Once a haven for a generation of modern artists, SoHo has become a center not only for retail, dining and nightlife, but has continued as a nexus for arts and culture. 565 Broome SoHo, which is planned for occupancy in 2018, is the result of a collaboration between Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) and Parisian interior design firm RDAI. This is their first residential project in New York City, although the two companies previously joined forces to create both Maison Hèrmes in Tokyo and Eighty Seven Park in Miami. 565 Broome SoHo’s luxury condominium residences mark a new period in the neighborhood’s evolution with Renzo Piano’s sleek glass towers rising with views to the city and the Hudson River beyond.
Scope: Brand Strategy, Identity, Guidelines, Advertising, Literature, Stationery, Renders, Animations, Film, Photography, Art Direction, Copywriting, Sales Gallery Design, Website, Marketing Software, Production.
Renzo Piano“The ability to create a building that actually breathes air and light… to make you feel like you are flying.”
The brand identity celebrates the process of Renzo Piano Building Workshop with a nod to the blue used in all of Renzo Piano’s drawings. In addition the project’s attention to craft, engineering and detailing is reinforced through embossings, finishes and bindings in the printed matter. The building facade is constructed of mullions which are reminiscent of the strings on a tennis racket, hence the addition of the linear branding on all materials.
The brilliance and purity of the design was celebrated in the printed literature—re-inforcing the architect team’s choice to use low-iron glass which transmits light at a higher rate for optimum clarity, as well as improving interior light levels.
Renzo Piano“The light shapes the space. And it also create a sense of emotion and architecture is fundamentally the art of creating emotion.”
Engravings, cotton papers, Swiss binding with dyed binding tape, triplexed boards and oversized literature are many of the techniques that created a suite of materials that elevate the project and again re-iterate the craft and quality inherent in 565 Broome Soho. The same experience was developed online for the website; a scrolling site, to reinforce the height and embracing the rich animated renders that were developed in-house for the project. A short documentary film was also created which interviews Renzo Piano and examines the thoughts of a master creating such a special building.
Renzo Piano“These are straightforward, honest materials that we use in a smart way.”
Renzo Piano was drawn to the SoHo site because of its natural light and relatively low-level surroundings, which open up 360-degree views of Lower Manhattan, Tribeca and the Hudson River. The neighborhood was captured by photographer Dean Kaufman, chosen to create a candid reportage on SoHo.
