When Decent Architecture and Bad Urban Planning Collide
If you've been around the Western East Village, then you've most likely seen the Astor Place tower going up. I've been feeling very conflicted about this building for quite some time now, and I think I've figured out why. It succeeds, or seems like it will, architecturally, but fails miserably in what I (uneducated on the matter) consider to be good planning.
Architecturally, its seamless, smooth glass facades recollect those of Mies van der Rohe, while its undulation recalls Alvar Aalto's Baker House and even Auguste Perret's Rue Franklin apartment house in its attempt to get the most from its views by extending the facade's length within a certain footprint. Just down Lafayette is One Kenmare Square, a more understated version of the same idea. The window rhythms are not not simply redundant but have smaller rectangles topped by larger rectangles, and the main bulk of the building seems (or will seem, according to drawings) to float above the base.
Even so, there are just too many things wrong about this building to consider it an appropriate use of the space. First of all, look at the buildings around it. It makes no references whatsoever to the historical aspects of that site. It just dominates the older, shorter buildings that surround it. Its glass reflects the surrounding buildings, almost making a mockery of them.
Secondly is its name, simply "Astor Place." This is the name of the street. It is as if no other building on that street is significant any more. The building not only towers above everything else physically, but it erases all other Astor Place addresses.
Finally, and this is something I've been noticing more and more, is that it is luxury housing. Does the city really need any more of that? Regular housing prices have risen enough, why do we need to create places that will just drive up surrounding values as well? From a street life perspective, your typical luxury resident does not add much to the vitality of the streets. Not to generalize, but while many moderate income residents will spend a lot of time walking around their neighborhood, taking the subway, luxury residents are more likely to take taxis, personal drivers, and will be less inclined to walk around the East Village which they may find dirty or just too young for them. The emphasis here is on downtown cool without having to be too downtown, and views.
This isn't the only place where luxury housing is going up either. All over the city, loft residences are being created and sold for millions of dollars, while the waiting list for a low to moderate income project, such as Penn South can be up to twenty some odd years.
Architecturally, its seamless, smooth glass facades recollect those of Mies van der Rohe, while its undulation recalls Alvar Aalto's Baker House and even Auguste Perret's Rue Franklin apartment house in its attempt to get the most from its views by extending the facade's length within a certain footprint. Just down Lafayette is One Kenmare Square, a more understated version of the same idea. The window rhythms are not not simply redundant but have smaller rectangles topped by larger rectangles, and the main bulk of the building seems (or will seem, according to drawings) to float above the base.
Even so, there are just too many things wrong about this building to consider it an appropriate use of the space. First of all, look at the buildings around it. It makes no references whatsoever to the historical aspects of that site. It just dominates the older, shorter buildings that surround it. Its glass reflects the surrounding buildings, almost making a mockery of them.
Secondly is its name, simply "Astor Place." This is the name of the street. It is as if no other building on that street is significant any more. The building not only towers above everything else physically, but it erases all other Astor Place addresses.
Finally, and this is something I've been noticing more and more, is that it is luxury housing. Does the city really need any more of that? Regular housing prices have risen enough, why do we need to create places that will just drive up surrounding values as well? From a street life perspective, your typical luxury resident does not add much to the vitality of the streets. Not to generalize, but while many moderate income residents will spend a lot of time walking around their neighborhood, taking the subway, luxury residents are more likely to take taxis, personal drivers, and will be less inclined to walk around the East Village which they may find dirty or just too young for them. The emphasis here is on downtown cool without having to be too downtown, and views.
This isn't the only place where luxury housing is going up either. All over the city, loft residences are being created and sold for millions of dollars, while the waiting list for a low to moderate income project, such as Penn South can be up to twenty some odd years.
posted by Aaron at 1:53 AM
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