Archello Awards · Winners Announced
Archello Awards 2024 · Winners Announced
Archello Awards 2024
Winners Announced
HISTORIC FRONT STREET
(c) COOKFOX Architects

HISTORIC FRONT STREET

COOKFOX Architects as Architects

The opening scenes of Moby Dick are set in the counting houses of New York City’s South Street Seaport, when the area was characterized by thriving shipping, dry goods and grocery commerce. By the end of the 20th century, these historic brick warehouses had suffered decades of decay, with many on the brink of collapse. In 2003, COOKFOX joined a massive effort to transform 11 historic but neglected buildings into a dynamic, modern neighborhood.


Like Melville’s story, told through a series of episodes, Front Street weaves the buildings’ rich individual stories into a contemporary narrative. Three modern structures, respectful of the neighborhood’s human scale, have been inserted into the voids while minimally invasive restoration work continues a conversation about the Seaport’s evolving sense of place. Historic Front Street is now a mixed-use neighborhood of 95 rental apartments and small-scale, independent retailers.


Residents enter Historic Front Street through two garden courtyards that open up the block, preserving the commercial character of the streetwall while offering urbanites daily encounters with the natural elements. Careful incisions bring light, air, and views into the existing fabric of masonry buildings.


The project’s three new buildings, while clearly modern, continue an authentic dialogue with the nautical history of the site. Details invoke intangible artifacts, such as whale skeletons and ships’ rigging.


Demonstrating a commitment to modern environmental stewardship, 10 geothermal wells, driven more than a quarter mile into bedrock, provide cooling for the entire project. This technology eliminates the need for rooftop cooling towers on sensitive historic buildings—uniting the related ethics of preservation and conservation. In addition, rooftop photovoltaic cells further reduce electrical demand by harvesting the sun’s energy, and green roofs feature plantings that extend the lifespan of the roofs while deflecting summer heat and reducing air conditioning loads.


Historic Front Street was selected as part of “The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design” exhibition at the non-profit National Building Museum in Washington, DC.


After closing its yearlong exhibition in June 2007, the exhibition toured the United States from fall 2007 through summer 2010. Awards: - AIA National Housing Award, Multifamily Housing, 2008 - Honor Award for Housing Design, AIA-NY/Boston Society of Architects, 2006 - MASterworks Award for Best Residential Construction, Municipal Art Society, 2006 - Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, New York Landmarks Conservancy, 2006 - Charter Award, Congress for the New Urbanism, 2006 - Excellence in Historic Preservation Award, Preservation League of New York State, 2006 - Featured in the National Building Museum’s exhibit, “The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable - Architecture and Design”

Project Spotlight
Product Spotlight
News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico
12 Dec 2024 News
Fernanda Canales designs tranquil “House for the Elderly” in Sonora, Mexico

Mexican architecture studio Fernanda Canales has designed a semi-open, circular community center for... More

Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne
12 Dec 2024 News
Australia’s first solar-powered façade completed in Melbourne

Located in Melbourne, 550 Spencer is the first building in Australia to generate its own electricity... More

SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse
11 Dec 2024 News
SPPARC completes restoration of former Victorian-era Army & Navy Cooperative Society warehouse

In the heart of Westminster, London, the London-based architectural studio SPPARC has restored and r... More

Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals
10 Dec 2024 News
Green patination on Kyoto coffee stand is brought about using soy sauce and chemicals

Ryohei Tanaka of Japanese architectural firm G Architects Studio designed a bijou coffee stand in Ky... More

New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades
10 Dec 2024 News
New building in Montreal by MU Architecture tells a tale of two facades

In Montreal, Quebec, Le Petit Laurent is a newly constructed residential and commercial building tha... More

RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin
10 Dec 2024 News
RAMSA completes Georgetown University's McCourt School of Policy, featuring unique installations by Maya Lin

Located on Georgetown University's downtown Capital Campus, the McCourt School of Policy by Robert A... More

MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport
9 Dec 2024 News
MVRDV-designed clubhouse in shipping container supports refugees through the power of sport

MVRDV has designed a modular and multi-functional sports club in a shipping container for Amsterdam-... More

Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' awards categories
9 Dec 2024 Archello Awards
Archello Awards 2025 expands with 'Unbuilt' project awards categories

Archello is excited to introduce a new set of twelve 'Unbuilt' project awards for the Archello Award... More