the william vale hotel by albo liberis opens in new york

the william vale is a recently opened hotel in new york that seeks to bring a new character and identity to its brooklyn location. designed by architecture office albo liberis, the building intends to offer as much high quality urban space as possible, while affording sweeping views of the city skyline. the client wanted to avoid the ‘industrial-chic aesthetic’ found in other local developments, while the block-sized site prompted the design team to expand and embrace the project’s scale; the resulting determination of the program as ‘urban resort’ yields a highly textured and interpenetrating mix of structures and programs throughout the project site.

the hotel seeks to bring a new character and identity to its brooklyn location
image by max touhey (main image by lester ali)

tourism in new york city is continually on the rise, with more than eight million visitors making the trip to the borough of brooklyn in 2013. nowhere has this trend been more apparent than in williamsburg, a booming neighborhood that now offers significant cultural institutions, as well as restaurants and other places of interest. ‘personally we’re not surprised that people are now coming en masse to visit, we can attest first hand to how infectious and attractive the creative energy pervading the borough is,’ says albo liberis.

the block-sized site prompted the design team to expand and embrace the project’s scale
image by max touhey

the william vale provides numerous points of public access, encouraging entry into the site and opening up a centrally positioned plaza. a grand stairway leads upwards to a rooftop park positioned above a street level retail building, before returning to the plaza below. ‘the central plaza and green roof elements are the main organizational mechanisms of the project, and along with the zoning restrictions, they drive the generation of each of the respective building forms,’ explains the design team.

numerous points of public access encourage entry into the site
image by lester ali

the distinctive truss, situated beneath the hotel portion of the building, is not only derived from necessity, but also represents the architects’ desire to express the sculptural qualities of the building’s structural elements. ‘the truss form acknowledges and plays off other physical characteristics of the neighborhood, from the local bridges and manufacturing facilities to various tank and tower support structures in the area,’ the team explains.

a stairway leads upwards to a rooftop park positioned above a street level retail building
image by max touhey

the hotel and its rooms — all of which have balconies with views of brooklyn and manhattan — are elevated to preserve sightlines in lieu of future highrise development surrounding the building. hotel amenities include a large 60 foot pool with an adjacent terrace, a ballroom, and board and conference rooms. ‘we sought to design something both the client and the community would appreciate for many years to come,’ says albo liberis. the hotel’s public interior spaces have been designed by toronto-based studio munge.

the truss represents a desire to express the sculptural qualities of the building’s structural elements
image by max touhey