Manhattan’s Alphabet City is a tightly woven urban fabric spanning two centuries. In the late 1980s the neighborhood turned into a more gentle mix of middle class, student & low income population. But before that Alphabet City was the epicenter of a vibrant and radical artistic community. We strongly relied on this past identity when designing this building.

Our intent was to create a building that offered a strong sense of mass and unity for which cast in place concrete was the material of choice. The window openings on the street facade further stress this perception but also introduce a changing rhythm which in turn blurs one’s understanding of the building’s program and floor distribution. The building is experienced as a monolithical object with facade materials limited to concrete and steel.