A Concrete Idea: 30 Warren

[nggallery id=158 template=”sliderview” display_content=”0”] It’s not surprising that a young, international agency like Post-Office Architectes cultivated a concept that speaks to the hearts and minds of future homeowners. Founded in 2014, this New York City and Paris-based firm is helmed by three partners, Francois Leininger, Line Fontana and David Fagart. The trio pooled their talents in the development of 30 Warren, a daring, concrete-clad condominium of 23 boutique residences in the heart of Manhattan’s prime Tribeca neighborhood.

Offering a bold, modernist contrast to what he alternately describes as “glass boxes” and “fishbowl buildings,” architect Leininger says the facade features ductal corrugated panels in a custom textured design and is punctuated by expansive windows, balconies and terraces. “In the end, it’s a very domestic project designed as a place you want to live in and come home to,” he explains. “We want future tenants to admire the outside view of their building, yet feel protected with a level of privacy and intimacy once they are inside their homes.”

That intimacy is achieved in the form of a tapered 12-story building configured in an inverted belvedere shape that retains a slim, futuristic profile. In stark contrast is the bustling, vibrant streetscape just outside the lobby doors. “It’s an urban circus,” states Leininger. “Thirty Warren is surrounded by incredibly iconic buildings, including the Freedom Tower and the Woolworth Building. This neighborhood showcases the urban history of downtown New York.” With frontage on three streets, the homes offer a variety of dramatic cityscapes, including skyscrapers in the Financial District, landmarks like City Hall, glimpses of the Hudson River and glittering skyline views.

“The materiality was very carefully chosen in relation to the character of existing buildings in Tribeca, some old and some built in the past decade,” tells Leininger. “We wanted to have a strong contextual sense of the look of the neighborhood by picking a specific material and treating it in a very specific way. The result is a very fine, corrugated skin of cement.”

In fact, the design team conducted a chromatic study by photographing every building on the surrounding streets before deciding upon the rich gray-toned facade in an artisanal finish. “This is a beautiful, ambiguous gray, which deepens when it is applied to the pre-cast concrete,” he shares. “It has darker tones on a rainy day, warmer tones on a sunny day and cooler ones when it’s cloudy.”

Carefully positioning the building to maximize the amount of natural light that enters each unit was also paramount to the design scheme, notes Craig Wood, managing partner of Cape Advisors, a real estate development and investment firm involved with 30 Warren. “The level of effort that went into this project is evident in the great design spaces filled with sunlight,” Wood states. “Every aspect was done with the underlying thought of ‘how am I going to live here day-to-day?’ which is a very nuanced approach to the entire process.”

To that end, the interiors – also designed by Post-Office Architectes – pump up the volume with 10-foot ceilings, immense picture windows, panel oak floors in an exclusive geometric ladder design and spa-like marble master baths with fixtures from Waterworks. Kitchens feature Italian white lacquer cabinetry, Miele appliances, Tundra Gray marble slab countertops, and islands accented in saddle leather and hand-finished brass hardware. Premium residences connect to outdoor terraces or balconies, some planted with towering trees. Among the one to three bedroom designs are three full-floor penthouses that offer direct elevator entrances and private library areas. Open floor plans measure from about 1,000 to over 2,500 square feet.

The unique postmodern look and feel of 30 Warren focuses on an abiding sense of home and refuge, which is the ultimate goal of Post-Office Architectes. Leininger says, “There are so many abutment buildings on the market, and we want to make sure that future residents feel like someone really cared about their well-being when they designed this building.”

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