Located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan, Aire is a 42-story residential building that holds the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 66th Street. The building replaced an empty institutional building that was set back from the street and disengaged from the pedestrian experience in the neighborhood.

Aire is composed of two structures: a concrete high-rise tower and a steel low-rise portion, sitting above a common cellar and sub-cellar. The surrounding 1960’s residential buildings, coupled with the low-rise school and plaza across the street, created an unusually open area in the Manhattan grid. By making a small tower floorplate and maximizing the height available, a slender, angled tower evolved with views west to the Hudson River, east to Central Park and south to The Battery and Statue of Liberty.

The concept for the building was to create a “tower in the garden.” A landscaped area along West 66th Street includes a reflecting pool that creates a sky-mirror. Bamboo screen walls obscure the large public school across the street. The plaza-like entry court includes a lit fountain and leads to a dramatic three-story lobby. The low-rise portion of the building contains residential amenity spaces including acoustically isolated practice rooms, yoga space, and a children’s play area that opens to a large sun-filled roof terrace.

Along busy Amsterdam Avenue, 25,000 sq. ft. of retail space lines the street and wraps the corner. Parking and residential storage is below grade.