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Collection by William Lamb

Modern Apartment Buildings

From northeastern Italy to downtown Pittsburgh, a trendy neighborhood in Melbourne, Australia, to Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, here are eight inventive, modern apartment buildings that fit in quite nicely with their surroundings.

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Resembling a jumble of houses piled on top of one another, this dynamic apartment building designed by the architect Sou Fujimoto evokes the chaos and crowding of its setting, Tokyo. Adding to the complexity, the units do not correspond to the house forms. Instead, stairs and ladders link individual tenant spaces that span the different pitched-roof volumes. The building sits on a corner in a residential neighborhood.
Resembling a jumble of houses piled on top of one another, this dynamic apartment building designed by the architect Sou Fujimoto evokes the chaos and crowding of its setting, Tokyo. Adding to the complexity, the units do not correspond to the house forms. Instead, stairs and ladders link individual tenant spaces that span the different pitched-roof volumes. The building sits on a corner in a residential neighborhood.
Cox enjoys the view from his penthouse terrace. The steel used for the terrace, and the brick-colored cladding of the building, echo the industrial architecture of the area. The angles suggest a ship, a nautical link with Duisburg’s past as a major port.
Cox enjoys the view from his penthouse terrace. The steel used for the terrace, and the brick-colored cladding of the building, echo the industrial architecture of the area. The angles suggest a ship, a nautical link with Duisburg’s past as a major port.
In the Dolomite mountains, an angular copper-clad apartment building echoes the topography of its site. Photos by Hertha Hurnaus
In the Dolomite mountains, an angular copper-clad apartment building echoes the topography of its site. Photos by Hertha Hurnaus
Geraldine and Kit Laybourne’s apartment is inside architect Neil Denari’s HL23 building in the Chelsea arts district of New York. It hovers above the High Line, a former elevated rail line now transformed into a public park.
Geraldine and Kit Laybourne’s apartment is inside architect Neil Denari’s HL23 building in the Chelsea arts district of New York. It hovers above the High Line, a former elevated rail line now transformed into a public park.
Trinity Apartments, a six-story, three-tiered complex that sits atop a ridge in Auckland, New Zealand's trendy Parnell neighborhood. The concrete, glass, and cedar structure with 32 roomy apartments (ranging from 750 to 2,350 square feet) is not only striking to look at, but engineered to harness natural light, warmth, and an abundance of cooling breezes. Photo by Simon Devitt.
Trinity Apartments, a six-story, three-tiered complex that sits atop a ridge in Auckland, New Zealand's trendy Parnell neighborhood. The concrete, glass, and cedar structure with 32 roomy apartments (ranging from 750 to 2,350 square feet) is not only striking to look at, but engineered to harness natural light, warmth, and an abundance of cooling breezes. Photo by Simon Devitt.
In South Yarra, a bustling neighborhood in Melbourne, Australia, the design-build-development firm Neometro erected the Ten Darling apartments with community in mind. The building, a Corbusier-inspired brutalist creation, situates residents within walking distance of the Toorak Road and Chapel Street restaurant and fashion strips as well as several parks and the city's Royal Botanic Gardens, and is a stone's throw from railway and tram lines. Photo courtesy of Neometro.
In South Yarra, a bustling neighborhood in Melbourne, Australia, the design-build-development firm Neometro erected the Ten Darling apartments with community in mind. The building, a Corbusier-inspired brutalist creation, situates residents within walking distance of the Toorak Road and Chapel Street restaurant and fashion strips as well as several parks and the city's Royal Botanic Gardens, and is a stone's throw from railway and tram lines. Photo courtesy of Neometro.
A view from the street reveals the front and side elevations of the building, with somewhat of an architectural refrain of perforations running up the side of the apartments. The balconies, made from a recycled Indian railway hardwood, employ closely linked slats whose gaps widen as they go up, to allow breeze and light in. To their right are the apartments' bedrooms.
A view from the street reveals the front and side elevations of the building, with somewhat of an architectural refrain of perforations running up the side of the apartments. The balconies, made from a recycled Indian railway hardwood, employ closely linked slats whose gaps widen as they go up, to allow breeze and light in. To their right are the apartments' bedrooms.