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Volume 17 N

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Vol. 17 No. 6 AUS $11.95* NZ $14.50 (Both incl. GST) PenthoUse PerfeCtion

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once in a lifetimeFour years in the making and with no

less than 12 bathrooms, six bedrooms, a private spa and a 2000-bottle wine cellar,

this stunning penthouse has created a buzz even within the seen-it-all-before

New York City market. And with 18,000 square feet of decadence sitting 90 storeys

above Manhattan, it’s no wonder

Words Sarah Swain Photography Frank Oudeman

You can tell this apartment, dubbed The Penthouse, is going to be something unforgettable from the first moment you step out of the private lift. The foyer boasts a Zen garden with reflecting pool that mirrors the East River below. Tip-toe across

the stepping stones, beside a sculpture comprising a heap of porcelain sunflower seeds by renowned artist Ai Weiwei, and look over to the waterfall which gently flows down a 30ft slab of marble. Don’t miss the nearby Japanese tea house from Kyoto, which glows like a lantern come dark. Continue walking and you’ll reach one of the main living areas, V

THE PENTHOUSE

This home was built for entertaining, though the couple that resides here also have children. The chairs are by B&B Italia, and the table was made by the architects

The owner snapped up the 89th and 90th floor to create his dream home; a waterfall cascades 30ft down the wall alongside this staircase into the pool below

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genius trickSome of the paintings can be swung around to reveal another artwork on

the rear of the panel

One of the primary entertaining areas features customised white leather sofas by Italian firm Poltrona Frau and a white marble cocktail table by Yutaka Takiura. Modern art by Nola Zirin is among the precious work featured here

THE PENTHOUSE

Every part of this house features impressive artworks, but the architect says he didn’t want to make it feel like a gallery

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One of the primary entertaining areas features customised white leather sofas by Italian firm Poltrona Frau and a white marble cocktail table by Yutaka Takiura. Modern art by Nola Zirin is among the precious work featured here

with its towering 16ft windows overlooking Manhattan, and Luceplan chandelier, and you’ll be knocked back by the 360-degree vistas.

This home — which is also a place to display priceless artworks by the likes of Monet, Dali and Rodin — is not so much a home as a sublime, unreal and opulent creation which has captured the attention of the media around the world.

Even the New York Post reported it “takes luxury to new heights”, and said the owner — apparently banking billionaire Chinh E. Chu, who snapped up the 89th and 90th floors of the lavish Trump World Tower to create it — “auditioned” 40 architects before hiring ODA Architecture.

“This apartment is one of the largest in Manhattan,” says ODA executive director Eran Chen. “It’s totally open from 360 degrees to the views of

New York City. Add to that one of the largest private art collections in the world — on the 90th floor.”

Creating a home in a space so epic was a challenge for Eran and his team, but they came up with a reasonably simple solution: “What we decided to do was literally divide the apartment into two parts that connected via a main spine. The southern part is the private residence. The other part is the entertainment section and that includes listening room, wine room, cigar room, the lounges, and a projection room. The challenge was to express the greatness of the space and the big perspectives that you get, without overwhelming you.”

Using the story of one family’s journey to New York City as a theme, Eran worked with the client to express different aspects of V

This Hot Scarlet kitchen by Italian brand Snaidero does the talking, along with a stainless-steel La Cornue cooktop, KWC

sink and de Sede stools

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THE PENTHOUSE

“It’s quite a rare opportunity to be able to design a home like

this with the richness and scale of the art, furniture, materials and everything else that went

into it” — Eran Chen

One of the casual living areas, which might be less formal than some of the other rooms but still boasts billion-dollar views and priceless artworks

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THE PENTHOUSE

their personality in each room. The library and cigar room have warm, English looks, while the wine room, with its curved ceiling and dark shelving, feels very French. Meanwhile, the red Italian kitchen by Snaidero (the client reportedly has the yellow one in their country home) makes a real impact against the white marble.

Completing this project was a major feat over four years. Challenges included changing one of the chandeliers to one which wouldn’t swing when the building bent in the wind, and having to chop one of the marble tables in half to get it into the building. V

“At the end of the day, even with something as remarkable as this, we approached it as we do every

project. It’s all about the people who live here and the tools that we have

as architects to express who they are” — Eran Chen

The Asian influences across the project are clear, especially in the creation of this authentic wood and rice paper Japanese tea room, which reportedly glows like a lantern at night

A custom-made billiard table by Spanish firm Tresserra Collection sits in one of the many rooms dedicated to pastimes, which include a spa and a music studio

A screening room, studio and listening room have been created so the owners can indulge their passions

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THE PENTHOUSE

in short This penthouse transformation has attracted attention around the world Located in Manhattan, its location has not been officially revealed but it’s reportedly in the billionaires’ paradise of Trump World Tower, close to the UN. Celebs who’ve lived in the building include baseball star Derek Jeter, Janet Jackson and Donald Trump himself, and it’s reported the price tag for the property was more than $30 million One of the largest apartments in New York City, the 18,000sqft space is split into an entertaining wing and a residential area The architects incorporated the financier owner’s Asian heritage into some of the rooms World-class artworks from the likes of Monet and Dali have been given the perfect setting

However, Eran maintains it was approached as any other project. “It’s quite a rare opportunity to be able to design a home like this with the richness and scale of the art, furniture, materials and everything else that went into it. At the end of the day, even with something as remarkable as this, we approached it as we do every project. It’s all about the people who live here and the tools that we have as architects to express who they are.” HD

For more informationODA Architecturewww.oda-architecture.com

copy thatShimmering mosaic tiles

create an ultra-lux look in the wife’s bathroom. These are mother-of-pearl, while the

bath is Duravit

Six luxurious bedrooms have been created in the apartment, which takes in the 89th and 90th floors of the skyscraper

This apartment has no less than 12 lavish bathrooms,

each very different

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THE PENTHOUSE