The Oosten
Client
Xinyuan Development
Location
Brooklyn, New York
The Oosten is the first top-of-the-market residential condominium to be built and opened in South Williamsburg. As a trailblazer in the somewhat less known corner of, arguably, the hippest neighborhood in New York, the Oosten had to pull out all the stops to create the excitement necessary to draw the sophisticated residential buyer to a newly discovered residential quarter which, for the moment, was off the beaten track. To create a unique living experience, the Oosten’s developers called for a seamless melding of architecture, design and branding to create an innovative building with unprecedented features and amenities.
At 500,000 square feet, encompassing a full city block, the Oosten’s 216 units are unusually large and varied. To accommodate a diverse community of owners the project offers seven different unit types: 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats, three story townhouses with street level entrances, individual gardens and private garages, floor through loft units with exposures to both the street and the building’s lush and generous courtyard, split level lofts with double height living rooms and spacious penthouses.
The building’s façade is a playful take on the brick and steel windowed warehouses and factories that are normally associated with the Williamsburg architectural vocabulary. While distinctly modern, the design of the Oosten strives for a timelessness that links the past, present and future of its now booming location. The syncopated rhythm of the mullions in the building’s metal and glass bay windows reflect the energy of the neighborhood and the unique hand molded bricks recall the past while being something totally new and unexpected. In the building’s courtyard the red brick of the exterior turns to white to better reflect sunlight and create a feeling of unexpected openness.
The sleek and streamlined units boast hardwood floors, limestone or marble baths, high ceilings starting at 10 feet, and floor-to-ceiling windows that drench the units with natural sunlight while providing views of the sprawling interior courtyard, or, from higher levels, the East River. Among the Oosten’s many amenities are two lobbies [one with a library], an ample art gallery, a 24-hour concierge, landscaped rooftops with a wading pool and grills, a fitness center and spa with a 55-foot lap pool, children’s playroom, private parking and bike storage.
