Caledonia

New York City, USA

Photo © David Sundberg

Architects: Handel Architects

Location: 450 W. 17th Street, 10011 New York City, USA
Year: 2009

The Caledonia is a 24-story tower that rises out of a base along 17th Street. The project includes 288 rental apartments, 169 condominiums, a 30,000 sq. ft. (2,800 m²) Equinox fitness center, a 1,400 sq. ft. (130 m²) landscaped courtyard, 20,000 sq. ft. (1,900 m²) of retail, a residents’ library, and parking for 210 cars.

The building itself is conceived as almost three separate residential structures, each rising to a different height and forming three sides of the courtyard. Though technically part of the same building, and connected by the lobby, each structure has its own elevator bank and mechanical systems.

The building’s exterior reflects the site’s industrial origins through its incorporation of warm-colored, iron-spotted brick and storefronts accented with flamed Jet Mist granite. At the corner of Tenth Avenue and 16th Street the building’s mass is carved away to reveal a glass wall; this scaling back accommodates the crossing of the elevated High Line Park, and is where the building provides direct access to the park.