OMA completes 121 east 22nd, its first ground-up building in new york city

designboom_OMA has completed ‘121 east 22nd’ — its first ground up building in new york city. the design of the residentialcomplex responds to its L-shaped site which straddles two separate manhattan neighborhoods: a quiet area surrounding gramercy park, an enclosed private garden; and the bustling commercial setting around madison square park, a public green space that also hosts a wide variety of activities. the scheme comprises two primary structures — the 18-storey north tower and the 13-storey south tower — which, between them, contain 134 units.

the design appropriately responds to and harnesses the energy of the city and duality of the site’s urban context,’explains OMA partner shohei shigematsu, who led the design of the project for developers toll brothers city living.‘the dynamic intersection of gramercy park and madison square is expressed by a three-dimensional, prismatic corner that introduces a new identity to the neighborhood while the façade remains contextual to its neighbors.


the elevation of 121 east 22nd also references cubist artwork, in which objects are viewed from a multitude of viewpoints rather than a single one to represent the subject in a greater context. as such, the north tower conveys the meeting of the two neighborhoods, realized through two interlocking planes that come together at 23rd street and lexington avenue to form a distinct, three-dimensional corner.


the elevation of 121 east 22nd also references cubist artwork, in which objects are viewed from a multitude of viewpoints rather than a single one to represent the subject in a greater context. as such, the north tower conveys the meeting of the two neighborhoods, realized through two interlocking planes that come together at 23rd street and lexington avenue to form a distinct, three-dimensional corner.


once inside, residents are greeted with a funnel-shaped lobby that leads to an enclosed breezeway and central ‘valley’ that connect the two towers. positioned between the two high-rise structures, the valley has been conceived as a ‘calm oasis’ at the heart of the development, centered around residential amenities and balconies. here, the interior façade of the two towers appears as a ribbon of volumetric balconies that present sculptural views of the sky overhead.


led by shohei shigematsu, it has been a busy few months for OMA’s new york office. having recently overhauled sotheby’s new york headquarters, the office also completed the exhibition design for ‘dior: from paris to the world’ — a show that remains on view at the dallas museum of art until september 1, 2019. earlier this week, OMA held off competition from two other high profile firms — morphosis and johnston marklee — to design a new arts centerfor the university of illinois at chicago.