Jul 26

Building of the Week - 24th Ed.

 
520 West 28th Street by Zaha Hadid
520 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001

Alright guys I'm not gonna lie, I could've used one more week off. Here’s why: *cue the world’s smallest violin* I got home from a week-long trip last night, slept 10 hours, got very painful acupuncture done, had therapy, and now am icing my knee that I probably tore something in. All that to say: that’s why this is so late. I’m also probably going to be a little rusty today I fear. Nevertheless, we proceed!

520 West 28th Street aka the Zaha Hadid building is located on, obviously, 28th Street in Chelsea. This is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Manhattan that I unfortunately don’t spend a lot of time in. You have the High Line, Chelsea Market, amazing restaurants, some really cool bars, and much more! This building is right up against the High Line, an old elevated railroad converted into a public walkway filled with local foliage and public art. Some of the apartments in this building are mere feet from tourists’ (and my) prying eyes. 

When I say you can see into these people’s apartments clear as day, I’m not exaggerating. It’s why I love the High Line so much. These rich people LOVE to leave their curtains wide open and I LOVE to ogle while imagining what it would be like to have that much money. It’s sort of like a zoo except I’m pretty sure I’m the puffin and they're the 12-year-old who’s super into marine biology.

The 11-story apartment complex takes up a majority of the block and has 39 residences. Some of the amenities include a spa, a 25-yard lap pool, a sculpture garden, a private IMAX theater, and valet parking. 

I usually shit A LOT on ultra luxurious apartment complexes but this one seems less of a mess than most. There doesn’t seem to be any huge financial issues, construction drama, or any tea in general. I think the fact that it only has 39 residences, it’s already in a very high income area, and *cough* was designed by a woman *cough* is all working in its favor. TBH I can’t shake the feeling that I’m being a hypocrite fueled by misandry, but I’ll dissect that later in therapy. 

Zaha Hadid, no relation to Gigi or Bella, was an Iraqi-born British architect known for her radical deconstructivist designs. In 2004 she became the first woman to be awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She studied architecture in London in 1972 and started her own firm there in 1979. She quickly became known as a “paper architect”, meaning her designs were too avant-garde to move beyond the sketch phase and actually be built. She would create these crazy renderings of her designs— often in the form of exquisitely detailed colored paintings— which were exhibited as works of art in major museums. The MoMA even did a whole exhibition on her! 

Zaha heavily leaned into the artistic side of architecture. With this building, she was inspired by the art and history of the surrounding area. She wanted to create a building that added to the landscape yet was uniquely distinct. The notable design of the exterior was added as a way to provide floor-to-ceiling views while maintaining privacy between residences. This design is present both all over the exterior and throughout the interior. The building was Zaha’s only residential building in New York and sadly one of her last projects before her death.

Despite seeing this building every time I walked the High Line, a huge reason I give a heck about it is because Ariana Grande bought an apartment here back in 2018 when she and Pete Davidson were engaged. At the time, I thought it was very cool to think I could potentially look into their apartment. But sadly and unsurprisingly they broke up shortly after. Ironically enough, one of the only things she ever mentioned about it was this Spongebob meme. 

I was requested to write about a contemporary-style building by the boyfriend (dylan) of my most favoritest, most beautiful cousin on my mom’s side, Margaret(sorry nico). And here I am, following through!! Do you have a suggestion too? Leave it here! No promises though :)

the lobby featuring a sculpture wall by Zaha Hadid

Contemporary architecture is an interesting style because while it tends to lean very modern with its clean lines and neutral colors, its asymmetry and deconstructivism give it a futuristic vibe. Some of my favorite examples of this style in New York are the Guggenheim Museum and the Oculus. Other notable features of this style include an emphasis on natural lighting, free-form design, and adding curves to everything. And I’m not talkin’ about BBLs, guys! I’m talking parabolas, fibonacci sequences, hyperbolas, and everything else you got wrong on your 9th-grade math test.

Here is a look inside the penthouse apartment: five bedrooms, over 6,800 feet, worth $50 million. Also, my aforementioned cousin Margaret let me know that Steve Gold from the show Million Dollar Listings had an apartment here. Here’s a video about his place.

let me in

After a lot of reflection, I have concluded why I like this building but not any of the other ultra-luxury buildings I’ve written about. The moral of the story is: if you’re going to be modern, you have to be cool. And if you can’t do that, at least be a woman. In this case, all three are checked, so we’re golden. I really like this building :)

Fun Facts

Zaha was not licensed to practice architecture in New York, so she is just credited as a designer. She “worked closely” with Ismael Leyva Architects for this project. 

This building was developed by Related Companies, who also developed weeks 2 (my old apartment building) & 3 (the vessel)!

Here are some blueprints I found for all you nerds out there. Love you big time <3

Did you miss me?? I hope you did! I just want to let all you manly men out there know that I was just silly girl joking about the misandry stuff. What even is that? Idk! It looks like the word laundry. I should go do some right now :)

Anyways… see you next week! Toodaloo!
 
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