Annabelle Selldorf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Annabelle Selldorf
Born	(1960-07-05) July 5, 1960 (age 64) Cologne, Germany
Education	Pratt Institute Syracuse University

Annabelle Selldorf (born July 5, 1960) is a famous architect from Germany. She started her own architecture company, Selldorf Architects, in New York City. She is known for designing many cool buildings, especially art galleries and museums.

Some of her well-known projects include the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, the Neue Galerie New York, and The Rubell Museum. She also worked on the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and several buildings for the LUMA Foundation in France. Annabelle Selldorf has also designed spaces for art galleries like David Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth.

Growing Up and Learning

Annabelle Selldorf was born in Cologne, Germany, on July 5, 1960. When she was a kid, her dad, Herbert Selldorf, who was also an architect, really inspired her. She learned a lot from his simple way of designing things. When she was 12, her dad bought a house and made small changes to the lights, furniture, and wall colors. This taught her a lot about how design can make a big difference.

She also looked up to another famous architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. She loved his 1930 Villa Tugendhat in the Czech Republic, which showed how everyday living and great design could work together.

In 1980, Annabelle moved to New York City. She studied architecture at Pratt Institute in New York. Later, she got her master's degree in architecture from Syracuse University in Italy.

Her Work as an Architect

Starting Selldorf Architects

Annabelle Selldorf once said she didn't plan to be an architect at first. Her dad suggested she work for a builder, and that experience made her interested in the field. She started her own company in 1988, which is now called Selldorf Architects. Today, her company has over 65 employees and works on projects all over the world.

In 2004, she even started her own furniture company called Vica. She named it after her grandmother's design firm from the 1930s.

Annabelle Selldorf is very popular in the art world. She designs many art galleries, museums, and homes for artists and art collectors. She has created spaces for famous galleries like Hauser & Wirth, the Whitney, and David Zwirner. Her company often works with the Gagosian Gallery to design exhibitions.

People describe her designs as "elegant and simple." An architecture critic named Paul Goldberger said her work is "a kind of gentle modernism of utter precision, with perfect proportions." Annabelle herself says her designs focus on "unconscious comfort" and "clean and clear space."

Teaching and Other Roles

Annabelle Selldorf is a member of the American Institute of Architects. She has also taught at famous schools like Harvard University and Syracuse University. She often judges design competitions and gives talks about architecture.

Awards and Recognition

Annabelle Selldorf has won many awards for her amazing work.

• 2018 – Lawrence Israel Prize
• 2016 – AIANY Medal of Honor from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter
• 2014 – Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters

Cool Buildings She Designed

Projects in New York City

Sunset Park Recycling Center

Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility

In 2010, Annabelle Selldorf's firm won an award for designing the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility. This is a big center in New York City where metal, glass, and plastic recyclables are sorted. A critic from New York Times said her design was "inspired" and praised its "crisp lines" and "elegant volumes."

The Sunset Park Material Recovery Center opened in December 2013. It's the largest and most advanced plant in North America for sorting mixed recyclables. Selldorf Architects made the buildings look cool by putting some of their structural parts on the outside.

The center is designed to be very eco-friendly. It's located by the water, so recyclables can be moved by barges instead of trucks. This helps reduce pollution. They even put fuzzy ropes on the pier to help mussels grow, which clean the water! The buildings use recycled steel, and the plazas are made with recycled glass. The center also has New York City's first commercial wind turbine and a large solar panel system to save energy. Plus, there's an educational center to teach people about recycling.

10 Bond Street

10 Bond Street in 2022

Finished in 2016, 10 Bond Street is a residential building in Manhattan. It's seven stories tall, matching the height of other buildings nearby. But its outside, made of special terracotta, weathered steel, glass, and wood, makes it stand out.

The building has eleven apartments, including two- and three-bedroom condos. One of the apartments was designed by Selldorf Architects inside, using warm-colored furniture to go with the modern look and lots of natural light.

Steinway Hall

When Steinway & Sons, the famous piano makers, moved their main store in 2014, Annabelle Selldorf designed their new space. She made it multi-functional, with a large showroom, a concert hall, a recording studio, and practice rooms.

Selldorf was inspired by the beautiful craftsmanship of Steinway pianos. For example, the wood floor looks like the floor in Steinway's factory. The ceiling patterns are shaped like a grand piano, and the yellow seats in the concert hall match the felt inside the pianos. The main highlight is a staircase with an art installation by Spencer Finch, which uses colorful rods to represent a music piece by Bach.

Neue Galerie

The Neue Galerie is an art museum in New York City that shows German and Austrian art from the late 1800s and early 1900s. It's located in an old mansion built in 1914. Selldorf Architects were asked to fix up and update the building.

Even though many of Annabelle Selldorf's museum designs are very modern, she made sure to keep the historic charm of the Neue Galerie. She added modern comforts while also bringing back the original details. For example, ramps and an elevator were added to make the museum easier for everyone to visit. She also updated the plaster walls and added a coat rack, cafe, and bookstore.

David Zwirner Gallery

Annabelle Selldorf designed the David Zwirner Gallery in Chelsea in 2013. She and the art dealer, David Zwirner, are both from Cologne, Germany, and they have a great working relationship. She has designed or updated all of Zwirner's showrooms.

For the Chelsea gallery, Selldorf created a seven-story building with a quiet, confident style. It has textured concrete and warm wood on the outside, and lots of natural light inside. The building's industrial look fits the history of the neighborhood. This gallery was also the first commercial art gallery in the United States to be certified as LEED-green, meaning it's very environmentally friendly.

Hauser & Wirth 18th Street

In 2013, Selldorf Architects turned an old roller skating rink and nightclub into Hauser & Wirth's second art gallery in New York City. This huge space is 24,700 square feet and has no columns, which is great for showing art.

Visitors walk up a concrete staircase to the main exhibition space. Instead of making it a plain white box, Selldorf decided to keep the original wood ceilings and steel beams. She also made the existing skylights bigger to let in more natural light.

National Gallery, London

In 2021, Annabelle Selldorf was chosen to lead a big project for London's National Gallery. This includes updating the entrance area, creating a new research center, and improving the outdoor space near Trafalgar Square.

Images for kids

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  Annabelle Selldorf

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  Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility

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  10 Bond Street in 2022

See also

• Luis Laplace - a former Selldorf Architects employee