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Board approves façade tweaks for 41st Street infill, asks for lighter woven screening and interior planting
Summary
Design Review Board approved plan and massing changes for a two‑story infill on West 41st Street but asked the applicant to replace an aluminum perforated screen with a lighter woven mesh and to add low‑light planting within the screened courtyard.
The Design Review Board approved a modification to a previously permitted two‑story infill building on West 41st Street that relocates an elevator, reduces an internal light well, expands leasable interior area and adds a perforated‑metal screen at the street facade — subject to a board direction to refine the screening material and add planting.
Norman Blandon, architect for the project, summarized the changes and said the modification improves frontage on 41st Street by adding a second‑floor window facing the street and enlarging a ground‑level opening to create a more engaging streetscape. The team proposed a perforated aluminum panel pattern (manufacturer: Hendrick Metals, “Riverstone” pattern) with roughly 60–63 percent openness for the screened bays.
Board members asked for a lighter, more transparent woven mesh rather than the heavier aluminum panel and suggested using planting in the interior courtyard to soften the appearance and to allow climbing species where light permits. One member noted the original approval included a similar screening and staff confirmed the material had been part of the prior record, but the board asked staff to finalize the exact product or to approve an alternative woven stainless option at staff level so construction can continue.
The board motioned to approve the proposal with the modification that staff review and approve a lighter, woven screening material and confirm low‑light tolerant planting for the inner courtyard. The motion passed unanimously.
Next steps: applicant to provide the precise screening panel specification or alternative woven mesh for staff approval and to submit planting details.
