160 Leroy Street

Already from the first shots, the undulating façade both in cement and glass distinguishes this condominium at 160 Leroy Street; it bursts softly and sinuously on the scene, soon to be the protagonist of the unreleased video of The Piranesi Experience.

As the camera pans out, you begin to catch sight of the context in which this New York building of Herzog & De Meuron is integrated with its 12 floors of luxury residences, overlooking the Hudson River by which we can view its reflection on the glass windows that run from ceiling to floor.

The filming narrows in and the scene is once again dominated by the facade, which shows itself in all its sculptural essence, thus recalling the formal definition of the philosophy of the Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, master of free and sensual forms.

Just as if it had been sculpted by an artist from a single marble block, the building emanates a certain sense of purity from whatever angle it is shot from; the tones are pure and the tactile quality in this filmic tour is expertly highlighted by the photography of Fabio Paolucci.

The original soundtrack bears the signature of Populous who, within this filmic passage, accompanies the fluid movement of the camera while chasing the alternate concave and convex spaces that harmoniously follow each other along the facade, articulated by the intrinsic rhythm of the white concrete pillars.

Evening falls and the lights of the city reflect off the transparent surfaces of water and glass. We are therefore able to grasp its relationship with the street: extending over an entire block, the building connects with the surrounding streets from which it seems practically free, floating on a bed of light like a spaceship that shines at night and gradually drives away.

Rossana Vinci, architect and journalist