Gatehouse to One Madison by BKSK Architects New York N.Y. United States

Terracotta by Boston Valley Terra Cotta

This modest building discreetly located among historic row houses is actually the entrance to a contemporary skyscraper which soars 618-feet above the city streets. The restrained Gatehouse fa?ade was designed to give residents “a sense of arriving home” before ascending to their sky-high apartments. Its travertine cladding and bronze details blend in nicely with the neighboring limestone buildings without feigning classicism.

Protruding from this fa?ade is a rhythmic screen of terracotta fins whose verticality draws eyes up toward the glass tower. Each fin was assembled from three pieces a pointed end and two L-shaped caps which conceal their aluminum substructure. The manufacturer Boston Valley Terra Cotta finished the fins with a cream-colored enamel custom specified to shimmer in the morning sunlight.