Depth and texture were paramount to knit 145 CPN into the rest of Central Park North. To recreate lintels, dormers, or neoclassical details was out of the question: the building needed to be contextual in a contemporary way. After trying different solutions, a unitized curtain wall, entirely pre-built in a factory in Italy, was erected in a very short time frame.

The glass curtain wall is composed of bronze-colored profiles made from powder-coated extrusions. Since the extrusion required a custom die, a mock-up of the actual profile was not possible unless we committed to the die. To address this, we produced full-size paper models and sheet metal versions in our office. While stainless steel and copper profiles were considered, aluminum, a softer material, adapted better to our curved design. To add warmth and texture to the residential façade, we finished it in a bronze tone.

But in order to get varied expressions, the top and bottom were treated differently.

A very precise stack joint solved the tricky joinery, ensuring all the miters and elements aligned perfectly. The same curtain wall system, with very different detailing, makes up the abstract four-story volume at the top. The floor-to-floor glass has full-height swing casements. A very discrete glass balustrade, attached to the outside bronze profiles, works like a Juliet balcony: instead of just looking at it through a plate glass, residents can open the wide windows and feel the park.

Curtain walls are commonly associated with institutional or commercial buildings; aluminum’s quantity, size, proportions and dimensions are pretty much fixed. At 145 CPN, every single apartment has frontage on the park: 37 units with 37 views of Central Park. To accentuate the park experience, the kitchen, dining and living areas are stretched wide across a large expanse of glass with multiple operable windows. By wrapping the window frames in the same white oak material as the flooring, the interior experience feels more intimate and connected to the park. You really feel like your porch is the park.