When it was approved two years ago, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban’s plan for contemporary twin duplex penthouses atop a 132-year-old cast-iron beauty in Tribeca was deemed “magical” and “breathtaking.” Now two full renderings have been revealed, via the Times. The white metal addition, pictured above, will sport “a Vierendeel truss (named for the Belgian civil engineer who devised it), a cantilever that allows for glass exterior doors to be completely opened, creating an uninterrupted expanse between the interiors and the surrounding terraces.” Developer Jourdan Krauss, president of Knightsbridge Properties, bought the cast iron building at 361 Broadway in 2002, waited for tenants’ leases to expire in 2008, and then underwent a three-year façade fix-up, restoring some 4,000 ornamental pieces. The condo conversion, as it happens, fits neatly in line with the mini-boom occurring along lower Broadway.
Then came plans for the addition as well as a total reconfiguration of the interior. The lower floors will house 11 duplex apartments (from a 2,850-square-foot 3BR to a 4,890-square-foot 5BR); all have double-height living rooms with ceilings of 17 to 25 feet. As for the penthouses, one will have four bedrooms and total 3,800 square feet, while the other will be five bedrooms and 4,560 square feet. Both will have ample outdoor space. Asking price estimates for those? “High $12 millions to $15 million,” Krauss told the Times. Sales will begin next month.
Ban, he of West Chelsea’s out-of-the-box Metal Shutter Houses, is also responsible for the interiors, set to feature “white lacquer desks in the studies, floor-to-ceiling white lacquer cabinetry, and die-cast aluminum door levers. Amenities in the building will include a garden courtyard with 40-foot-tall bamboo trees; a water room with sauna and steam room; an exercise room; and a game room.” Needless to say, it’ll be pretty exciting to tour these spaces when they’re complete.