A 1920's Midtown 11 story loft building on 5th Avenue is transformed into an open collaborative work space in three parts: a new cloud-like Lobby space giving airy separation from the busy street; open office floors with only translucent glass screens set inside the original structural frame; a rooftop social deck and thin-steel framed glass penthouse sitting lightly on the heavy masonry building offering shifting views of the skyline. 

 

Starting with aligned floors at the back of the site, the Penthouse brachiates as it reaches the front; the lower floor branches out towards Fifth Avenue and the upper level bends towards views of the Empire State Building just three blocks south. At the back the Penthouse is sheathed in translucent glass for privacy and to catch the tree shadows in the morning. At the front clear high-performance glass gives generous light and panoramic views of the city, framed between cedar wood floor and ceiling planes. Pivoting wall and roof panels provide natural ventilation. Four exposed steel legs support the penthouse with cantilevers on the east and south. The feeling within will be of being suspended in the heart of Midtown Manhattan high above the street.