A Residential Complex Soars Over the Waterfront in Brooklyn

As the East River snakes between the shores of four of New York’s five boroughs, it shapes islets, tributaries, and peninsulas along its way. These surprisingly saltwater banks that have historically been ports for the domestic and international shipping routes docking in the Big Apple today are prime real estate—so long as the buildings meet 100-year flood-plain requirements. Manhattan’s were the first to be developed, with a close stock of steel-and-glass skyscrapers, brick public housing, and seawall-protected esplanade parks. Queens followed suit with a focus on residential towers, their unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline affording enviable urban sunsets.

But it’s Brooklyn, the city’s second-priciest and most populous borough, that is making big waves in luxury waterfront living—its in­no­vative buildings giving residents a skyline of their own to boast. Since the 2005 residential rezoning of the Greenpoint and Williamsburg shores, towers, parks, and even some beaches have made northern Brooklyn one of the hottest markets for young professionals, generationally wealthy coeds, and even the odd celebrity (Adam Driver, Patrick Wilson). Now, on the bulbous landmass where it meets Queens at Newtown Creek is Eagle + West, a ground-up, 860,700-square-foot complex of high-end, market-rate, and affordable rental apartments by OMA (architecture), Marmol Radziner (public and amenity spaces), and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects and Planners (apartment interiors) is helping contribute a renewed relationship to its misnomer estuary.

Eagle + West Offers Luxury Waterfront Living in Greenpoint 

The project’s site, the 22-acre Greenpoint Landing, has naturally sweeping vistas of its surrounding skylines and waterways, so its architectural challenge came in arranging its massive program—745 apartments across two towers and a low-rise, plus two retail spaces, a parking garage, and 42,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor amenities, including two pools, coworking spaces, a podcast studio, and a playground—to respect its neighboring town houses, which top out at seven stories. Zoning allowed for both a 400- and a 300-foot-tall tower set 40 feet apart. OMA New York partner Jason Long increased that distance to 60 and imagined their profiles as “fraternal twins,” stepping back and toward each other in seven- to eight-story terraced and cantilevered blocks like puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit. These 40- and 30-floor siblings are connected by a two-story, 210-foot-long Vierendeel truss-and-glass bridge that houses the indoor pool, a lounge for the outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a double-height reservable room for resident functions, all topped by a 1,000-square-foot green roof.

“We created a composition that changes as you move around it,” Long says of Eagle + West’s monumental massing, “because it opens and closes in a series of different gateways as you look through the building, either toward the Manhattan skyline or out over Brooklyn.” To mitigate the scale of the towers, fronting the lower density streetside is a seven-story structure of affordable-housing units with its own gym and event spaces. And where there is an entrance to a residential lobby (there are three), the facade is notched inward, like the triangular cantilevers overhead and the shadows cast by their facades, shingled in white precast concrete.

Ample Amenities and Private Balconies

To complement the incredible waterway views, an indoor-outdoor living experience at Eagle + West was important. Beyer Blinder Belle, also the project’s executive architect, conceived 150 unique apartment layouts for the range of studios to three-bedrooms, with oak flooring, concretelike countertops, porcelain-tile backsplashes, and two color palettes—dawn and dusk—to take advantage of their 8-foot-square picture windows. The diversity of options is “about not pigeonholing prospective tenants,” BBB senior associate Kimberly Cornell explains, “because everyone has a different sensibility.”

Native Plants Create a Biophilic Haven

Radziner’s firm took a similar approach to the project’s landscape design, which he describes as “not too buttoned-up.” Wind-resistant plants like prairie dropseed, little bluestem, and purple coneflower along with deciduous, native trees like red maple and pagoda dogwood create a varied, seasonal tapestry within their hardscape bounds and at the ground level. Along the waterfront, Eagle + West adds a new landscaped plaza to Greenpoint’s public esplanade. On a late-summer day, as new residents were just settling in, many of its tables and chairs were already occupied by neighbors.

Inside Eagle + West, Greenpoint’s Newest Residential Development

beyer blinder belle architects and planners: carlos cardoso; cassie walker; andrew jacobs; james sullivan.

marmol radziner: leo marmol; ashley nath; aista sobouti; matt jackson; morgane manoha; abby rutherford; martina roth.

oma: yusef ali dennis; christine yoon; remy bertin; jingyi bi; sam biroscak; titouan chapouly; ken chongsuwat; marie-claude fares; yashar ghasemkhani; anders grinde; wesley leforce; chong ying pai; nathan petty; andres rabano; laylee salek; alan song; wo hong wu; soojung yoo; steven young; juan pablo zepeda.

thornton tomasetti: facade.

focus lighting: light­ing consultant.

mtwtf: custom signage.

lolita cros; picture room: art consultants.

desimone consulting engineers: structural engineer.

cosentini associates: mep.

langan engineering & environmental services: civil engineer.

scanga innovative woodworking: millwork.

new line structures: general contractor.

de sede: sectionals (lobby 1), tan lounge chairs (lobby 2).

allied maker: wood floor lamp (lounge 1).

emmanuelle simon: gray barrel chair.

adam otlewski: shaded floor lamps (lobby 1, lobby 2, reserve room).

stahl + band: cocktail table (lobby 2).

pulpo: round side table.

suite ny: dining chairs (reserve room).

abra lighting: custom cantilever light.

&tradition: green sectionals.

juniper design group: ceiling fixtures (mailroom), table lamps (great room).

ahrend: chairs (coworking lounge).

filzfelt: wallcovering.

serge mouille: sconces.

stone source: floor tile.

maharam: rug.

gordon: chairs (great room).

caesarstone: counter­top (kitchen).

treefrog veneer: cabinetry veneer.

florim: backsplash tile.

kährs: flooring (kitchen, living area).

rustico tile: decking (pool).

artless: bench.

walker zanger: pool tile.

sto: ceiling surfacing.

heath ceramics: mantel tile (great room).

abc stone: mantel stone.

netzero: fireplace.

moroso: chairs, sofas.

made by choice: round side table.

amara rugs: custom rugs.

hakwood: wood flooring.

anthology woods; shinnoki: oak paneling.

dunn-edwards; ppg industries; sherwin-williams company: paint.

bpdl: concrete facade panels.

interpane: facade glass.

6 Luxurious Residential Developments Around the World

Whether rental or condo, America or Asia, today’s residential developments are housing occupants in supreme style amid five-star amenities.

Inside Luxury Residential Developments

Orizzont, Aveiro, Portugal by RVDM Arquitectos

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Staggered white concrete units partially clad in timber battens adhere to the grid in this three-story apartment building featuring abundant glazing that overlooks the canals of the city known as the Portuguese Venice. The 45,000-square-foot structure is raised on stilts, leaving the ground level as an open pavilion sheltering coveted perks, including a heated indoor pool that segues to a lawn.

Bradbury, San Diego by Vida Design

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Part of The Society, a new three-building rental-unit complex by Carrier Johnson + Culture that’s anchored by the Town and Country Resort, which was originally built in 1953, the Bradbury channels a mid-century lounge aesthetic, transporting residents to California’s golden era with public spaces hosting carved walnut wall art, tropical wallpaper, textural ceramic tile, lavish mohair sectional upholstery, and a groovy concrete-slab fireplace.

The Bellslip, Brooklyn, New York by Leong Leong

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The 30-story rental tower in Greenpoint offers residents refined informality via a varied collection of spaces for living, working, and gathering—and even extends the experience to the public in the urban room, aka the entry lobby. There, curved walls fronted by anodized-aluminum extrusions flank partitions that pivot on tracks in the floor. Farther in and upstairs, monochrome contemporary seating defines the private lobby, café, and reservable room for tenants.

HSR Excellent City Hiyoshihoncho, Kanagawa, Japan by Moriyuki Ochiai Architects

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Faced in minimalist white tile, the five-story, U-shape condominium edifice takes poetic inspiration from its surrounding hills and rivers. Colorful AstroTurf and rubber-chip surfacing in geometric and organic shapes anchor the courtyard’s native plants and built-in seating. In the entry hall, illuminated resin ceiling recesses, crafted by Moriyuki Ochiai himself, mimic sunlight reflecting off water.

Front & York, Brooklyn, New York by Morris Adjmi Architects

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The ground-up 1.2 million-square-foot condominium building blends into DUMBO’s grit with its facade of custom Glen-Gery bricks and panoramic factory-style windows. Interiors are more cosseting. Limestone floors the wine room, burnished wood lockers outfit the billiards room, and the four lobbies, boasting luxe furnishings from The Future Perfect, Mark Jupiter, and Matter, lead to a ½-acre park by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates.

The Set, New York by MAWD

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The 44-story Hudson Yards rental building by Handel Architects that contains 280 furnished residences includes a host of amenities, from a games den with a statement wallcovering evocative of the Northern Lights and a grand common area with Mario Bellini sofas and twin rose-marble coffee tables to a private members club. Kicking it all off near the concierge desk is a spiral staircase in Calacatta Gold marble, hand-patinated bronze, and high-gloss red paint.

44 East Ave, Austin, Texas by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture

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Located at the edge of the Colorado River, the 51-story condominium tower’s relaxed yet upscale concept was inspired by the idea of water currents sculpting space. In the lobby, for example, a greenhouse atrium curves in from the curtain wall, poured concrete terrazzo flooring mimics the gravel of the nearby riverside trail, and the plaster ceiling has a subtly rounded shape like the hull of a boat.

Terreo Studio Develops a Classical Yet Contemporary Residential Complex in Tulum, Mexico

When architect Eduardo Valdes and photographer/journalist Alexander Landsberg first visited Tulum, the buzzy beach destination on the east coast of Mexico’s Yucután Peninsula, the self-described “explorers and travelers” knew they’d found a suitably cosmopolitan yet laid-back place where they could put down professional roots. “We found Tulum to be totally inspiring and dynamic, a place where creativity and diversity abounds,” the German-born Landsberg enthuses. “It’s a very unique mix: small yet international, with global influences.” He adds that the climate is perfect—“always warm, with a nice breeze”—and the landscape drop-dead, courtesy of the omnipresent Caribbean and the cenotes and lagunas that dot the countryside.

The thirtysomethings were especially drawn to La Valeta, an up-and-coming but low-key neighborhood that abuts a national park. “We loved the vibe of the area and its inhabitants, a mix of Mayan families and creative folk from around the world,” says Valdes, who grew up in Mexico City. The real-estate market, they discovered, was saturated with sprawling, commercially driven condo projects but nothing of the intimate scale and understated style that spoke to their own aesthetic preferences. “We realized there was a huge demand for beautiful architecture that was not cookie-cutter,” the architect continues. So the entrepreneurial pair pooled their talents to found Terreo Studio in 2018 with the mission to design and develop boutique residential properties. “We found Tulum to be so special that we wanted to give something back to it,” Landsberg summarizes.

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The creative collaborators globe-trotted for many months to collect ideas. A few destinations proved to be particularly inspirational, including the La Granja Ibiza hotel in Spain; the Scorpios beach club in Mykonos, Greece; and, closer to home, the Mexican towns Mérida, Oaxaca, and San Miguel de Allende. Based on their explorations, the studio mates drafted a short list of attributes they wanted their own properties to have: open-plan kitchen/living areas, superhigh ceilings, a strong connection to nature, and private alfresco living areas complete with pool—“a chill-out leisure space for when the homeowners don’t want to go to the beach,” Landsberg explains. Last but not least was a hip yet laid-back atmosphere. “We love the idea of creating an ambience.”

Terreo Studio’s debut development was Liana, a four-unit property completed in 2019 that quickly sold out. Their ambitions heightened, the duo next conceived this project, Fosil, a 10,700-square-foot four-story condominium building housing seven one-of-a-kind residences, ranging in size from a loft studio to a three-bedroom triplex penthouse. The design intent, Valdes says, “was to create a piece of architecture that resembled a modern-day ruin, a mystical building with simple, clean lines that would fit into the Tulum vernacular yet stand apart.” A composition of staggered arches conceals the facade and entry court, a poetic nod to classical architecture. Several of those arches were actually added on the fly during construction as the building started to take shape—an example of Terreo Studio’s improvisational approach. “We design and build in a very organic way,” Valdes admits. “Whenever we think a feature can benefit from a certain modification, we make it.”

Distinguishing the exterior is a type of local stone embedded with tiny fossils, which sparked the development’s name. “Eduardo and I got the inspiration during a trip to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, where we found many ammonite relics,” Landsberg explains. “Here in Tulum, if you dig down into the earth, you’ll find this particular white stone with fossilized shells, so the connection is close.”

Such emphasis on regional materials is a throughline of the studio’s projects (which now include two more condominiums and a villa in various stages of completion). “The use of simple natural finishes from the area give the spaces an authentic character,” Valdes says. The loft interiors feature other indigenous treatments, including chukum, a limestone-based stucco incorporating resin from the titular tree, which is endemic to the area. The chalky finish was deployed for walls and floors throughout, as well as for built-in features like bathroom vanities. Timber used for kitchen cabinetry and bedroom millwork is also a native species.

As for decor, Terreo Studio was hired by many of the homeowners, including the L.A.-based musician who bought the penthouse, to oversee furnishings. Almost every element was custom designed and produced by the partners via the interiors store they now run parallel to the studio, and for which they collaborate with artisans across the country and source items during their travels. “Last year we had the opportunity to take over a furniture store and integrate it into the practice,” Valdes explains. “Our vision for the store is in motion; we are constantly changing collections.” (Although antique Yucatecan pottery is a staple.) The pair’s philosophy for interior design mirrors their architectural ad-libbing. “We don’t have a fully complete design concept ready when we start decorating; we try to integrate the right proportions of objects and furniture into the architecture as we go along,” Valdes notes. Such a panoptic approach and attention to detail is unusual for the Tulum market—as is the fact that Terreo Studio offers a service to help homeowners AirBnB their units when not in residence. Care to come and stay awhile?

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arturo loaiza: terreo studio

luma arquitectos: general contractor, mep

terreo decor: woodwork

terreo shop: objects

ZARA HOME: Bed linens