HL23 is not a forthcoming summer blockbuster movie, but a hip reference to New York City’s High Line Park at 23rd Street where awarding-winning architect Neil Denari’s ambitious, buzz generating condominium tower of steel and glass stands adjacent to one of the most successfully realized public parks of the past few decades. Within the confines of a tight site, this marvel of vertical urbanism is a tour-de-force with a façade that combines non-spandrel curtain walls, folded steel ribbon, and three distinct yet coherent facades unusual for a Manhattan block structure. The condo, at fourteen floors high, offers nine full-floor apartments, two duplex penthouses with terraces, and a two-floor maisonette with private garden. The building is LEED Gold Certified making it environmentally sound. Scheduled to open around June 1 to coincide with the completion of Section 2 of the High Line, and given the considerable advance press to ensure its star status, NL23 is bound to become a full-fledged New York sensation.

Alan-Voo Family House (2007)

Architect, educator, author, theorist, Denari’s influences stem from two distinct sources – his study of and interest in Japanese architecture and his early exploration into the technical and formal impact of technology that led to establishing a niche in innovative, tech savvy driven architecture. Based in Los Angeles, Denari has used the city as a laboratory for cultural experiments represented by a signature work, a renovation/extension for the Alan-Voo family home.

Obviously intrigued with geometric shapes, Denari designed the home to reflect the creative careers of his clients, including the interests of their three children who share their parents’ artistic passion. Adding 1,000 sq. ft. to double the interior space, Denari incorporated a 16’ ft wide linear house into the existing structure of which half is designated as private quarters for the client’s three daughters, and the other half plus the additions for a public zone and master bedroom with expansive views of the outdoor landscape.

A strong visual statement, the Alan-Voo home has been a favorite among editors for photo shoots as seen in the April 2011 issue of Vogue’s feature “Mid-Century Modern,” a nod to the fashionable silhouette of pinched waist dresses so popular post World War II. Whether it’s a setting for the California cool of the 1950s or characteristic of edgy, forward-looking architecture, this house will always remain a classic.