Manhattan is getting its first building made of gold bricks

If you want to design an apartment block in New York City that stands out from the fray, you’re going to have to be a little extra. In this instance, gold bricks on the façade should do nicely.

That’s the plan for 196 Orchard St in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. In fact, it will be the city’s first hand-laid gilded bronze brick building.

Renders via Williams New York

A collaboration between INC’s Adam Rolston (responsible for the interior design and façade) and Magnum Real Estate Group Founder Ben Shaoul, the 94-room residential building seemed as if it could do with something a little more textured in an area known for its edgy, artsy vibe.

Renders via Williams New York

Erecting a super modern glass structure was out, as far as Rolston was concerned. He told Architectural Digest he searched for a material humble enough to belong in the neighbourhood (one that had been home to waves of immigrants over decades), but luxurious enough to attract a contemporary resident.

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The solution: 60,000 artisanal Spanish bricks infused with 24K gold dust. 

They will slowly oxidise over time, becoming darker – a symbolic nod to the transitional essence of the borough.

They flew the fancy bricks in from Cadaques in Spain, where they’re made by the 130-year-old manufacturer Cerámica La Covadonga.

The apartments range in price from studios (US$965,000) to four-bedroom residences (US$6,500,000). 

Renders via Williams New York

The interiors blend a natural and refined yet rough and slightly masculine aesthetic by way of materials like concrete, bleached walnut, acid-etched Eramosa limestone, and Nero Marquina black marble with its classic white veining.

Renders via Williams New York

There is also a two-storey, 30,000 square-foot flagship Equinox Fitness Club & Spa on the lower levels, as well as a furnished rooftop terrace with sundeck and outdoor kitchen. Plus, Foodies will be pretty pleased – Katz’s deli is adjacent to the property.

Renders via Williams New York

“We wanted the rooftop to have a community type of feeling that brings the entire residency together,” Shaoul told AD.