[Tom Servo]

111 FIRST STREET
rem koolhaas

111 First Street is located in Jersey City’s burgeoning waterfront development, at the center of a public transportation network created by train stations, ferry stop, tunnel and heliport.

The 1.2 million square foot development’s mix of program (415,000 SF of apartments, 210,000 SF of hotel and amenities, 160,000 SF of artist work / live studios, 19,000 SF of gallery, 87,000 SF of retail and 240,000 SF of parking) will, together with the existing Powerhouse, act as a beacon for the future development of the Powerhouse Arts District into Jersey City’s cultural center.

Exploration of the Known
How can this mix of programs—typically hidden within the confines of relentless verticality—be revealed/harnessed/capitalized/?

How can we use typologies that all too often result in repetitive banality to create an urban catalyst?

How can we make unknown from known?

Vertical City
Each component of the program is analyzed for optimum layout and concentrated into individual blocks—a cube of artist work / live studios and galleries, a slab that combines hotel rooms and apartments, and a wider slab that accommodates deeper apartment units. The resulting volumes are stacked perpendicularly in plan to create a 52 story (592 ft) tower. The stacking maintains the independence of each block, optimizes views from the site and creates a dynamic relationship between the building and its surroundings: Spectacle from Convention.

Beneath the blocks, a plinth fills the site, connecting the building to the city with a mix of retail, lobbies, and parking.

Alternating the orientation the blocks create a series of open spaces at their junctions: the 111 First Street Public Terrace on the 5th Floor (56,000 SF), terraces for the hotel restaurant and spa on the17th Floor (15,700 SF) and two shared residential terraces on the 36th Floor (13,000 SF)

Adjacent to each terrace is a public space that activates it during the day (gallery, spa / gym / pool, restaurant) and night (cabaret, bar, restaurant, residential lounge). A central core joins all three blocks, giving structural stability to the building and providing access to upper public floors.

With direct street access, the 111 First Street Public Terrace will activate the street life and create a synergy between the planned Powerhouse Entertainment Center and the Sculpture Garden north of the site. The vertical and horizontal density of public activity generated will energize the surrounding area, creating a cultural hub for Jersey City.