Soon there’ll a tall blue luxury condominium in New York’s historic Lower East Side about to raise, depicts the site’s complex zoning rules while responding to the character of the neighborhood. The building is on the site of the ex-parking lot belonging to Ratner’s, the legendary 100 years old, world famous kosher restaurant known for traditional Jewish culinaries, and its sales office at 100 Norfolk Street dwells Ratner’s former restaurant kitchen that was shortly occupied by Lansky’s Lounge, a night club honored Meyer Lansky, before and after the restaurant’s closing last year.

The building has been designed by world renowned Bernard Tschumi, whose had already handle several projects such as Parc Villette in Paris, the Vacheron Constantin headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, a concert hall in Rouen, France, and the Lerner Hall Student Center at Columbia University where he was presided as dean from 1988-2003. The Blue Tower is his first commercial project he ever had. The building questioned us with (maybe) common design challenge: How to create an original architectural statement in simultaneously improving the zoning limitation? Bernard Tschumi argues (as usual) that the building specified for commercial purpose.

This is a strategy to exploit the amount of residential square footage. The elevation characterized by its irregular angled geometry design. Its slightly angled walls facing the street and rear yard negoitates the varying setback rules, crossing the line between the commercial and residential zoning districts. The sloped top of the building corporate the zoning district’s two sky exposure plane requirements. The cantilever above the commercial space on the southern side of the building is also angled. The angled southern elevation of the building, increasing from base to top, thus maximizing the size of the units located on the upper floors, to obtain amazing views of Lower Manhattan from river to river.

Blue Tower’s curtain wall glass varies of shades of blue, bestowing it pixelated surface as an effort to reflect the multiple realities of the streets below. It captures the energy of diverse population and buildings spread over the Lower East Side. The crystal blue glass windows are already distinct from other NYC pre-construction real estate properties but it is surely the design and planning of Bernard Tschumi that sets it apart from other condominium towers in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Competing over the generally low-lying building stock of the Lower East Side, this building rises up as an irregularly jumbled mass of blue that can be seen from almost a halfmile away.

Norfolk Hudson LLP, a venture founded by Angelo Cosentini and John Carson, acts as the developer of this cost estimated $17 million. They have more than 30 years of joint experience in the residential real estate realm. For the project, they are working together with Hudson Realty Capital LLC, a New York-based real estate fund, led by Richard Ortiz. Barrie Mandel, Senior Vice President of The Corcoran Group will be selling the apartment units. Aine Brazil P.E. and Eli B. Gottlieb, P.E. of Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers, executive architects SLCE Architects, and mechanical and electric engineers Ettinger Engineers fulfill the development team. Blue will be the most notable of three new projects on Norfolk Street between Delancey and Rivington Streets. Just up the block is the “Switch” building at 109 Norfolk, a 7-story building designed by Narchitects with a zig-zag facade of angled floors that is near another new building at 115-9 Norfolk Street that has been designed by Grzywinksi Pons Architects, the firm that designed THOR (The Hotel on Rivington Street) nearby at 107 Rivington Street. It situated at 105 Norfolk Street a half block from the “F” train entrance on Delancey Street.

“The Lower East side is imbued with a history of rich ethnic tradition,” said Mr. Cosentini, “and the neighborhood continues to evoke the vitality of the wide diversity of immigrants who have inhabited its historic streets. What we’ve tried to do with Blue is build a world-class architectural icon, a signature one-of-a kind building that is emblematic, both externally and internally, of the Lower East Side’s spirit of reinvention and experimentation.” Since the mid 1800’s, the place has been populated by Italians, Austro-Hungarians, Russians, Poles, Germans, and Chinese, also the rest nationalities. The area surrounded with landmark restaurants, ethnic food shops, cultural and educational institutions. Food shops that contribute to the local color include such famous places as: Katz’s Delicatessen, Gertel’s Bakery, Kossar’s Hot Bialys, Russ & Daughters, Yonah Schimmel Knishes, Gus’s Pickles and IL Laboratario del Gelato. Other places for locals and tourists are the Tenement Museum, the Jean Cocteau Repertory Theater, and the New York Theater Workshop.

The Blue Tower will attract people with a unique plaza entrance complete with large sculptured rocks and planted bamboo trees right in the middle of the bustline city streets, in front of a building-wide angled marquee. Residents enter the building through there from the busy neighborhood. The building consists of 32 apartments ranging from $745,000 to $3,950,000, one and two bedroom units near the base to full-floor units with large terraces higher up, atop of it is a duplex penthouse. It was the most luxurious unit that features two bedrooms and three baths for a total area of 2,494 sq² feet.

Individual apartments are being designed with luxurious fixtures and natural finishes, say it bamboo floors, stone floor baths, and glass tiles, each offering floor-to-ceiling views, casement windows, and an enough amount of light. The sloped window wall gives advanced sensation to each unit. The kitchens will have metal and glass finishes with a set appliance by Viking. The bathrooms are an enjoyment, with spacious spaces, pebble floors, peaceful lighting and square shaped sinks. Residents will have the option to choose storage units at the cellar level, and enjoy outdoor space at the second floor’s cloistered rear yard, as well as sweeping open space on the fifth floor. The 24-hour attended lobby, with stone floors and dramatic lighting includes an integrated concierge desk. Some of the units featured with private terraces, with expansive views of Lower Manhattan and beyond. For more enjoyment, the developers are providing Blue Tower with a walk-in cooler for private deliveries from Fresh Direct, and other similar grocery suppliers. And for the internet user, the apartments are all equipped with high-speed fiber optic connectivity.

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