Stainless steel panels and new porthole windows were added to the sloped facade along 17th Street. Two perforated stainless steel layers create a new skin that enlivens the formerly blank 16th Street facade. The outer rain screen is punctuated by porthole-shaped Juliet balconies for the guest rooms and peels up dramatically at the ground level entrance, forming a canopy.
This boutique hotel in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, designed by Albert Ledner in 1966, was formerly as the main annex of the National Maritime Union of America headquarters. The adaptively reused 12-story building now includes 316 guestrooms, two restaurants, rooftop and VIP lounges, an outdoor pool and pool bar, a gym, event space, and ground floor retail.
To preserve Ledner’s distinctive design, Silman worked with the design team to introduce new stainless steel facade elements along 17th Street and 16th Street.
Read Caption
Stainless steel panels and new porthole windows were added to the sloped facade along 17th Street. Two perforated stainless steel layers create a new skin that enlivens the formerly blank 16th Street facade. The outer rain screen is punctuated by porthole-shaped Juliet balconies for the guest rooms and peels up dramatically at the ground level entrance, forming a canopy.
Silman also worked with the design team to remove the central part of the building and replace it with a new long-span structure, creating spaces for a new pool terrace, a courtyard, and windows and balconies for the guest rooms. A long-span stainless steel feature stair connects the pool terrace with the ground-floor lobby.
