Jersey City has a new landmark courtesy of Concrete Amsterdam. Rising 25 stories tall, Journal Square Urby introduces 340 meticulously crafted apartments situated at a strategic location that bridges the evolving high-rise corridors of Journal Square with the intimate, smaller-scale residential streets that characterize the surrounding neighborhoods. The development not only provides a substantial new housing option, but also activates the neighborhood’s social fabric, encouraging community engagement and interaction.
Standing proudly at the corner of Summit Avenue and Pavonia Avenue, Urby is perfectly placed next to the Journal Square PATH station, with a quick 15-minute transit to New York’s World Trade Center, and across the future park development by the historic Brennan Courthouse. The building is carefully massed and programmed with a public space that connects to the smaller-scale neighborhood at street level, inviting the public spaces to open up to the community. Above, the building rises to join the skyline, offering residents extensive views and a rooftop designed for a connected communal living experience.
Inside, the apartments carry Urby’s signature design philosophy. Smart and efficient layouts create homes that feel larger than their footprint. With open flows, balanced proportions, and thoughtful details, every unit maximizes comfort and functionality, offering a modern and surprisingly spacious living experience.
“With Journal Square Urby, we set out to create a building that connects people to each other and to the neighborhood,” explains Erikjan Vermeulen, Concrete Amsterdam. “The interlocking towers and brick base respond to the surrounding context, while shared spaces like the public café, entrance square, and rooftop garden foster a strong sense of community and belonging.”
All Urby buildings are designed to encourage interaction and strengthen connections, both among residents and with the surrounding neighborhood. At Journal Square, this begins with the placement of the tower, set back from the corner of Summit and Pavonia Avenue to create space for a welcoming entrance square that links directly to the public realm. On this square stands a two-story corner building whose brick façade and scale give it a timeless presence, bringing a sense of human scale and familiarity to the neighborhood.
This building is home to BRBQ, a public cafe and restaurant space that opens its doors to both residents and neighbors, inviting the community to come together. The café extends outward with a terrace that flows onto the entrance square and connects seamlessly with the Urby lobby inside. The result is a lively meeting point where everyday life naturally comes together.
The side wall of the building’s artistic expression comes to life with Felipe Pantone’s monumental mural, Optichromie. This vibrant, 14,000-square-foot masterpiece marks Pantone’s largest and most ambitious project to date, covering the 25-story façade of the building. Featuring his signature geometric patterns, gradients, and bright colors, the mural stands in vivid contrast to the subdued hues of the surrounding cityscape, creating a dynamic visual sight that enhances the skyline. The mural also represents Urby’s vision to blend thoughtful artistic elements with a strong connection to the surrounding community.
A carefully detailed wooden door is the eyecatcher that guides people into the main lobby; a warm, quiet, inviting space built out of ribbed wood walls, terrazzo flooring, and soft lighting that welcomes residents and visitors with seating corners and thoughtful curated artwork. Pockets on all sides of the space lead to different functional spaces like the mailboxes, the communal filtered water fountain, the host location, the leasing offices, and the elevators. One of the pockets is the internal connection to the café, designed by the BRBQ team, serving as an all-day dining space centered around an open fire kitchen, which blends seamlessly with the entrance square.
Together, the lobby, café, and square create a lively, human-scaled environment where residents and neighbors can connect effortlessly.
While the ground floor welcomes the public, the 25th top floor is a communal retreat designed exclusively for Urby residents. Just below the tower’s crown, a serene escape rises above the city streets. A garden room and communal kitchen, both filled with greenery, flow seamlessly onto a lush, landscaped deck, creating a peaceful oasis in the sky. The interior space has a very grounded and natural atmosphere, shaped by terracotta floors, wood-clad walls, soft carpets, and a wide variety of seating arrangements surrounded by pots, plants, and balanced lighting. Large, deeply recessed windows framed in wood draw the eye outward, framing views toward Manhattan.
The spaces form the heart of the Urby community and are used in many different ways: intimate dinners and casual drinks, music sessions, conversations, getting some work done, board games, or simply reading a book while enjoying the skyline view. Regular events and gatherings, curated and organized by the Urby cultural team, are held in both the kitchen and the garden room, adding an extra layer of connection, inspiration, and joy among the residents.
The interior spaces extend onto a vibrant green roof deck and pool, designed by landscape architect Bas Smets. Here, residents can relax among diverse seating configurations, a pergola, and an outdoor kitchen with barbecue stations, all surrounded by planters overflowing with wild grasses, flowers, and small trees. A stepped terrace leads to the pool, offering the perfect spot to swim, soak up the sun, or simply unwind while taking in sweeping views of New York and beyond.
Photography by Robert Tsai.
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