Conrad NY

The Conrad Hotel in the Battery Park City neighborhood of New York City, uses art as its focus and inspiration for the complete redesign of a 1980’s 15-story building. The main strategy was to connect the building to the larger network of public spaces in Battery Park City and take advantage of the art in the neighborhood (from the Hudson River ferry stop to Brian Tolle’s Irish Hunger Memorial, through the hotel to the large works at 200 West Street by Franz Ackerman and Julie Mehretu), constructing a public art corridor with Conrad NY as its core. The hotel’s atrium is transformed into a gallery, highlighting the existing monumental Sol LeWitt drawing, Loopy Doopy, rising 13 stories high, and works by other artists, such as Pat Steir, in its wings. This project actively engages public and private elements in unison through art, providing New Yorkers and visitors alike a unique experience. The Conrad New York project demonstrates our belief in a calibrated engagement between art and architecture, blending the two at unique moments to enhance both. As a result, at the atrium of the hotel, we utilize the LeWitt drawing as a point of departure for a series of “veils” that enhance the painting’s reading, and control views towards it while never obscuring it. To enhance and control the acoustical quality of the space, all balconies were re-shaped from their original configuration. Digital fabrication enabled the precise correspondence between the design and fabrication models for the veils, upper frame, and lower rings. Lastly, we continue our commitment to sustainability and universal design through a collection of elements that resulted in a LEED Gold building that is fully ADA accessible. Selected Awards: Interior Architecture / Interior Design Awards by the Boston Society of Architects ALIS Development of the Year Award