We won an international architectural competition to design an iconic new hotel in Brooklyn, New York City, capturing views of the Manhattan skyline. Covering 86,000 square feet, our design includes 244 apartments and three residential penthouse units, with a restaurant, an event space, and a street-level spa, all on a very small site.

Located in Williamsburg—a raw and soulful epicenter—we designed a building that was contextual to the architecture of the nearby Williamsburg Bridge and the historical domed basilica adjacent. Soaring high above the neighborhood, the tower cluster steps back from the street, evoking the traditional New York skyscraper typology at an extreme scale—reaching 440 feet high, yet only 16 feet deep at its height.

Referencing the nearby bridge, our three towers are a fusion of engineering and architecture, with internal and external structural systems expressed in a dynamic yet functional pattern. Diagonal steel members are crafted into an intricately articulated façade to resist lateral forces, while the faceted envelope provides incredible views of Manhattan and an ever-changing kaleidoscope of reflected light.

To create rhythm, each tower has a different materiality and height to reference the different periods and scales of the neighborhood. We’ve proposed copper at the lowest level to blend with the local brick; the middle tower is defined in milled aluminum to relate to the basilica’s white limestone cladding; and the tallest tower reflects the tonal qualities of the iron in the Williamsburg Bridge.

This is a timeless solution to deliver both grace and drama through powerful manipulations of scale, proportion, and materiality.