347 Bowery

Location: Manhatten, NYC

Architect: Selldorf Architects

Photos: Nicholas Venezia, Florian Holzherr

Products: K50

Categories: Housing projects / Commercial

The ensemble, 347 Bowery, consists of a beautifully proportioned, 13-storey residential tower, set back from the street, and a base. The tower, clad in light-grey zinc, comprised of only five apartments that measure between 230 and 370 m2, all of them on more than one floor.

The base houses retail units and is built on a human, approachable scale over two floors. Selldorf Architects decided to clad the base in handmade brick, the structure and tactility of which add to the humanity of the building.

Several shades of Kolumba were considered before the architects and client opted for the light, blue-tempered K50. Selldorf wanted the brick base façade to have soft, rounded edges to make navigating the corners a comfortable experience when entering the shop or walking down the narrow alleyway to the service room. Petersen developed the needed custom bricks in K50 clay, and according to the architects the result was both beautiful and unique.