Architecture:Adjaye Associates Project: 130 William Geo: Manhattan, US
If I had known I would release a third article about concrete, I would have formed some sort of organized cycle.
I came across a skyscraper in the industrial area of Lower Manhattan, characterized by a dull listing of floor-to-ceiling arched windows, total sustainability, etc. But let’s focus on the features of the concrete facade. The material has a dark graphite hue with a rough texture. Detached from details and surroundings, the volume resembles a chunk of rock, which does not disrupt its context.
As is known, a key problem in designing a skyscraper’s appearance is maintaining the scale of elements across different planes. The viewer should comfortably read the recognizable silhouette in the overall city panorama, the rhythm and dynamics of the mid-ground volume, and the detailing of fragments at arm’s length. Despite the strange, if not bold, finishing option, it supports this concept.
The texture of the concrete is accented and organized by bronze elements present on almost all sides of the skyscraper, thus highlighting and organizing the rough material. Excessive brutality, in my opinion, is only present in the inner courtyard — here, the space resembles a medieval castle. However, in the evening, illumination mitigates this drawback.