Profile

Kips Bay Plaza

New York, New York
Completed 1963

Residential complex with twin 21-story apartment slabs, public plaza, retail arcade and parking
 

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This urban renewal project, composed of twin apartment slabs flanking a landscaped plaza, was an attempt to transform large-scale housing into architecture. The challenge was to develop an economic and aesthetic alternative to the steel-frame brick-skin apartment houses that had become standard in American cities since the beginning of the century. The solution, a pioneering application of cast-in-place architectural concrete, combines both interior and exterior, structure and finish, into an integral whole.

The twin slabs are aligned with the city streets and oriented to maximize skyline and river views. Each is defined by a concrete grid whose curved intersections express the fluid character of the structural pour. Because the façades are load-bearing units, fewer internal supports are required so that the apartments (28 per floor; 560 per building) offer more usable space inside.

Unlike most contemporary apartments, the interiors are generously lit by floor-to-ceiling windows. The deep concrete grid protects against glare and direct sun, while at ground level it opens both lobbies to a landscaped park that creates for Kips Bay its own context in the city. The site's sloped grade is maximized to conceal an underground garage and to integrate a shopping / restaurant spine along busy Second Avenue.

Major Components

Two 21-story slabs each with 608,000 s/f apartments (1,160 total units; 560 per building); 27,350 s/f typical floor area (28 apartments per floor); 3-acre landscaped plaza; retail spine; 78,000 s/f garage for 300 cars on 3-levels below ground.
 

Awards

I. M. Pei & Associates services

Complete Architectural Services; Interior

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