
12 Jun At The Eleventh, Bjarke Ingels’s Two Towers Boast Interiors by Two Top-Tier Firms
The XI
A rendering of the XI, situated on Manhattan’s West Side. Both firms see the building as a key point along a string of architectural and urban landmarks; it sits at the nexus of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District, in close proximity to such beloved New York structures as the High Line and Renzo Piano’s Whitney Museum. “For me, walking on the High Line is like walking along a river,” says Dorothée Boissier. “You have the Whitney, the Standard as your harbors. Now this will be another harbor. It’s like a vein in a body.” Michael Gabellini opts for a different metaphor but a strikingly similar image: “The West Side has really become kind of like pearls in a necklace,” he says. “Parkland and piers and those other natural amenities have developed along that waterfront. I think the ways the developments engage that natural corridor and make them all linked is something that expands and extends and enhances the idea of this neighborhood.”
Lobby by Gabellini Sheppard
That neighborhood is an exciting one. “This area has got to be one of the most dynamic and diverse neighborhoods and in terms of the way it’s developed over the past two decades from what was primarily manufacturing with a few artist lofts to now really becoming the cultural and amenity-rich neighborhood,” says Gabellini of the project’s location. “Working and collaborating with Bjarke Ingels, there was this whole idea of the two towers and how this inner courtyard setting really creates a kind of city within a city or buildings within a neighborhood.” To highlight that, Gabellini and Sheppard strove for “an interior that really brings the outside in,” as Gabellini says. Adds Sheppard, “There is a connection to outdoor air, light, water. We emphasized natural materials to reflect that.”
Master Bath by Gabellini Sheppard
Upstairs, the views hold pride of place, even in a room as private as the bath. “These units are all about finding the view,” says Sheppard. “They twist around each other to do that. It’s the middle of the city, but it’s at the edge and it’s looking out, so that’s an interesting position.” Maintaining a view for all the apartments was no easy feat, since each of the 149 units have different floor plans—a result of Ingels’s (“Brancusi-like,” according to Gabellini) twisting structure. “There’s a very scenographic way in which the apartments are laid out,” Gabellini explains. “So we wanted to create layers of stone and wood and plaster that would underscore that. When the views shift, we wanted the sense of light and air to be really brought in, to create this dimension to animate what’s inside.”
Kitchen by Gabellini Sheppard
“Other than the rich material layer, the apartments are designed to be very open, expansive, informal,” says Gabellini. The kitchens are outfitted with quartzite countertops, Bulthaup cabinets, and appliances by Gaggenau and Miele. Gabellini Sheppard also designed the yet-to-be-unveiled amenity floors for both buildings, collaborating with Six Senses on the offerings in a process that embodies the towers’ similar yet distinct styles. “We had many meetings where we combined both design teams,” Sheppard recalls. “The approach was always that there were two distinct points of view but that they were still complementary. The amenity floor bridges both buildings, so we wanted those facilities to feel at home to both east and west residences.”
Lobby by Gilles & Boissier
Meanwhile, in Gilles & Bossier’s east lobby tower, the palette reads more earth than urban-tone, a manifestation of the firm’s connection to the project (they were brought on through Six Senses, with whose CEO they’d formerly worked on New York’s Baccarat Hotel). “This is something very ambitious, because Six Senses is not an urban brand,” Boissier tells AD PRO. “They are more used to beautiful natural surroundings—nature is them. And there’s a strong connection between humanity and nature. So when they contacted us, we asked ourselves, ‘how do you expand this brand in a city like New York? It’s a bit like with Baccarat: How do you bring an 18th-century French brand into Midtown Manhattan? It was a very complex project.”
Residence by Gilles & Boissier
Though the outcome was different, Gilles & Boissier, like Gabellini Sheppard, looked to their surroundings to dictate the interior aesthetic. “We were lucky with the location of these towers,” Boissier says. “They are on a site that is fitting for the urban sixth senses. You have the Hudson River, this open view, this air around the building, the High Line, and humanity. To me, the Chelsea area feels very European. It’s very human. You have young crowds, art, business. It’s not a stiff area with too many codes. It’s open.”
Kitchen by Gilles & Boissier
Such openness is echoed in the residences’ open spaces and expansive views, while a focus on materiality alludes to the more nature-focused roots of Six Senses. “We use materials like wood and marble as a way to give you a view of nature that you don’t really have in New York,” Boissier explains. “When you have a material, it has its own message. The way the marble vein is selected is important. The mix of matte and polished in the kitchen is important. You need to see, to touch, to take a little break from your screens.” This sense of irregularity is one reason Boissier found The Eleventh so interesting. “In Europe, you have much older buildings where the architecture is sometimes layers of different architectures,” she says. “Sometimes there are unusual rooms. This building is, in a way, like that because of its shape. You have some awkward moments and moves and you have to play with it. That gives it soul. Humanity is never perfect. And we love imperfection.”
Master Bath by Gilles & Boissier
In the master bath, marbles in contrasting hues balance each other out. “What we really tried to achieve with the buildings—which almost feel as though they are moving and are very complicated to work with inside becasue each room is different—was to get a sense of peacefulness and stability,” says Boissier. It’s a feeling Gabellini echoes a few yards west: “The building is attached to the High Line and what’s going on around it, but inside, it’s its own tranquil oasis.”
Original Post: Architectural Digest