Waterline Square is a mixed-use development that completes Riverside South, a vibrant new neighborhood that stretches along the Hudson River Waterfront at the southwestern edge of New York’s Upper West Side. The tower’s vertical composition breaks naturally into a base, middle, and top—a massing that is consistent with the strict prescribed zoning, respectful of the surrounding buildings, and maximizes stunning views of the river and the New York skyline.
On West 59th Street, the regular geometry and punched openings of the southern mass reinforces the existing urban street line and speaks to the monumental stone façade of the power plant across the street. The angular tower ascends from this anchor, its geometry carefully modulated to ensure that units situated on the south and west side of the building boast stunning Hudson River views, while those on the building’s other side enjoy iconic skyline views. The arrival area is designed as a gracious public plaza to enhance the feeling of openness and connection to the interior and park beyond, while the North façade, facing the park, is peeled and folded into a layered structure inspired by the leaves of a tree, a gesture that completes the dialogue between the tower and its surroundings.
The crystalline composition of the tower employs a range of glass types, expressing a lightness and transparency unusual for a building of this scale. The varied materiality of the façade allows the building to be exceptionally sensitive to its context, absorbing the mood, light, and color of the day, whether a bright blue sky, the orange sunset, or a brooding storm.
