Snail Appartments

Snail Appartments Slow Living in Manhattan Why snail and why Snail Apartments? It’s quite possible that later on, we and our investors and developers will change the image. But for the time being, it is a pilot concept based on a certain inner myth developed specifically for this complex. Snail Apartments: apartments for people living in the most bustling place in the world. In New York, and especially in Manhattan, everybody is in a hurry, rushing somewhere all the time. And in contrast to that, here comes a new value: a chance to be tranquil and unhurried. A snail is never in a rush, yet it gets all its things done. Its home is always with it. The new era and creative thinking open totally new life scenarios for a business, forming a new lifestyle. A successful man of the 21st century does not necessarily have to hurry. What’s important for a person making money today is, first of all, the accuracy of decisions and the precision of every step, and for that, one needs to have a chance to get focused and even to meditate. Being visitors to Manhattan, we saw for ourselves the demand for new quality of space, new quality of architecture that would set a different pace of life. So, we approached the implementation of this idea delicately on the one hand, and on the other hand, we played on the contrast with the mainstream, with the generally accepted lifestyle inherited from the past era. Of course, we checked the history of the image and the role of snail in the world of branding. And one of the close conceptual matches was Slow Food. Slow Food is a global movement that promotes quality nutrition, a sort of alternative to fast food that originated in Italy back in 1986. It quickly spread around the world, and it has an American branch as well. I came across Slow Food at Expo 2015 in Milan. After a busy day at the exhibition, it was great to take a pause, drink a glass of wine and enjoy organic specialties at their pavilion without a hurry. That’s what we tried to embody in architecture. When describing the lifestyle of New Yorkers, our American consulter emphasized that it is very important for them to have an isolated zone of comfort and privacy in bedrooms and living rooms, where they could seclude themselves in a chair with a book, a glass of wine or whisky. A bit about how the architectural image of Snail Apartments was shaping up: the very location, the environment dictated its requirements. Our property is located in a typical Manhattan street that becomes quite busy and noisy in daytime. Therefore, the lower part of the façade (the first four floors) has a dual function. Thanks to thick partitions, it looks like a visual shield, appealing to the archetype of “wall architecture” that has the main role of creating a safe shelter. At the same time, quite massive walls protect the interior against the street noise. The upper part of the building is more airy, with a large glazed area. It represents a reference to New York’s contemporary architecture and the opportunity to reveal a view of picturesque cityscape behind the window. The building’s visual image attains individuality thanks, first of all, to the original glazing: windows with bent, curved glass. Radial windows reveal a panoramic sight, increasing the angle of view. Bay windows of this type allow you to see much more. On top of that, they bring a visual “smartness” to the interior and add functionality. Americans prefer to have in the bedroom a place for reading by the window. Bay windows create that cozy space. Moreover, we came up with a recognizable beautiful façade that visually connects New York’s historical authentic red-brick architecture with the new, glass and metal one. Our layout solutions for Snail Apartments are based on the PRO-housing concept, which envisages that a dwelling is not limited by the apartment walls. In principle, all interior spaces for common use represent a continuation of living space. A person opens the entrance door and immediately finds themselves at home. We decided to depart from the Manhattan tradition of huge lobbies. We are trying to erase the boundary between the private and the public. In Manhattan, this boundary is traditionally very rigid, and the balance is not in favor of the public.