Commissioned by Toll Brothers City Living, OMA’s first residential tower in New York will be located as 121 East 22nd Street and designed by partner Shohei Shigematsu.
Shohei Shigematsu commented: “The design of the 133-unit residential block was driven by the duality of its context. Punched windows echoing the façade of its pre-war neighbors seamlessly transition to contemporary, floor-to-ceiling glazed windows towards the corner, forming a gradient from historic to modern.”
The site straddles two separate and distinct neighborhoods: Gramercy Park, a calm oasis formed around a private park and Madison Square, a bustling public space hosting an array activities and commercial programming. This location posed a unique opportunity to provide a dynamic meeting point of these two identities—between classical and contemporary, between quiet streets and bustling avenues.
A cubist collage of multiple intersecting neighborhoods is expressed with a three dimensional, prismatic corner. The corner element provides a distinct facade and frames unique views with intricately folded windows to look up to the sky or down to the lively street.
courtesy of OMA
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial