HWKN Raises the Bar in Williamsburg With Design for Yotel

Developer Synapse Group has chosen HWKN to be the architect of the 14-story Yotel planned for 280 Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, and the design is a major departure for the area. HWKN sent us renderings and new details about the out-of-the-ordinary building, which will be topped by condos next to the BQE.

“The sculptural qualities of the building [connect] with Williamsburg’s artistic bent,” said HWKN principal Matthias Hollwich, and the design “will position the new Yotel as one of the most iconic buildings in New York,” according to the firm’s press release.

The level of the base is designed to “negotiate” between the BQE and the rest of the neighborhood. The stories rising above feature a “cascading, shingle effect façade that gradates in tone and finish.” Then that facade gives way to the shiny, glassy condos at the top, wrapping and revealing them.

We read it as a visual metaphor for the history of neighborhood, whose many wood frame and shingle buildings have ceded to shiny glass towers in recent years.

The 110-unit hotel will have a total of 100,000 square feet, which will include 20,000 square feet of retail, a rooftop garden at the level of the BQE, a separate parking deck and six to eight condos on the top floors. The trapezoidal site is located between Withers and Lorimer streets.

CetraRuddy was also in the running, and we published their concept drawings last month. The Wall Street Journal was the first to publish the winning design but did not name the architect. The Real Deal wrote more about the design yesterday.

Click through for another rendering that shows the colorful facade and stores at street level. We think this is one of the most interesting building designs we’ve seen in years. In fact, we think it’s brilliant. What’s your opinion? — By Rebecca Baird-Remba and Cate Corcoran

This Unusual Design Will Not Be Williamsburg’s Future Yotel Hotel [Brownstoner] GMAP
Renderings by HWKN