With its striking metal angled façade, the 10-story mixed use 108 Chambers, also called “The Tribeca Rogue” in lower Manhattan’s Tribeca district, is turning heads.
To create the customized, geometric array of angled spandrels framing the windows on the entire façade, metal was selected for its ability to be easily shaped, formed and cut.
The metal facade panels were fabricated by BAMCO and colored with organic resins of pure aluminum. In addition, a highly reactive ink in the metal’s Bronze Deco finish from Pure+Freeform contains varying levels of luminosity which creates an optical texture and glint. The color and reflectivity of the facade changes with the sun’s movement throughout the day adding additional dimension to the large facade.
A Metal Architecture magazine Design Award winner, one judge on the panel, Christina Bazelmans, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, an associate principal with Lamoureux Pagano Associates, commented, “this struck me as really interesting. It’s innovative, the paneling is bold, and the strong forms are interesting and make an insightful statement about the neighborhood—an all-around unique look.”
The architect Woods Bagot’s design carefully considered the surrounding urban context and the fact that the streets in the Tribeca neighborhood are not straight right angles, as is common in Manhattan. Taking this cue, the architects settled on a 108-degree angle for the protruding metal half frames.
The design also considers the nearby 1875 Italian Renaissance Revival Cary Building in setting its angled panel profile at a similar scale and color as the Cary Building’s cast iron façade and point-arched windows.
In the architects’ assessment of their unique design, they state, “the façade maintains the rhythm of the deep mass and large windows of neighboring buildings through a series of interlocking metal frames. These weathered structures offer a nod to the industrial aesthetic of Tribeca and are positioned to optimize views while maintaining privacy for residents.”
BAMCO engineered and fabricated more than 10,000 square feet of Pure+Freeform’s 3 millimeter-thick aluminum wall panels for the project.
The building’s first two floors house retail space with condominiums occupying the remaining floors. Setbacks in the sixth and eight floors support outdoor terraces for some units.
The bronze finish creates an industrial, weathered look and the interlocking metal frames are designed to lend shading and privacy while optimizing views.
