Far from the soaring glass towers of the waterfront, the heart of Long Island City is experiencing a surge in residential development and on track to double in size. One such development, 46-09 11th Street Apartments, is drawing the area’s population farther inland. Standing 6 stories, this 65,000 sq. ft. the development boasts 59 rental units primed for habitation by young professionals and artists flocking to this trendy area.
Designed by New York City’s GF55 Partners, 46-09 11th St. sports a brick frontage designed as a contemporary response to the many small scaled LIC manufacturing brick buildings. The 200 ft. block long façade is bisected by a perforated aluminum screen wall, engineered and fabricated by MetalTech-Global of Peachtree City, GA.
“The metal panels were used as a way to help break up the block-long façade and to help break down the scale of the façade,” says Leonard Fusco of GF55 Partners. “It was a perfect juxtaposition of materials. Metal/brick: light vs. heavy.”
The addition of the metal panel screen wall helps create an identity for the building due to the unique material character and serves as a visual element to identify the entranceway. The perforated panels are back-lit with LED lights allowing it to still be a prominent feature even at night.
