Danish architect Thomas Jules Hansen talks about shaping West Chelsea’s next chapter

“There’s not a single person on earth who can say no to this.”

That’s how Thomas Jule Hansen describes 550 West 21st Street, a rare new construction property on the edge of Manhattan’s West Side, one of the few remaining large-scale development sites in West Chelsea. The Copenhagen-born architect was commissioned by Legion Investment Group to design a 22-story condo building located between Hudson River Park and the High Line. The project will create 83 homes in a neighborhood where demand remains strong but new inventory has declined significantly.

West Chelsea’s transformation took decades. Once a heavily industrialized area, the area began to change in the 1990s as art galleries moved west from SoHo. The arrival of the High Line accelerated that evolution and helped establish the area as one of Manhattan’s most design-forward enclaves. Early housing projects such as Thomas Heatherwick’s Lantern House, Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street, Robert A. M. Stern’s The Cortland, and Jules Hansen’s own 505 West 19th Street helped reshape the district.

Jules Hansen, who founded her own firm in 2003 after working at Richard Meier & Partners, is known for overseeing both architecture and interiors, often with an emphasis on restraint. “I’m not really interested in designing buildings that are necessarily ego-driven,” he says. “We wanted to approach this architecturally and create something that would fit.”

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He describes the surrounding architecture as “pretty respectable company” and points to the presence of visionary architects like Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel nearby, but insists his goals are different. Rather than creating buildings that stand out, the focus is on designing something that fits the site and avoids becoming outdated.

At 550 West 21st Street, that idea is reflected in the hand-laid façade of Italian brick and limestone, which references the former neighboring warehouses rather than competing with the surrounding glass towers. “The only remaining buildings in this part of town are brick buildings and warehouse buildings,” he says.

The site itself shaped much of the plan. Located along the Hudson River, the building was designed to maximize access to natural light, views, and outdoor space. More than 75 percent of the homes include private outdoor areas, with approximately two-thirds facing water.

“There’s a sense of tranquility that water brings,” he says. “We wanted to amplify the sunset, the golden light of the water, and the feeling of finding an escape from the city.”

That idea is also carried through to the order of arrival. Residents entering by car pass through a gate into an enclosed motor court hidden from view of passersby, where climbing plants soften the walls and create a lush, secluded atmosphere. The pedestrian entrance is similarly set back from the sidewalk, drawing the approach inward so that the lobby is no longer exposed directly to the street, reinforcing its sense of quiet, understated exclusivity.

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Nature is treated as a constant throughout. By incorporating greenery not only on the ground but also inside the building, you can create an outdoor space that resembles a small garden. Even when not in use, it contributes to a visually calming indoor environment.

Function remains central to his process. Having designed numerous condominiums across New York, including 96+ Broadway on the Upper West Side, Sutton Tower, and the One 57 skyscraper in Midtown West, Jules Hansen approaches each project with close attention to how space is used, from the overall layout to details like outlet placement. “Even if it looks very beautiful, if it doesn’t have enough functionality, it’s not a good home,” he says.

Homes at 550 West 21st Street range from one bedroom to four or more bedrooms, with prices starting at about $2.5 million and exceeding $30 million. Sales are scheduled to begin this year, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027.

The project also follows Legion Investment Group’s recent momentum. The developer is nearing completion at 1122 Madison Avenue, a 26-unit Upper East Side building designed by Studio Sofield and co-developed with Nara Capital, with more than 85 percent of the homes already under contract.