Under Construction
New York, NY
This alteration and addition to a townhouse in Chelsea builds on the existing four-story structure, adding additional living space to create a private 6-story single-family house. The structure is located on a primarily residential street, with the addition maximizing the allowable zoning envelope to match the height of surrounding buildings. The client’s longstanding interest in New York street culture inspired the addition of concrete floors throughout supported by a new exposed-steel cross-braced moment frame. The dramatic structure is expressive of the neighborhood’s industrial past as well as illustrative of how new loads are transferred through the building. The structure visually links the new floors with existing, aided by a folded steel-plate stair that links each level. A new elevator with floor to ceiling vision glass exposes the shaft as a 6-story surface of graffiti art.