Reinterpretation of a 100+ year zoning law in the heart of Harlem The Smile, designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, is a mixed-use residential development introducing affordable housing units alongside market rate rentals, set within the vibrant Harlem streetscape.
In 1912, the Equitable Building in Lower Manhattan was designed to be the largest building that could fit its site and rose skywards from the street lot-line without any setbacks. The building has since served as the prime example of the perils of unregulated development and as a result, the first building regulation in the United States was born. The landmark 1916 Building Zone Resolution enforced the construction of "stepped façade" towers in order to allow light and air back into the streetscapes. BIG’s reinterpretation of the resolution is demonstrated in The Smile with its scalloped façade. Draped between two existing buildings, The Smile gently curves inwards as it rises upwards to bring ample daylight into the residential streets while enlivening and connecting to the lively Harlem neighborhood. The Smile is BIG’s first collaboration with Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG) to design a 260,000 square foot residential building in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood. Along 126th Street, the building’s facade gently slopes inwards, deviating from the hard, linear street edge in an elegant gesture and forming its namesake curved “smile” in bird’s eye view. In turn, the curve allows the building form to be contained within the allowable zoning envelope, while giving the residential street more access to direct sunlight. The Smile has 233 units, with one third of the apartments reserved for affordable housing, all designed with a minimal palette of warm wooden interiors, and with access to amenities including a gym, wet spa and sauna, coworking spaces, and rooftop pools.
Conceived as a three pronged “Y” structure stretching between 125th and 126th Streets, The Smile transforms from a traditional block at street level to one side cantilevering over an existing commercial building. The Smile’s unique form allows locals to enjoy and inhabit the space over the commercial offices previously left unbuilt and creates visual connections between the two streets to form a more cohesive neighborhood experience. “The façade of The Smile drapes gently between the building’s two neighbors and leans inward to allow sunlight and air to reach the street, thus fulfilling the century old set-back requirements in a new way. Like a good neighbor, it fits into the existing neighborhood, feeding from the community’s energy to add new sparks to the community of East Harlem.” Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.
The Smile’s façade takes inspiration from the textured surface of the moon, and blends with the black and red brick of the existing buildings in the neighborhood. Its windows mirror the same shape of those that characterize Harlem, while the blackened stainless-steel panels were handmade in Germany and produced by a combination of mechanical, chemical, and electro-chemical treatments that, without any lacquer, create a natural and durable surface. The interlocking panels are all straight yet configured so that each element reflects the sky and light slightly differently, resulting in varying shades of black. The interlocking checkerboard pattern facade panel system allows for floor-to-ceiling windows in each unit, creating exciting views in all directions of the city. "We are thrilled to bring The Smile, a beautiful and contextually-inspired
building with a one-of-a-kind amenity offering, to the heart of Harlem. As an
active builder in Harlem since the early 1990s, we are excited to welcome
residents to this thriving and historic neighborhood and continue our firm's
commitment to investing in the surrounding community." David Blumenfeld,
Principal, Blumenfeld Development Group.
The Smile’s unique Y-shaped footprint offers a diverse set of unit sizes and
layout organizations with three different material palettes. While the exterior
facade is blackened and textured stainless steel, the residential unit interiors
borrow from a more neutral, minimal palette.
The Smile’s collective spaces include a fitness center, lounge and coworking
space that overlook the six-story gallery, bringing in natural daylight. In the
lounge, a kitchen and pantry allow for catering events or cooking classes, while
workstations invite individuals and groups to work from home. Throughout, BIG
and Artemide’s Alphabet Lights further illuminate and shape the experience of
the shared spaces through a consistently curved gesture that mimics the
building’s external form. The amenities and public spaces also use a combination
of colored tiles and blackened steel from the exterior, mixed with the raw
materials within the apartment units. Images by Thomas Loof and Pernille Loof, Release, BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, Brooklyn, New York
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December 19, 2020 |