Art meets architecture at 180 East 88th including an intricate plasterwork installation in the lobby
CityRealty previously reported on the highly anticipated–and visually unique–skyscraper rising at 180 East 88th Street. Developers DDG want the 50-story condominium tower to stand apart from the sea of glass towers rising on the Upper East Side, and renderings show that the building’s design is indeed a breathtaking departure from the average both inside and out, from herringbone-patterned brickwork to each unit’s herringbone floors imported from Austria. As an example of the project’s unmatched level of individuality and attention to detail, DDG is working with a series of artists, including the renowned stucco artist Jan Hooss, who is creating an intricate plasterwork installation above the fireplace that will anchor the building’s lobby. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, the artist has worked with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at Chateau Miraval. DDG CEO Joseph McMillan told CityRealty, “We wanted something unique and different for this building which is why we went with stucco art.”
DDG is passionate about the importance of art in architecture and how the two work together. Says McMillan, “With every project, we look to the property and the real estate to inform us to what the appropriate piece is. That’s how we select the artist and the piece, it has to tell a story. It is critical that the real estate and the art come together to tell a truly compelling story.”
In the video, the artist speaks of his spiral-based design for the lobby. Referring to his work in general, Hooss talks of the intention of discovering something by doing it: “If you don’t walk from here to there you don’t see what is there–or what is between here and there.”
A landscaped path covered by a sculptural bronze canopy will lead to the aforementioned lobby. The floors above will offer amenities that will include a fitness room, partial basketball court, and a wine room. Residences will range from lofts to five-bedrooms. Conceived with an art collector in mind, they’ll have 14-foot ceilings, entry galleries, and picture rails that sit a few feet below the ceiling to ground inhabitants within the space. There will be several full-floor and duplex layouts, many with a balcony or a terrace.
Photo: CityRealty
In addition to the art within, the 48-unit condo will be wrapped in hand-laid Kolumba bricks punctuated by nine-foot-by-nine-foot windows and concrete catenary arches at its base, waist, and crown. The slender tower rises 524 feet above Third Avenue, making it the tallest building north of 67th Street and giving residents exquisite panoramic views of the skyline, park, and rivers. Construction has reached the 14th floor and quickly climbing.
You can find out more about 180 East 88th Street here.
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All renderings courtesy of DDG.
