- URBAN DESIGN AND
ARCHITECTURE/ - CONSTRUCTION AND
CIVIL ENGINEERING/ - CULTURAL
PLACE-MAKING/ - PROMOTING
URBAN DISTRICTS/ - NEW MARKETS
NYC Highline
New York's most successful
regeneration project - converting an
old elevated railway into a walking route
and park highlighted by outstanding
architectural and artistic features
The Case:
A slower paced real-estate market in Manhattan spurred developers and agents to explore new ways of drawing attention to their projects. The Della Valle Bernheimer building situated directly above the world's trendiest park, the Highline, was not drawing sufficient sales. The marketers of 245 Tenth Avenue looked to artists for ideas, and decided to support New York Artist Kevin Cooley’s creative concept for the building. This is the first time a private developer has collaborated with an artist to create a public art project as a means to promote real estate. Prudential Douglas Elliman are now well on the way to fully selling the building’s residential units. Read below for further added-value.
The Challenge:
An 11-storey, 56,000 sq. ft Condominium development immediately adjacent to the Highline that had been vacant for four years. Completed in 2007, and at one point with 60 percent of the units in contract, this development suffered significant setbacks, forcing the entire project off the market. Under a new owner and with a new marketing team, sales were re-launched in 2011 to coincide with the opening of phase II of the Highline park.
The (artistic) solution: Remote Nation.
Kevin Cooley proposed to install his creation at 245 Tenth Ave to breathe life into a building that was disused and dark for years. Remote Nation is a public art installation in which the inhabitants of an entire high-rise apartment building appear to watch the same television station simultaneously. Viewers outside of the building are presented with an orchestrated display of the ambient televised light, which appears to be organic, pulsing, breathing and changing colour, a vision reminiscent of aurora borealis.
Added Value for property developers
This installation was made in cooperation with Prudential Douglas Elliman and through generous assistance from the owners of 245 Tenth Ave. Leonard Steinberg, Managing Director, Prudential Douglas Elliman said:
"REMOTE NATION brought tremendous visibility to the building, by visually capturing people’s attention in an elegant manner, thus enhancing the value of the building. The fact is this serious piece of artwork has enhanced the building much further than just another real estate development, also contributing to the neighbourhood's art-focussed character. Our sales in the building were very strong during this period and we are now almost 50% sold. The call volume was especially strong, and I do feel the attention brought to the building by Remote Nation certainly helped fuel this. The press that was generated by REMOTE NATION was an additional bonus: nothing is more valuable than a press mention for sales and marketing of high-end real estate."