Outward Facing

In their conversion of a storage facility to high-end residences in New York’s West Village, CookFox Architects paid special attention to the outdoor areas and the neighborhood beyond.

- Anne Quito

Making a 15-story tower feel intimate is no small feat. That’s exactly what the New York–based firm CookFox Architects set out to do when it took on the task of transforming the former Whitehall Storage Facility into a 91-unit luxury residential building on 150 Charles Street in New York City’s West Village.

CookFox’s design approach involved researching the past and future: The architects were attentive to the character of the far West Village but also infused the design with the forward-thinking tenets of green architecture, which earned 150 Charles Street a LEED Gold certification and a unique recognition of “superior landscaping” from the City Planning Commission.

Completed in 2015, 150 Charles Street is an alternative take on luxury living— one centered on giving residents a scenic and healthy retreat without being totally cut off from the surrounding neighborhood. In place of glitz and glass are meticulously designed open-air gardens and cascading terraces that connect its residents to nature and unobstructed views of the Hudson River.