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6 brilliant home design ideas used by “starchitect” Zaha Hadid in her latest NYC luxury apartment building
Architect Zaha Hadid’s first high-rise apartment building in New York City will offer the best of everything. Set to open by early 2017, the apartments overlook the High Line and will come with a slew of high-class amenities.
Here are some of the most exciting innovations at 520 West 28th Street, where units will sell for up to $50 million.
Floors that interlock.
The 39-apartment complex will rise to 11 stories — with 21 floors that interlock like a jigsaw puzzle.
Each unit has its own floor, but the apartments interlock where they meet in the middle. As illustrated on the photo above, the fifth and sixth floors are still on the same story, maximizing the building’s use of space.
The interlocking floors are a unique architectural design feature and fit into Hadid’s futuristic style, Related Companies’ marketing manager Natalie Johnson told Tech Insider.
Filtered air that’s pumped in.
Before residents even move in, oxygen will be filtered four times and then pumped into every apartment unit, Johnson said.
New York City’s air quality technically meets national standards, but it still measures more than double the recommended level of PM 2.5 — air particles that can lodge in the lungs and cause chronic diseases.
More luxury developers are starting to filter their building’s air multiple times.
Four elevators that run in two shafts.
It’s unusual for NYC apartments to include elevators — let alone four.
In Hadid’s new building, the four elevators will run next to each other in two elevator shafts. Residents will hardly ever wait, and the elevators will open right into each apartment.
Bathroom glass that instantly frosts over.
On my tour of the model, I honestly felt most mesmerized by the bathroom. There are two glass encased rooms for the toilet and the rainfall shower.
When you flip the switch near the door, the smart walls (by Innovative Glass) frost over.
It’s a fun frill that high-end developers are increasingly putting in their apartments. The global smart glass industry is expected to balloon to $4.71 billion by 2022, according to a new market research report.
Microwave-oven hybrids that can cook chicken or beef.
The apartment kitchens come with two ovens by German appliance maker Gaggenau. One is a normal oven, and the other is a steam oven: a cross between an oven and a microwave.
Steam ovens are healthier than typical electric ovens, which produce a dry heat. With a steam oven, you don’t need to put chicken or beef in heavy oil or butter, because the steam keeps it moist when it cooks.
A garage with ‘robot valets.’
Hadid’s complex will also feature a 12-car automated garage.
When residents arrive, they press a key fob that automatically opens the garage door. They then drive onto the platform, get out of their car, and a kiosk asks them a series of questions (e.g. Do you have your keys, kids, pets?)
After the drivers confirm, the platform lifts the cars into their designated spots.