If she builds it…
Architecture in New York was once a boys club. Fortunately, women are now impacting the city’s skyline like never before.
“I like living buildings,†says Francoise Raynaud, the architect behind Paris-based Loci Anima; the firm’s first NYC commission, Greenwich West (at 110 Charlton St. in Soho), broke ground in July. “Buildings are like plants. If one plant doesn’t have a good relationship with the other, she dies. I am more of a botanist than an artist.â€
With that in mind, Raynaud designs within context, so that each project adds to “the root structure†of its neighborhood. She gave the 30-story new build a custom brickwork facade in an almost iridescent pewter glaze — a reference to Hudson Square’s industrial history. Inside, a curved marble counter and undulating window seats give the room “a sensual atmosphere,†she tells Alexa. One- to three-bedroom homes range from $965,000 to about $5.5 million.
In Brooklyn, two new towers, 11 Hoyt and 67 Livingston, feature designs by Jeanne Gang’s Studio Gang and Nancy Ruddy’s CetraRuddy, respectively.
A 57-story luxury condo, 11 Hoyt houses nearly 500 apartments, ranging from $690,000 for a studio to $3.5 million for a four-bedroom (ready for move-in by the start of 2020). Scalloped windows create a soothing, wave-like pattern across the concrete and glass exterior. In comparison, the 29-story 67 Livingston is a boutique affair, with just 22 units (from $2.3 million to $3.3 million, slated to be completed this winter).
“Brooklyn Heights is a brownstone neighborhood and we wanted to respect its character,†says Ruddy, whose firm designed the sophisticated contemporary interiors for the project. “So we created something modern with a lot of light and air that matched its surroundings without looking turn-of-the-century.â€
Over her 40-year career, Ruddy says she has seen the industry come to recognize what women can bring to the table in terms of residential design, adding that it’s important for architects to tap “a wide representation of people from different nations and traditions with a diversity of experience.â€
It’s an ideal epitomized by the late Pritzker Prize-winning, Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Her stunning project along the High Line, 520 W. 28th St., is expected to soon unveil its penthouse — for $50 million.
