We've shown both the front and back of the tired old buildings down at 369-371 Broadway which are to be deconstructed by Dutch architectural wizard Ben van Berkel and transformed into Five Franklin Place. We've even shown clouds of dust billowing from the site. So, today, we present one of the cleanest demo sites we've ever seen. The van Berkel crew has scoured every bit of building from the back of both 369 and 371, leaving only the facades. Behind the scenes are some big beams and girders, braced this away and that to keep all the old stuff from falling down. And of course there's a big yellow machine back there, resting quietly now after all the dirty work of digging out that nasty old stuff. Which raises the question: What will rise in the midst of all this absence?
The Five Franklin Place website is no real help when trying to solve the mystery. But more than a few hints can be found at the UN Studio website, where they coolly claim that the new building
pays homage to TriBeCa's iconic cast-iron aesthetic, with a facade constructed from reflective black metal bands of varying widths. This facade treatment offers privacy with maximum light and views within each residence. The metal bands twist like ribbons, wrapping Five Franklin Place with terraces and balconies, employing this decorative element as a functional tool.Wow. Okay. Let's go. Build this sucker.
· Awesome Architecture Alert: Broadway Getting Berkel'd [Curbed]
· CurbedWire: van Berkel Gets Dusty [Curbed]
· In Tribeca, the Berkel Has Landed (Almost) [Curbed]
· Projects>Country>US>Five Franklin Place [UNStudio website]
Loading comments...