1 York is a residential building designed by internationally-sought architect Enrique Norton. Despite its grand ambitions, the housing slump sent prices for apartments in the new building spiraling downwards.

1 York Street

Embedded within a neighborhood dense with high-end retail, luxury residences, and blue-chip institutions and offices, this 28,000 square foot branch library fulfills a much-needed role as a public space and a touchstone for the local community and visiting tourists.

TEN Arquitectos' design transforms the dark, subterranean space into an inviting, open and light-filled civic landscape in the heart of Manhattan. Inside, the innovative use of modest materials creates a rich palette of texture and expression. The interior rear wall, squarely framed by the clear facade, will be a changing canvas for artwork commissioned from young artists, creating a dialogue with the established art world of the Museum of Modern Art across the street. The book collection is structured to encourage greater interaction among individuals, between the user and the library itself, while establishing new connections between the library, books, technology, and art.

The building as a whole seeks to act as a platform for change, exchange, and--through its collections of resources, most notably, human resources--to elevate individuals and the collective alike. Complementing its cultural neighbors on 53rd street, the NYPL will act as a dynamic space to host lectures, films, and live performances even after hours.

New York Public Library - 53rd Street Branch

Occupying the south portion of a triangular site at the intersection of Flatbush, Ashland, and Lafayette Avenues in downtown Brooklyn, the slim footprint of the building leaves most of the site to a new 15,000 square foot public plaza. The building base is a series of exterior, terraced levels that create an active, urban and public experience along Flatbush, the plaza affords the community and cultural spaces with street level entries and the necessary public access to ensure their vibrancy. The first few floors of the tower consist of 50,000 square feet for cultural tenants, such as the performing arts organization 651 Arts, MoCADA, Brooklyn Academy of Music cinemas, and a new branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. The tower will also house retail space and rental apartments, 20% of which are affordable housing.

Downtown Brooklyn Cultural District

In 2007, TEN Arquitectos won a competition to develop a new master plan for Rutgers University's College Avenue Campus. In 2009, as part of the first phase of the project, construction began on a new graduate and professional development campus in Livingston. The Rutgers Business School, a 14,000-square-meter building, was designed and built, and inaugurated in 2014. The L-shaped building acts as the entrance to the campus. Its interiors are connected vertically by a 60 feet tall atrium that features a skylight and horizontally through various common areas that include a library, a cafeteria, and a student lounge. The building has a LEED Silver certificate for its operational and energy efficiency.

Rutgers University Business School

The Americano Hotel is a boutique hotel located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, designed by Mexican architect Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and opened in 2011. The hotel has 56 rooms and suites, as well as a restaurant, bar, and rooftop pool. The Americano Hotel is known for its distinctive design, which features a stainless steel mesh facade. The mesh creates a shimmering effect that changes throughout the day, and it also provides privacy for guests while allowing natural light to filter in. The hotel's interior is a mix of modern and vintage furnishings.

Americano Hotel

Mercedes House is a 32-story residential skyscraper located at 550 West 54th Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Mexican architect Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos and developed by Two Trees Management. The building was completed in 2012 and has 864 apartments. Mercedes House is known for its distinctive design, which features a zigzagging glass facade. The facade creates a dynamic and ever-changing appearance that reflects the surrounding cityscape. The building's interior is equally stylish, with a mix of modern and contemporary furnishings. Mercedes House is a luxury rental building that offers residents a variety of amenities, including a 24-hour doorman, a fitness center, a rooftop terrace, and a children's playroom. The building also has a number of on-site parking options.

Mercedes House

Enrique Norten discusses the challenge in designing the Mercedes House in that the footprint was nearly an entire Manhattan city block. Due to its location being close to the Hudson River, and the fact that the majority of the building is residential, the architects took advantage of the views of the river and of the city skyline. 

The HABITA Hotel is located at the corner of Av. Presidente Mazaryk and Lamartine Street in Colonia Polanco, one of the busiest commercial corridors in Mexico City. The hotel was built in the 1950s as an apartment building, but was renovated in 2004 to become a hotel. The renovation included the addition of a translucent glass skin that covers the entire building. The glass skin is perforated with horizontal stripes of transparent glass, which direct and frame the views from the hotel rooms. The translucent façade continually changes color, brightness, and reflections based on the light conditions, clouds, time of day, and sky hues. During the night the building becomes an urban lantern whose intensity varies according to the use inside.The ground floor of the hotel houses the reception and restaurant. The reception is separated from the street by a thin transparent glass skin. The access through Mazaryk Avenue is framed by means of a suspended horizontal plane that cuts out the building from south to north. This virtual circulation is contained by a solid stone bar, a mural, and a light box that functions as a counter.The HABITA Hotel proposes a space of tranquility and rest in the heart of one of the most energetic neighborhoods in the city. The immaterial and ethereal image of the building stimulates an intense sensory experience for the visitor. The main architectural element of the hotel is light, which, when interacting with the different surfaces, reinforces the qualities of the materials, making the spaces come alive through their very habitability.

Hotel Habita

Enrique Norten is New-york based mexican architect. In 1986 he founded TEN Arquitectos [Taller de Enrique Norten Arquitectos] in Mexico City. Among others awards, Enrique Norten was the first Mies van der Rohe Award recipient for Latin American Architecture in 1998, and in 2007 he obtained the "Legacy Award" from the Smithsonian Institution for his contributions to the US arts and culture. In 2005 he received the "Leonardo da Vinci" World Award of Arts by the World Cultural Council. Since 1997 he is an Honorary Fellow of the AIA and a member of the CAMSAM since 1986.

TEN-Arquitectos

SITES