Floorplan Porn: 123 West 15th's Undulicious Curves

1.

no . . this wont look horribly dated like a formica bedroom set in a few years...not at all

2.

I'm speechless!

3.

myeh

4.

this might have qualified for gaudi. if this was barcelona. 100 years ago. anywhere else, especially in new york- it's just plain gaudy.

5.

these things always look cool in theory, but then you put a square bed in that master and it looks retarded. hope you don't want to hang anything on the walls. did bart prince design this?

6.

Two sets of stairs in the duplex? Is that a fire code requirement?

7.

Does "FP" mean Fire Pole?

8.

I'll take it! Go live in Houston if you want boxes everywhere you boring fucks.

my grandma is more innovative then the children on this site.

9.

FYI - Colin Rath, the developer does have a Fire Pole in his unit - I was there for a party years ago.

10.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!

11.

Colin Rath is an asshole for inflicting this awful shit on NYC.

12.

FP = fireplace - they're on different levels

13.

floor plan looks like a 747. curved hallways will look awful.

The place will feel tiny.

14.

I like it- This guy bought the building and can do what he wants with it- At least it's designed and thought out and not one of those " Fedders" brick monstrocities

15.

If you go to the Armenian neighborhoods in LA you can see many single family versions of this.

16.

Better than a Fedders special? That's your standard for good or innovative design? What isn't better than a Fedders special? You give credit for being 'different', no matter how clumsy a design is? You must have gone to art school. No where else do they give credit for no aesthetic sense whatsoever- piles of ass wiped trash painted white challenges the something or other orthodoxy and examines the dichotomy of male female relations, right?

17.

Well, there's no accounting for bad taste. My grandma likes ticky-tacky hummel figurines; the Rath family apparently has a thing for gratuitous curviness, chintzy indoor waterfalls, and other psuedo-architectural gimmickry. I guess the use of nicely-proportioned spaces and subtle finishes is not enough for them.

18.

I honestly dont see what the objections are here. Its different, yes. Do you really want every building in the city to look the same?

Architectural diversity is one of the things that makes NYC beautiful.

19.

The project is too ambitious. It's going to be a train wreck. I can't wait for the movie though.

20.

It's a Manhattan McMansion.

21.

#18 -- I agree with you about the INTERIOR, but not about the EXTERIOR. A jumble of different facades is just ugly.

22.

Once again, drtomasa (and wombatnyc), why do you need to think that different is better, or even innovative for that matter? Something can be different AND well designed, or different and clumsy and crass. "Different" in and of itself does not mandate handsome, goodlooking, or interesting any more than conservative does. People who find this design week and thoughtless don't because it's different, but because it's week, thoughtless, and truly, quite suburban and conventional. It's "different" in a very suburban, cheesy manner.

23.

It makes me want to vomit all over my keyboard, but I don't want to do that because it would be a pain to clean up.

24.

If you had the patience to vomit, clean it, and then vomit again, you may have a shot as a true visionary. I think the question is: how many times did the developer vomit in this case and was it ever cleaned?

25.

I hope Rath loses his shirt on this piece of garbage.

26.

I agree with all those who think it's fug. I actually object less to the exterior than the interior, because as someone astutely pointed out, try putting square furniture into that space (and a round bed will never not be heinous) or attempting hand art on the wall. And come on, what about those curved closets? That is totally wasted space.

I can appreciate innovative design (although I prefer classic lines) but this thing really struck me as way silly.

27.

whoops "to hang art"

28.

"two geothermal wells provide .."

Whats the story on those? they dug down deep enough to get heat from the mantle or did they strike a con-ed hot water pipe by accident and decided to turn this to their advantage?

29.

The curved walls are glass, so you won't be hanging any art on them. The violence of the comments here are surprising. This is ugly, but no worse than the Troll Bros. 110 Third and better looking than any dorm NYU has built in 75 years.

30.

Counting down to when this is used as a film location...three...two...one...

31.

Somebody just got back from visiting Casa Batllo in Barcelona. Very Gaudi, good call #4.

32.

He's not going to "lose his shirt." This has all been terrific free publicity for his project. There will surely be enough people in this city of 8 million who like this aesthetic (or just the novelty) and will pay top dollar. 99% of the city can hate how this looks; he'll still sell it.

33.

I figured out the design aesthetic. It's strait out of HGTV's show "Rezoned', where all across the suburban land, people are reclaiming former industrial spaces, be it warehouses in St. Louis, former mills over rivers, schoolhouses, etc., and renovating for modern residential use. And what is the most common design aesthetic chosen for those interesting spaces out there? Two: frilly neo colonial or 80's primary colors pop crap. That's what this design aesthetic is: Suburban Kitsch.
And the bath in the duplex plan (not the penthouse) is too small. For 3 million, people are going to want a separate walk in shower as well as double sinks, not to mention the incredible waisted space of EVERY wall being curved. So, the likelihood it will sell and NOT BE totally reconfigured by buyer is, I think, low.
What's more, Gaudi was interesting, mesmerizing, and over 100 YEARS AGO, so give up this BS "its' different" mantra. It's not different, or beautifully designed. I'm as fed up w/ the homo fascism of strait lined "star-architecture" as much as the next person. But gratuitous curved lines are no solution, or of any greater merit, than oppressive strait lined industrial 'man of the people' chic.

34.

Shitty architecture. Shitty building. Awesome location. Interesting design with the interior walls though. The exterior looks like a fedders building. Gross--can't they do better than that ?

35.

#28 geothermal heat pumps take advantage of the relatively constant (about 55 degrees) temperature of the ground. You don't have to drill to the mantle, just a couple hundred feet deep.

36.

That design will affect the resale value. There are eight million people, but that is not a 400K pad in Astoria.

37.

This reminds me of the thread concerning the wildly overpriced Ave. D apartment renovation with the brick-backed toilet, etc. Everyone thought it was overpriced and impractical, but they had a signed contract a week later. It will happen here too. Somebody will snap this up, especially in this still-hot market.

38.

Their website says they drill 1000 feet BENEATH THE EARTH'S CRUST for the geothermal exchange. I find this very difficult to believe considering the crust under NYC is about 40km thick.

39.

I live one block away so I'll take joy in watching it go up, now that I know what that space is for.

The 2BR should be on the first two floors, with the bedroom space on the second floor. Then if the 1BR is one the third floor, it might get away with pricing at a premium. They can actually make this change rather easily.

40.

I think architectual diversity may work block to block but not building to building.

Despite the useless contrarians here, I'm betting the favorite places of most people here have some kind of uniformity going for them, not a bunch of radically different buildings side by side.

41.

believe it #38, many have to go lower, up to 1,500ft and can jog around 300ft horizontally, and are usually around 6" wide in diameter. moe buildings then you would think have them in place around the city

42.

It's one thing to drill 1500ft underground. It's an entirely other matter to drill through all 40km of the earth's crust. I know geothermal is more common than most realize, but I'm not sure the technology even exists to drill down 40km and am pretty sure their website is wrong.

43.

Tacky. Is this family from a former Eastern Bloc country?

44.

Love the overall layout, shapes and concept. But the exterior? Blecch! With those wrought iron railings it looks like a N'awlins French Quarter flophouse with a big glass tumor growing off the side. It is such a startling conflict with the clean-lined, modern interior.

I like the concept of "green design," but this term is totally abused way too often. It seems as if anytime someone uses bamboo flooring or cabinets, they are somehow doing something wonderful for the environment. Hello, these bamboo things are invariably shipped from the other side of the world and are usually comprised of noxious, off-gasing resins and polymers. And the Nana wall system is hardly "green." You know how to create cross-ventilation without a Nana Wall? Um, open up a couple of windows, perhaps?

Also, does it sound odd that they were somehow able to install an open geothermal heat pump in the middle of the city? I would imagine that the permitting and cost to do that kind of digging/exploration, (what with all of the tunnels, pipes, conduits, sewers, etc. underground) would seem rather prohibitive. It's one thing if, perhaps this building was located along the Hudson, which could be a potential water source, but if you are trying to dig a well in Manhattan you're digging through some nasty, hard rock.

45.

ah sorry #38/#42... read past the earth's crust comment, pretty funny mis-wording

46.

You don't have to dig through the earth's crust in order to utilize a geothermal system!!! If this is a standard open system (utilizing well water), all you need to do is tap the groundwater aquifer, which, depending on ones location, may be 17 feet or 270 feet below the ground. However, as I mentioned above, I have a hard time believing someone could just drill these deep holes under W. 15th St.! What about underground powerlines, gas pipes or subway tunnels, etc.? I would imagine that, due to Manhattan's rocky geology, groundwater must be very, very far below the earth and very difficult to tap.

47.

there are a couple of other geothermal buildings in manhattan - 1400 fifth for example.

48.

I think it's cool, and if it does eventually suck then it will be the last one built, you can be assured about that.

It's about a thousand times better than "blue"

how is this a manhattan mcmansion? The last word you could ever use for this is mcmansion

So, it's bulbous and bizarre, but it's better than another fedders building. some people here seem to be lobbying to live in the peoples republic of fedderstan. If you want conformity, go live in the suburbs, or a planned community where people can tell you what color you can and cannot paint your house.

Also, putting hte living space above the bedrooms is a good idea in a city with views. Who wants to look at the skyline while sleeping?

Also, if it's an imitation of Gaudi, so what? So many of the buildings we admire are the result of people in the US coming back from Europe and admiring the designs of buildings. the brownstones that everyone seems to love are just imitations of georgian houses in england... they're built from what was then regarded as a crappy material! Ticky tacky indeed!

49.

#48 = broker

50.

Bing -I finally agree with you. I think you're spot on - block to block diversity makes a city interesting and adds flavor. Building to building diversity is unappealing.

51.

Who gets the parking spots (and how many are there?) Looks like there are only two (20-22 ft wide bldg) and your car will get scratched up.

52.

Now I don't want to get all Columbia Arch-theoretical about it , but I'm having a hard time finding "an avant-garde take on postmodern expressionist design" with "aeronautical, geological, and planetary" inspiration and "a nod to New Orleanian Franco-Spanish architecture" in my textbook. Can anyone tell me what page that's on?

53.

52: It's an homage to George, Jane, Judy, Elroy and Astro. And Rosie too, I suppose.

54.

AC/DC had a most popular song in the 80's which sums the project and the man who's in charge-
He's got big balls.....
give credit where credit is due.

55.

w 15th street neighbor..... and i think it's fucking gross.

56.

No drugs needed to get high here.

57.

Curved walls are harder to build and impractical to live within, so unless there's a compelling aesthetic advantage, there's no good argument for them, which is why you so seldom see them. The Guggenheim and Bilbao are wonderful sculptures, but they're dysfunctional places to see art. Mr. Rath is no Frank Gehry and he's no Frank Lloyd Wright, so all he's done is provide the dysfunction without delivering on the sculptural statement. The design has many arbitrary fillips that are going to drive the residents nuts. Why angle the fireplaces in different directions in the living room and master bedroom, for example? Why angle the fireplaces at all? Well, in a city of millions, maybe Mr. Rath will find a few buyers who will appreciate his aesthetic, but I hope he has depressed the value of his building on a per-square-foot basis. Otherwise, he'll build again and inspire others, and we'll see more of these Frankenstein's monsters.

58.

do you people ever like ANYTHING?

59.

This building is beign built for one reason only:

TO START WORLD WAR III.

Oh wait, that's the Red October. Maybe this is for masturbators?

60.

(1) Driveways not allowed (technically, not a permitted obstruction on open space) in front yards of R8B Districts.

(2) In R8B, projecting balconies are not permitted obstructions over front yards, although OK for rear yards.

(3) Street wall tops out at 60' the legal width of the street. In R8B, Dracula's Quonset hut does not qualify as an obstruction permitted to exceed the width-of-the-street height restriction of the Sliver Law.

The Department of Buildings started allowing penthouses to be approved in the outer boroughs, more recently in Manhattan, as long as they couldn't be seen from the street. Next month, a case before the Board of Standards and Appeals will drive a stake through the heart of this waiver.

123 West 15th Street will never be built as you see it, but vampires will still be able to enjoy residence privileges on the lower floors.