paul clemence captures heatherwick's 'lantern house' as it takes shape in new york city

photographer paul clemence continues his documentation of new york city‘s growing skyline with his latest photo series of the lantern house by thomas heatherwick. the residential project is defined by its occupiable facade, comprised of a field of three dimensional, lantern-like windows. currently under construction at 515 west 18th street, alongside the XI by bjarke ingels, the development is divided between two towers which overlook the high line from either side to mark a new icon along the elevated park. while these most recent photographs document the developing exterior, the first interior images were featured on designboom in october 2020.

images © paul clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO

heatherwick studio conceptualizes the lantern house in celebration of both its exterior image and its interior experience. seeking to offer each unit a contemporary bay window, the dynamic and three dimensional facade takes shape as a grid of these ‘lantern’ elements. the design language expresses influence from the neighborhood’s maritime warehouses and industrial heritage. thomas heatherwick comments: ‘the design for lantern house came from looking at the city’s existing buildings and thinking about which ones you might want to live in, not just look at.’

thomas heatherwick’s ‘lantern house’ is organized between two towers, one 10-stories and the other 21-stories. these two structures, captured by photographer paul clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO, are connected at the level of the street beneath the high line by a sculptural glass lobby. inside, the contemporary bay windows host window seats which offer sweeping, immersive views across the park, the hudson river, and the city skyline beyond. 

project info:

project title: lantern house

architecture: heatherwick studio

location: 515 west 18th street, new york city, NY

developer: related companies

status: under construction

previous coverage: december 2019

photography: © paul clemence from ARCHI-PHOTO