Annabelle Selldorf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Annabelle Selldorf
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| Born | July 5, 1960 Cologne, Germany
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Annabelle Selldorf (born July 5, 1960) is a famous German-born architect. She is the founder of Selldorf Architects, an architecture company based in New York City. An architect is a person who designs buildings.
Selldorf is known for creating many different types of buildings. These include art museums, galleries, and unique apartment buildings. Some of her most famous projects are the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, a huge recycling center in Brooklyn, and the Neue Galerie New York, a museum for German and Austrian art. She has also designed buildings for the LUMA Foundation's art center in Arles, France.
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Early Life and Education
Annabelle Selldorf was born in Cologne, Germany. Her father, Herbert Selldorf, was also an architect. Growing up, she was inspired by his simple and thoughtful style of design. When she was 12, her father bought a house and made small changes to the lighting and colors. This showed her how simple details could make a big difference and shaped her own ideas about architecture.
She also admired the work of architect Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe. She loved his Tugendhat House in the Czech Republic, which she felt was a perfect mix of art and everyday living.
In 1980, Selldorf moved to New York City to study. She earned her first degree in architecture from the Pratt Institute. Later, she received a master's degree from Syracuse University's program in Florence, Italy.
Career as an Architect
When she was younger, Selldorf didn't plan on becoming an architect, even though her father was one. He suggested she work for a construction contractor. This experience sparked her interest in the field.
In 1988, she started her own company, Selldorf Architects. Today, the company has over 65 employees and works on projects all over the world.
Designing for the Art World
Selldorf is very popular in the art world. She has designed many museums and art galleries. She has created spaces for famous galleries like Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, and Acquavella Galleries. She has also worked with the Gagosian Gallery on designing their art shows.
Her style is often described as elegant and simple. The Wall Street Journal said her work is about "restrained and understated elegance." Paul Goldberger, an architecture critic, called her style a "gentle modernism of utter precision, with perfect proportions." Selldorf says she focuses on creating spaces that feel comfortable, clean, and clear.
Famous Projects in New York City
Many of Annabelle Selldorf's most well-known buildings are in New York City. She is skilled at creating new buildings that fit into historic neighborhoods and at updating old buildings for modern use.
Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility
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In 2010, Selldorf's company won an award for designing the Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility. This building is a processing center for New York City's recyclable materials like metal, glass, and plastic.
The building, which opened in 2013, is located on a pier in Brooklyn. It is the largest and most advanced recycling plant of its kind in North America. Selldorf's design is not only useful but also looks good.
The facility was designed to be friendly to the environment. It uses barges instead of trucks to move materials, which reduces air pollution. It also has New York City's first commercial wind turbine and solar panels to help power the building. There is even an education center to teach people about the importance of recycling.
10 Bond Street
Completed in 2016, 10 Bond Street is a seven-story apartment building in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood. Its outside is made of terracotta, weathered steel, and glass, which makes it stand out from the older buildings around it.
The building has eleven apartments. Selldorf's company also designed the inside of some of the apartments, using warm colors and modern furniture to match the building's style.
347 Bowery
This thirteen-story building is located on a small corner lot in the Bowery neighborhood. It has shops on the lower floors and apartments above. The building is a tall, thin tower made of zinc. Each floor has balconies that wrap around the corner, giving residents great views and lots of sunlight. Selldorf chose a tower design to make the most of the small space while creating large, comfortable apartments.
Steinway Hall
Steinway & Sons, the famous piano maker, moved to a new location in 2014. Selldorf designed their new showroom, known as Steinway Hall. The space includes a showroom for pianos, a small concert hall, a recording studio, and a practice room.
Selldorf was inspired by the pianos themselves. The wood floors look like the floors in the Steinway factory. The pattern on the ceiling is shaped like a grand piano. The main staircase features a colorful art installation by Spencer Finch that was inspired by the music of Bach.
Neue Galerie
The Neue Galerie is an art museum on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is located in a historic mansion built in 1914. Selldorf Architects was hired to restore the building and update it for modern visitors.
Instead of creating a simple "white box" gallery, Selldorf chose to restore the building's beautiful historic details. She also made the museum more accessible by adding ramps and an elevator. The project also included adding a cafe and a bookstore.
David Zwirner 20th Street Gallery
Selldorf has a long working relationship with art dealer David Zwirner, as they both grew up in Cologne, Germany. In 2013, she designed a new gallery for him in the Chelsea neighborhood.
The seven-story building is made of concrete and teak wood, giving it an industrial look that fits with the neighborhood's history. The gallery is filled with natural light, creating a great space to view art. It was also the first commercial art gallery in the U.S. to be LEED-certified, which means it was designed to be environmentally friendly.
Other Important Work
In 2021, Selldorf's firm was chosen to lead a major project for the National Gallery in London. The project includes updating the entrance, creating a new research center, and improving the public space outside the museum near Trafalgar Square.
Recognition
Annabelle Selldorf has received many awards for her work.
- 2016 – AIANY Medal of Honor, from the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter. This is a very high honor for an architect.
- 2014 – Award in Architecture, from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
- 2018 – Lawrence Israel Prize, from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
Personal Life
As of 2015, Selldorf lived in Greenwich Village, a neighborhood in New York City.
See also
- Luis Laplace - a former Selldorf Architects employee
