The HL23 is the first freestanding building by this Californian architect renowned for his theoretical work and visionary designs. An important role in his work is played by the study of buildings that increase in size from the bottom up, and not vice versa, which would be more usual. It was these experiments that attracted the attention of developers.
The HL23 tower will be erected close to the abandoned High Line railroad overpass in New York's Chelsea borough, and the volume of the new building will partially overhang it.
The High Line, which runs along 22 blocks of Manhattan, is now being turned into a city park, so the area adjacent to it has become extremely popular with developers. A hotel is being built at the southern end of the flyover, designed by James Polshek, at the northern end, a skyscraper by Stephen Hall will appear. A residential building designed by Jean Nouvel will be erected near HL23.
The site where the Denari Tower and two art galleries will grow was recently occupied by a wholesale liquor store. Now the construction of this original building has already begun there. Its width at ground level is only 12 m, but as it rises higher, the HL23 becomes wider and deeper. Its side glass facades make it possible to see from the outside the diagonal metal beams of the supporting structure, which made it possible to almost completely do without intermediate supports in 11 apartments located in the 14-storey tower. The east façade overlooking the High Line is partially covered with polished steel panels, giving the impression of being draped over the bulk of the building.
Denari, who turned 50 last year, is delighted with the start of his first construction (prior to that, he was involved in paper architecture, interior design and extensions to existing buildings). Along with the New York one, he has two more new projects: one is a small office building in China, the other is a huge multifunctional complex in Kazakhstan, but the architect has doubts about their implementation.
