HL23
The High Line 23 is the newest addition to the buildings of Chelsea, overlooking High Line Park and West Manhattan. However the HL23 is anything but just a building. The 14-floor complex, created by Neil Denari and his team of architects, which boasts 9 full-floor residences, a duplex penthouse, and a two-floor maisonette, has become a sort of avant-garde landmark on the High Line. Created with minimal space, the HL23 virtually expands in width as it increases in height through the use of sharp geometric shapes. A curving stainless steel exterior covers the east façade, giving a three-dimensional appearance that changes and plays with the sunlight.
The dramatic effect is increased with unusual trapezoid-shaped windows with a bottom up slope. The north and south sides use large spandrel-free windows to evoke freedom and spaciousness in every apartment and the eleven by six feet panels offer a panoramic view of the city. Shading Systems provided the HL23 Condominiums with its single-panel, custom motorized roller flat shades from Mechoshade. Like the windows, the shades slope in bottoms up or top down configurations.
With a bizarre exterior comes a varied interior. Designed by interior architect Thomas Juul-Hansen, the custom designs parallels the exterior’s bold contemporary look while maintaining open space. The lower floors have flat floor-to-ceiling windows while the higher floors have tilted glass walls as the width of the building increases, creating a trapezoidal shape.
HL23 Interior
The HL23 has been receiving much hype since practically the moment of its conception. In 2008, it was recognized for its architectural contribution to the city with a full floor exhibition held at the Museum of the City of New York entitled “New York Fast Forward: Neil Denari Builds on the High Line”. It also received the SARA NY 2010 Visionary Architecture Award and was featured in an architecture and fashion exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in LA. Currently the building is seeking a LEED Gold Certification.
It is clear that this new attraction is only beginning to leave its mark on the High Line. Unlike any other building in proximity, the High Line 23 entertains spectators and passersby with the mechanical steel exterior that manages to evoke a retro post-modern feel as it surrounds the wildflowers and tranquil grounds of the High Line gardens. With its cutting edge geometric elements and creative design, the High Line 23 is giving New Yorkers and the people of Chelsea something new to look at.