive 495's web site or have a look at this interview with Don and Joseph Saladino, founders of Drive 495, to learn more. Above: Front desk. Below: Golf simulators.
Handel Architect Takes 'Cramped to Classy'
	Ed Tachibana's Inventive Design Makes News It’s a challenge as old as Manhattan itself: How to gracefully transform a small apartment into a livable, fresh space without breaking the bank. When Ed Tachibana, Senior Designer at Handel Architect's New York office since 1994, renovated his dark Upper West Side apartment into a spacious, loft-like two-bedroom, both The New York Times and Home & Garden Television took notice of the result. Ed used his skills as a designer and his penchant for hunting down bargains on the Internet to create the feel of a SoHo loft in just 1,050 square feet. He opened up the kitchen to the living area, converted three bedrooms into two, and chose modern furnishings and fixtures to complement the space. But we won’t pretend to be better than The New York Times at reporting this story. You can click here (Username: handel, password: architects) to read all about it! Or keep an eye out for Small Space, Big Style on HGTV.

November 2006 in Handel Architects

	Projects/ News / Awardws
Architects Play With Their Food to Fight Hunger
	Handel Architects Compete in 14th Annual Canstruction Competition After a grueling night spent precisely stacking cans at the New York Design Center, the Handel Architects' team completed our first ever Canstruction entry: "The Big Apple Says Slice Hunger to the Core!" The Handel team of Diego Barberena, Kiyoe Takada, Harshad Pillai, Charles Fadem, Derek Metz, and Yooseung Moon used 5,030 cans of sardines, tuna fish, and organic split pea soup to create the giant apple with a cut-out slice. The final sculpture was featured in several newspapers and on CBSNews.com. 42 teams of architects and engineers participated in this year’s event, using 153,000 cans total to build their sculptures. Only five people on a team can build the sculptures at once, and the teams must construct their sculptures in a single night. At the end of the exhibit, every can of food was donated to City Harvest. Canstruction now hosts competitions in 80 cities around the world. About 600 teams participate throughout North America, with two million pounds of canned foods expected to be donated this year alone.
Handel Architect Wins Future Furniture Competition
	Ade Herkarisma's 'Namba* Seating' Featured in Interior Design Hundreds of designers and architects answered the call for Interior Design's sixth annual Future Furniture competition. Handel Architects' own Ade Herkarisma was one of only 17 winners selected by the magazine's editorial team. Ade's namba* is built of molded plywood and upholstered in stretch soft wool. The legs and side details are tubular steel with a brushed finish. The design accommodates numerous domestic activities simultaneously, such as reading, writing, napping, and lounging. The namba* concept gives freedom to the user, allowing them to rearrange the furniture to their needs. The writer* (above) is just one way that the furniture can be customized to suit an individual's particular needs and lifestyle. Learn more about Ade's design at getdepac.com
Construction Almost Complete in Battery Park City
	Millennium Tower Residences to be LEED Gold-Certified The Millennium Tower Residences, a 35-story residential tower, is nearing completion in Battery Park City. The project is Handel Architect's second tower in the neighborhood; the first, the Ritz-Carlton Downtown, was completed in 2001. Both towers were designed on behalf of Millennium Partners. The Millennium Tower Residences will be LEED Gold- Certified as a Green Building. Sustainable design features include: reducing energy use in the building by 25 filtered fresh air in all units; recycled construction materials from local sources; solar rooftop panels; and a roof garden landscaped to capture and recycle rainwater for re-use and irrigation. Residents of the Millennium Tower Residences will enjoy panoramic views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, and the Hudson River from 236 luxury units. The building's amenities, such as the kids' club and fitness center, are complete, and residents of the lower floors will begin moving in next week. Above: Construction progress. Below: View south with the Ritz-Carlton Downtown in the background.

October 2006 in Handel Architects

Projects/News/Awards Men's Vogue Parties at 255 Hudson
		Magazine's "Drafting Board" Section Focuses on Cutting-Edge Design On October 3rd, Men's Vogue kicked off their "Drafting Board" series of events with an evening of cocktails and conversation at 255 Hudson Street, Handel Architects' 93,000-square-foot residential project in West SoHo. The "Drafting Board" will introduce Men's Vogue readers to designers and their work with intimate events around New York City. Gary Handel, introduced by Men's Vogue publisher William Li, spoke to a crowd of about 100 in the backyard of one of 255 Hudson's unique townhouses. The project features glass curtain wall facades with side walls of folded, pre-cast concrete. At night, light spills to the street through slanted zinc panels at the base of the building. 255 Hudson is the second project completed by Handel Architects for Urban Residential. The first, 505 Greenwich, has received numerous awards for design excellence. Clockwise: Townhouse backyard, ground level detail, pre-cast detail, and Hudson Street facade during construction.
Construction Begins at 631 Folsom Street
		Residential Tower Adds Density, While Preserving Sunlight & Air Handel Architects, Malcom Properties, and Lennar Corporation celebrated the groundbreaking at 631 Folsom on October 3rd. The design for the 205,000- square-foot building incorporates goals established in the Rincon Plan, the Transbay Plan, and the General Plan for downtown San Francisco by creating a high- density residential product that balances livability and density, preserves sunlight and air, provides livable streetscape and open space, and enhances the surrounding neighborhood. The project consists of a 21-story residential tower over a single story of retail with new urban open space between 611 Folsom and 633 Folsom. The massing of 631 Folsom Street is tall and slender in order to maintain view corridors from adjacent buildings, provide sunlight and air for pedestrians at street level, and provide residential units with as much natural light as possible. The light colored pre-cast, blue-colored glass and metal curtain wall will give the facades of the project an expression or lightness and transparency.
Handel Architects Break Ground at NorthPoint Station
		Green Line Station Will Replace the Lechmere Stop in Boston Construction began on October 23rd on a sleek new $70 million MBTA station designed by Handel Architects at the NorthPoint site in East Cambridge. When it opens in 2010, it will replace the Lechmere T station, operating on the Green Line across Monsignor O'Brien Highway. The NorthPoint construction project, currently under way near Boston, will include 5.2 million square feet of buildings on 45 acres, 2,500 new residences, 20 buildings on 19 blocks, a 10-acre central park, and retail space. The station is being undertaken by developers Jones Lang LaSalle, a global real estate firm based in Boston that now includes the former Spaulding & Slye, as a public-private partnership with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The station will act as a catalyst for future growth, while also helping to knit NorthPoint into the surrounding neighborhood. The tube-shaped structure, created from glass and steel, is a state-of-the-art design, and the latest in Handel Architects' portfolio of work in the Boston area. Millennium Place, a 1.8 million square foot mixed-use project on the Boston Common was completed in 2001 and subsequently awarded the Charter Award from the Congress for the New Urbanism for transforming the former "Combat Zone" into a new "Ladder District." Rendering by Neoscape Inc.
Pool & Ice Rink Complex Tops Out in Queens
		Handel Architects Celebrate Construction Milestone Handel Architects joined Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, former Borough President Claire Schulman, Economic Development Corporation Vice President David Kane, other elected officials, and construction crews for the topping-out of the new Flushing Meadows Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink on October 26th. The Flushing Meadows Corona Park natatorium and Ice Rink will be the largest recreation facility ever built in a New York City park. The public pool and ice rink will serve as a year-round facility for competitive and recreational use and is on schedule for completion in Fall 2007. Handel Architects is completing the project in association with Hom + Goldman Architects. Clockwise: The design team, entry plaza, night view, and construction progress at topping out.

June 2006 in Handel Architects

Projects / News / Awards

505 Greenwich Street Wins Design Award
		Project Awarded 2006 BSA / AIANY Housing Design Award The Boston Society of Architects and the AIA New York Chapter has awarded 505 Greenwich Street a 2006 Housing Design Award. The project, developed by Metropolitan Housing Partners and Apollo Realty, was designed to emulate its surroundings of substantially proportioned former printing plants, and presents a refined yet tough material palette. At street level, an oxidized copper plate, punctuated with copper light boxes covers the first two floors. Above, a taut glass curtain wall and subtly hued pre- cast concrete masonry set it apart from the brick-and-punched-window multifamily formula, while capitalizing on dramatic city and Hudson River views. Photo by James D'Addio.
Groundbreaking in Philadelphia
		Construction Begins on 48-Story Residential Tower Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor John Street were on hand to break ground on Philadelphia's most luxurious residential project: the Residences at the Ritz-Carlton. Located across from City Hall and standing 518 feet tall, the project will be wrapped in glass curtain wall construction and is being developed by One Meridian Group, a partnership controlled by The Arden Group, Gencom Group and Colgate Development. The site is the location of the former Meridian Plaza Building, destroyed in 1991 by a fire that burned for 18 hours and took the lives of three Philadelphia firefighters. “Wrapped in controversy, the property has become a symbol of regional inertia,” said Gary Handel, principal of Handel Architects. "The intent of our design is to emphatically change that misconception by creating a signature, forward- looking, contemporary skyscraper that will forever highlight Philadelphia’s skyline.” The project is scheduled for completion in November 2008.
SoHo's First Luxury Hotel Condo Project
		Handel Architects' 42-Story Tower Will Offer 360 Degree Views Handel Architects is currently designing the new Trump SoHo Hotel Condominiums New York. The 386,000-square-foot tower, clad in a silver-glass curtain wall, will rise 42 stories from the corner of Spring and Varick Streets. The Rockwell Group will be designing the building's interior spaces. Within the body of the tower, select vistas from the hotel suites are "captured" from urban-scaled windows projecting out from the face of the tower. Behind each of these facade elements are larger guestrooms enclosed in crystal-clear glass, which face four unique panoramas: the expansive landscape of the sundeck and pool, the horizon of the Hudson River, New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty to the southwest, and the Empire State Building to the northeast. Along the eastern edge of the site, connecting Spring and Dominick Streets, a public plaza animates the property with landscaping, decorative lighting, and seating. The project, developed by Bayrock Group and the Sapir Organization and operated by The Trump Organization, was featured on the season finale of The Apprentice when the winner selected the building as his first project with Donald Trump.

Projects / News / Awards

September 2006 in Handel Architects

Projects / News / Awards

San Francisco Learns to Love the Skyscraper
		SF Business Times Examines Tall Buildings, Features Glenn Rescalvo In the September 22 issue of the San Francisco Business Times, Glenn Rescalvo, principal of Handel Architects' San Francisco office, declares that his hometown is finally ready for big- city designs. Describing the site of the Millennium Tower, currently under construction on Mission Street, Rescalvo stated, "We felt that the site needed that international statement that this is going to be a new and improved Transbay Terminal downtown area." San Francisco's zoning enforcement administrator Larry Badiner agrees, predicting that the 58-story skyscraper will be "stupendous on the skyline." Sean Jeffries, a principal at Millennium Partners, the project's developer, added, "We like to give Glenn the license with each project to push the envelope, to do something different, and we've been pleased with the results."
Queens Natatorium & Ice Rink Tops Out Next Month
		Recreation Center Scheduled to Open in Fall 2007 Handel Architects, along with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and the New York City Economic Development Corporation, will celebrate the topping out of the Flushing Meadows- Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink on October 26. Located in Queens, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park hosted the 1939 and 1964 World's Fair celebrations. Handel Architect's new 110,000 square foot natatorium and Ice Rink will be situated on the edge of the park, next to the Van Wyck Expressway, acting as a transition between the neighborhood and the open green space of the park. By placing the pool and ice arenas in a linear relationship with a public lobby space in between, the project connects two different recreational activities under one sinuous roof. In the dynamic spirit of the pavilions of the World's Fairs that previously occupied this site, the building has a vibrant presence from the expressway, with soaring masts supporting a cable stay long span structure over the rink and pool and a crystalline entry lobby that glows at night. Handel Architects is completing the project in association with Hom + Goldman Architects.
Construction Continues on the Aria Condominiums
		A 1920s Office Building Becomes Philly's Premier Residential Address Built in the early 1920s, the Philadelphia Aria Tower was a new office high-rise of a classic and traditional architectural style on the corner of South 15th and Locust Streets in Philadelphia’s downtown core. Handel Architects is currently transforming the Aria into a 33-story residential building that will provide Philadelphia with some of the most luxurious condominiums in the Avenue of the Arts District. This $34 million project for Urban Residential will be complete in 2007 with 24-hour concierge service, dramatic two-story lobby, private residents' lounge, pet spa, and a first class fitness center. Residents will enjoy unique city views, as well as close proximity to dozens of world renowned cultural venues. Handel Architects' renovation of the historic building included complete modernization of the interiors and upgrades to all existing mechanical and electrical systems, while maintaining the understated elegance of the facade.

August 2006 in Handel Architects

Projects / News / Awards

Construction Begins This Fall at 3630 Peachtree Road
		New Mixed-Use Complex for the Atlanta Area Construction will begin next month on Handel Architects’ first Atlanta project: a new urban mixed- use development at 3630 Peachtree Road in Buckhead. The two glass towers will include office space, luxury condominiums, retail uses, and parking. A consortium of four developers – Pope & Land Enterprises, Inc., Duke Realty Corp., Post Properties, Inc. and Novare Group – are working together on the project. Located on a four-acre site, the 925,000- square-foot development includes two dramatic towers. The 32-story south tower facing Peachtree Road has 425,000 square feet of Class A and commercial office space with 84 luxury condominium residences rising above. The 275,000-square-foot, 29-story north tower includes approximately 200 residential condominiums. Structured parking underground and in a podium deck below the north tower accommodate 1,860 vehicles. The crystalline faces of both towers are capped by a sloped glass crown that will be dramatically lighted. The surfaces blend together in an interplay of light, luminosity, and cool palette tones. Occupation of the offices and residences is expected in 2009.
Living on the High Line
		Handel Architects Continues to Work Along NYC's Most Unique Park Located in West Chelsea and developed by the Related Companies, the Caledonia will rise 24-stories and include 245 rental apartment and 189 condominiums. The lower floors include a residential lobby, residents’ space with reading library, retail space, a landscaped courtyard, a 30,000-square- foot Equinox sports club, and parking. The project’s neighborhood has undergone several incarnations. Today, fashionable residences, restaurants, and art galleries coexist among historic warehouses. The transformation of the High Line into an elevated park promises to bring another unique amenity to this thriving neighborhood. The building’s exterior is designed in response to the unique site with a base of predominately warm- colored, iron-spotted brick and lobbies and storefronts accented in a flamed jet mist granite. A 24-story tower of glass, metal, and brick rises out of the base along 17th Street to a height and scale of the towers directly to the east. The High Line crosses the corner of the site at Tenth Avenue and 16th Street. The building’s mass is eroded away by the High Line to reveal a glass wall that abuts the park. Gary Handel sits on the Board of Directors for Friends of the High Line and works with Friends and various New York City agencies on issues related to the Line.
40 Bond Street Tops Out
		Completion of Unique Residences Scheduled for Spring 2007 Herzog & de Meuron Architects and Handel Architects celebrated the topping out of 40 Bond Street, a new 11-story luxury residential project for the Ian Schrager Company in Manhattan’s Noho neighborhood, this month. The project features 23 condominiums, five townhouses, and a penthouse in a reinterpretation of the traditional cast iron building. The building’s poured concrete structure is wrapped in luminescent glass, and the base features a 140-foot-long, cast aluminum gate inspired by New York City street graffiti. The graffiti motif continues into the lobby, which leads to the private residents’ garden at the rear of the building. Each of the triplex townhouses has a private entrance off Bond Street, as well as private front and back gardens.

July 2006 in Handel Architects

Projects / News / Awards

Construction Begins at 301 Mission Street
		New residential tower will be San Francisco's fourth-tallest structure Site excavation began last Fall on 301 Mission Street, a 58-story residential tower with a nine-story mid-rise portion, amenity level, retail space, and public glass atrium. The design creates a significant architectural landmark for the transformation and redevelopment of the Transbay Terminal district in San Francisco. 301 Mission Street is being developed by Millennium Partners, which completed the Four Seasons Hotel & Tower on Market Street with Handel Architects in 2001. At 645 feet, the tower will be the fourth tallest building on the city's skyline. The exterior design creates the impression of a translucent crystal, delicately detailed and taut in character, incorporating a variety of glass and metal fins to craft a sense of lightness and transparency. The tower's slender proportions, combined with clean lines and sleek profile, visually reinforce the elegance of the tower's crystalline character and enhance the skyline as an architectural landmark. The exterior profile of the tower has been sculpted with chamfered corners and faceted planes creating a perception that the tower's silhouette shifts as the light changes throughout the day. The project is scheduled for completion in April 2009. Rendering above and construction progress below.
New Residential Towers in Costa Mesa
		Symphony Towers will bring 24-hour activity to the Arts District Over the past twenty years, the city of Costa Mesa in Southern California has developed a central Arts District with world-class performance and theater facilities in a park-like setting. The district is surrounded primarily by office buildings and feels vacant outside of work hours or performance times. Handel Architects has recently been engaged by Wilson Meany Sullivan to design Symphony Towers, consisting of 484 luxury condominiums in two or three high-rise towers in the center of the district. The addition of full-time residents will energize the area all day long. Working fluidly between cardboard models and three-dimensional computer studies, we are exploring massing schemes, beginning with the program for the building and taking into account the dynamics of the site, sun angles, views, parking, and future development. The complex is slated to begin construction in late 2007 and will also include parking, retail space, a fitness center, several swimming pools, and an extensive landscaped terrace deck. Massing models of two-tower and three-tower schemes.
Design Citation for 505 Greenwich Street
		Project receives recognition from the AIA New York State 505 Greenwich Street has been awarded a 2006 Design Citation from the AIA New York State Chapter. This is the second design award for the project, which received a 2006 Housing Design Award from the Boston Society of Architects and the AIA New York Chapter last month. Congratulations to the entire project team: Clients | Metropolitan Housing Partners, Apollo Realty, Synchron Corporation, and Urban Residential Construction Manager | Gotham Construction Company LLC Structural Engineer | DeSimone Consulting Engineers LLC MEP Engineer | Ettinger Engineering Associates GeoTech/Civil Engineer | Langan Engineering Exterior Wall | Israel Berger Associates Vertical Transport | Van Deusen Associates Code Consultant | JAM Consultants Acoustical Consultant | Shen Milsom & Wilke Lighting Design | Clinard Design Studio Photographer | James D'Addio Lobby above and courtyard below.