AD 100 ARCHITECTURE TOPS: ALEXANDER GORLIN ARCHITECTS NYC
Since 1990 Architectural Digest has been choosing the top 100 architects and designers in USA. The nominated group is known as AD100 and is shaped by the people who create an build in the inspirational and influential way.
ALEXANDER GORLIN ARCHITECTS is on the list. Learn more about this iconic New York’s architect. Whether designing homes, houses of worship, or institutional buildings, Alexander Gorlin believes in ennobling the people who inhabit his spaces. A modernist who cites Le Corbusier as a major influence, the Manhattan architect is known for his streamlined, often glass-and-steel structures that also embody a warmly serene aesthetic.
From the recent renovation of Louis Kahn’s Temple Beth El in Chappaqua, New York, to the upcoming restoration and repositioning of Eero Saarinen’s Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey, Gorlin’s projects prioritize “human experience, comfort, materiality, and sustainability,” he says. An esteemed curator and scholar, he has written several books, and his latest, Kabbalah in Art and Architecture (Pointed Leaf Press, 2013), explores how the ideas behind ancient mystical teachings can be seen in contemporary design. “I don’t want to represent myself as a residential mystic,” Gorlin says, “but those aspects of Kabbalah that include light and space are parallel to my work.”
This townhouse in Chicago floats behind a private garden wall and is framed by traditional houses on both sides. A dramatic side stair leads to the main level, comprising open living, dining and kitchen areas, and then continues upstairs to the master bedroom and bathroom that are suspended above the main living space. Two guest bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the lower floor.