Interior Renderings Revealed for Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower
Interior rendering via Hayes Davidson
The last time we got any insider knowledge about Jean Nouvel’s MoMA Tower, known officially as 53W53, was back in September when the penthouse floor plans of the 82-story, 1,050-foot building were revealed. Now it’s gotten even better with actual interior renderings surfacing courtesy of the New York Times.
The rendering is accompanied by a full-scale unit model of a $10 million, two-bedroom, 32nd-floor apartment planned for the tower. Set in a Sunset Park warehouse, the mock up shows how the building’s well-known zig-zag façade pattern (the “diagrid”) will translate inside, which leads to tilting windows and slanted columns. These unusual architectural features will inform the interior designs of Thierry W. Despont, who has been tapped to craft the 140 condo interiors.
The prototype alone cost between $500,000 and $1 million to build, but the actual apartments will go for $3 million to more than $50 million. As the tower rises, the floor area shrinks thanks to its tapering structure, causing each floor plan and layout to be reconfigured. The units will have bronze-framed entrances and walnut doors with handles that look like miniature models of the tower. To complement the window angles, the wide-plank oak floors will be straight with a perpendicular border of a different hue. The windows are 11 feet high and nearly six feet wide, but they’re inoperable, so a special ventilation system was designed for the adjacent wall panels. And since they can’t accommodate normal blinds, windows will come complete with automatic window shades modeled on those in yachts. The electrical work at 53 West 53rd Street will also be nothing to sneeze at. Concealed lighting in the ceiling creates a halo effect in the living spaces; the air conditioning is concealed behind a detailed cornice; and the master bathroom tubs are lit from below, appearing to glow.
Currently, excavation for the tower is underway, after the September purchase of $85 million in air rights and with a new construction loan of $860 million.
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[Via NY Times]
