Private Residence I | ODA New York

ODA was selected to create the interior for one of the largest private apartment residences in the United States.

Located 90 stories above Manhattan overlooking the East River, the luxury condominium boasts 360° views within 18,000 square feet of open floor area. With a perimeter of 16' foot floor- to-ceiling windows, the essence of the apartment is the sculpture garden at its entrance. The garden features a spectacular 30' water wall and reflecting pool overlooking the famed United Nations headquarters along the East River. This superlative dwelling also features a 75' expanse of living and dining area along with a Italian kitchen, library, game room, day spa, home theater and professional grade listening room with recording studio.

Seemingly without limitation, every feature from the façade to the interior is meticulously planned and detailed with a modern and minimalist approach using only the most pristine of materials creating a unique and exceptional setting to rival.

“There are tools that we, as architects, use to compose. Space, light, texture, materials, color,
technology…Architecture is simply a tool that expresses who we are as complex human
beings, with so many diverse passions and elements to our personalities. Our homes and
private spaces are a reflection of that.

This particular apartment is one of the largest apartments in Manhattan. It’s totally open on
the 90th floor with 360 degrees views of New York City, housing one of the largest private art
collections in the world.

The central theme of the space was the journey of this one family to the city of NY, this epic place. As you enter the apartment, you cross what we call the Zen garden. We chose to enter the apartment facing the East River, Queens, Brooklyn, the airports, the U.N. Building, as a symbol of the gateway, the path this particular family traveled, which allowed us to really create a rich and deep sequence of cultural journeys.

The idea of placing the Zen garden on the east side, right above the east river, thereby connecting visually the horizon of the river with the reflecting pool at the center, and then bringing it vertically, through a waterfall, to the upper floor, is the kind of thread that we have tried to create throughout the apartment.

Given the scale of the apartment and the complexity of the program that was given by the
owner, the real challenge was how to create a natural flow between the areas. What we decided to do was literally divide the apartment into two parts that connected through a main spine. The southern part of the apartment is the private residence. The rest is the entertainment part, which includes the listening room, wine room, cigar room, the lounges and a projection room.

The challenge was to express the greatness of the space, and the big perspectives that you
get, the depth of the apartment, without overwhelming it.

We’ve consciously chosen to use totally different materials and textures throughout the apartment, and as one goes from one room to another, every room expresses something totally different about the client.

The client had desires to bring elements and memories from different places of the world, and the question was how do you bring those in in a harmonious way.

Reflection was a major tool, but it can be a tricky thing in architecture, because too much of it can create a very uncomfortable atmosphere. So we’ve chosen, in almost every composition in every room, which specific materials would be reflective and which would balance them, and create texture. And that composition, almost like a painting, in every given room, was worked very carefully.

It’s quite a rare opportunity to be able to design a home for one family with the richness and scale of the art, furniture, materials and everything else.

When you design a private apartment like this, as with every project, really… it’s all about the people who live here, and the tools that we have as architects to express who they are.
Our strength is in the composition of all those diverse elements into something that is
coherent and simple yet still retains these complexities within it.”