Long Island skyline rounded off with ceramic facade
The 24-storey "Nova" high-rise in Long Island City rises in a simple but powerful vertical line. The ceramic-clad residential tower presents itself as an outstanding example of how curtain-type, rear-ventilated ceramic facades meet the aesthetic needs of the residents and their urban environment, as well as fulfilling sustainable and functional requirements.
Design and concept
Designed by Fogarty Finger Architects of New York, the mixed-use high-rise is located in the rapidly growing borough of Queens, New York, which has gained prominence in recent years through numerous architectural developments. The elegant design of the building is mainly due to the triangular site on which it stands, but also to the white ceramic facade of the KeraTwin system from Agrob Buchtal, which extends over the entire height of the tower to provide structure. The dark, floor-to-ceiling windows help to reinforce the roundness of the clear, modern design language. Slender and tall, the building with over 86 apartments and retail space on the first floor rises as a striking point in the skyline of Long Island City. The corner formulation becomes the significant theme of an exciting dialog with the urban space. Without question, "Nova" proves to be a sustainable urban building block that defines and integrates park and space for social interaction in the public space.
Facade design
The facade is characterized by a structure that gives the building a rhythmic aesthetic and at the same time creates visual appeal through its repetition and variability. The central element of the "Nova" facade is the use of glacier white glossy ceramic panels of the KeraTwin K20 curtain-type, rear-ventilated facade system from Agrob Buchtal, advised and supplied by Cladding Concepts International. The ceramic panels give the facade an interesting texture due to the profiling, stand in an exciting contrast to the smooth glass surfaces and give the facade a special haptic quality. The profiling skillfully captures the light and gives the architecture a lively, sculptural appearance with sun reflections and shadow play. This effect is skillfully enhanced by the alternating use of transparent and opaque materials. The slightly recessed glass surfaces also create an illusion of depth and three-dimensionality, rounding off the rhythmic facade composition to perfection.
Functionality and room layout
The mixed-use architecture combines living, working and leisure. The lower floors are intended for retail and commercial space, while the upper floors house luxurious residential units. In the residential units, great emphasis was placed on generous room layouts and high ceilings to create a feeling of openness and light. The living spaces were designed according to feng shui principles and with a minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic. The floor plans are designed to be flexible. They can also be adapted to different usage scenarios in the future, but already meet the individual needs of the residents today. With the chance of a second and third life, the high-rise building offers the promise of a long-lasting sustainable future.
"Nova" by Fogarty Finger Architekten once again convincingly stages the motto of Agrob Buchtal's ceramic facades for contemporary high-rise architecture: beautiful shell, eternally durable.
