Designwire Daily: from the editors of Interior Design magazine

Neil Denari’s HL23 Opens Adjacent to New York’s High Line

by Sheila Kim | Wednesday, March 9, 2011 | 2 Comments

New York’s High Line—the elevated freight track that was converted into a park—has been drawing new neighboring businesses and ambitious development proposals since before it was even completed. One such project, HL23, will finally open on June 1 after three years of construction, developers Alf Naman and Garrett Heher say. The residential tower boasts a visually intriguing sculptural design by Los Angeles architect Neil Denari, while the interiors sport luxurious touches and creature comforts appointed by local designer Thomas Juul-Hansen.

Located at 515 West 23rd Street in the city’s hip Chelsea neighborhood, the 14-story building’s most notable quality is its steel, aluminum, and glass composition that reverse tapers to gently cantilever over the park. The design at once provides an urban-chic counterpart to the High Line, increases the ground level’s footprint on higher floors to maximize square footage, and offers its residents cinematic and unrivaled views of the park. Inside the structure, the 11 homes are outfitted with high-end products and materials such as Miele appliances, Poliform kitchens, hand-selected marble surfaces for the bathrooms, rift-sawn or Dinesen wide plank floors, and hand-forged Nanz hardware.

“HL23’s airy interiors were inspired by elegant modernist environments and the aesthetics and openness of traditional artists’ spaces,” says Naman. “Exposed structural elements highlight the overall sculptural quality of these stunning interiors.”

Gunning for LEED Gold certification, HL23 is also a feast for the environment. Aside from featuring recycled and low-VOC materials, the building HVAC system uses high-efficient boilers and LEED-certified perimeter heat systems, as well as a cooling tower with sound attenuation. The electric machine room–less elevator additionally reduces energy consumption and the need for oil.

Photography by Douglas Friedman and Lux Productions.