Penthouse apartment

Penthouse apartments at the top of a building in Alto de Santana, a region of São Paulo city.

A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an

apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury
features.

History
The inspiration for creating a penthouse apartment was born in the 1920s, the decade called “The
Roaring Twenties”, in which the North American economy, particularly the economy of the
United States of America, was having a rapid growth. This contributed to a boom in
construction. The high demand for living in urban areas and the wealth of Americans led to the
inspiration for creating a luxury apartment on the top floor or floors of a building. One of the
earliest penthouse apartments appeared in New York City, at the time, the heart of North
American economy.

Publisher Conde Nast’s duplex penthouse at 1040 Park Avenue was one of the earliest penthouse
apartments in New York City. The idea of this penthouse was created according to changes in
building’s construction plan. In 1923, the original plan for the building was to have three units on
each floor with additional maids’ rooms on the roof. However, in 1924 the building’s upper
spaces were constructed to provide a grand duplex for Nast. Connected by a stair case to the
rooftop entertaining salons, the corner unit at the top floor was redesigned to be private family
quarters. The whole unit was decorated in the French manner by Elsie de Wolfe. Completed in
1925, Conde Nast’s duplex penthouse was used for many lavish parties which were made
famous as much by guest lists as by the entertainment.
Architectural definition
In architecture, the term penthouse is used to refer to a structure on the roof of a building that is
set back from the outer walls. These structures do not occupy the entire roof deck. High-rise
buildings will often have penthouse structures enclosing mechanics such as those in an elevator
machine room.

While European designers and architects long recognized the potential in creating living spaces
that make use of rooftops and such setbacks, in US cities, exploitation of these spaces began in
earnest in the 1920s. It was a matter of news when the development of a rooftop apartment at the
Plaza Hotel overlooking Central Park was announced in 1923, and this was followed by rapid
development of luxury penthouse apartments in the following years.[2]

Penthouse apartment at the top of a building on the Upper West Side, New York City.

When used as private outdoor terrace spaces, setbacks can allow for significantly larger and
more protected spaces than cantilevered balconies. Due to the desirability of this outdoor space,
buildings may be designed with such setbacks on more than one of its uppermost levels, to allow
apartments on several levels to feature such terraces. Not all penthouses have such terraces, but
they are a desired feature. One such space may be divided among several apartments, or one
apartment may occupy an entire floor. A penthouse apartment/condominium may also provide
occupants with private access to the roof space above the apartment, instead of or in addition to
terrace space created by an adjacent setback.

Location and size

Penthouse apartments have not only the advantages of a regular apartment such as security and
convenient location but also all those of a house such as size and design.

Similar to apartments, penthouses are usually located in the heart of busy cities yet offer a sense
of being situated far away from or above noisy and crowded urban life. Such locations provide
easy access to hotels, restaurants, malls, and schools.

Overcoming the issue of small space in regular apartments, penthouses are large. Sometimes
having two or more levels, penthouses have a size that is equal to multiple floors of a building.

Design
Penthouses also differentiate themselves from other real estate properties by their unique features
such as high-end appliances, finest materials fitting, luxurious flooring system, and more.

A penthouse apartment may have additional exclusive features not found in the majority of
apartments in the building, such as a private entrance or elevator, or higher/vaulted ceilings. In
buildings consisting primarily of single level apartments, a penthouse apartment may be
distinguished by having two or more levels. They may also have such features as a terrace,
fireplace, more square footage, over-sized windows, multiple owner suites, den/office space,
jacuzzi, and more. They might be equipped with luxury kitchens featuring stainless steel
appliances, granite counter-tops, breakfast bar/island and more.

Trump Plaza Penthouse View Jersey City

Penthouse residents often have fine views of the city skyline. Access to a penthouse apartment is
usually provided by a separate elevator. Residents can also access a number of building services,
such as pickup and delivery of everything from dry cleaning to dinner; reservations to restaurants
and events made by building staffers; and other concierge services.

Penthouses are usually luxuriously appointed, with meticulous interior design and the finest
fittings, from high-end appliances to unique and costly flooring. For example: the top floor
penthouse of Robert A. M. Stern’s 15 Central Park West 20-story apartment building in New
York has the following luxurious features.

 Set on a rooftop terrace, the penthouse has a view of the midtown skyline and at its feet is
the whole geometry of Central Park.
  Penthouse ceiling was constructed to be thirteen and half feet high. Windows were made
to be as high and wide as they could.
 Each section of the penthouse was furnished by unique materials. For the entrance
gallery: marble floors and parchment panels framed in mahogany. For the library:
Brazilian rosewood. For the dining room: Venetian stucco. For the master bedroom:
reeded plasted. For the kitchen: Jaguar-green lacquer, bamboo and textured glass. For the
interiors of the fireplaces: long, narrow 19th-century bricks imported from France.
 This penthouse has such a sophisticated technology system. Anemometer was installed
on the roof to measure wind speed so the terraces’ canvas awning can be retracted and
don’t get ripped off the penthouse’ exalted facade. Moisture sensors were used detect a
leak and activate the system to send an e-mail to the building managers. Temperature
sensors, strapped to pipes, cause an e-mail to be sent when the temperature deviates by as
little as a single degree from what the client has set it at.

The ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui plays a key in some penthouse designs, and is believed to
improve the flow of interior and exterior spaces of buildings and landscapes.

Cultural references
Penthouse apartments are considered to be at the top of their markets, and are generally the most
expensive, with expansive views, large living spaces, and top-of-the line amenities. Accordingly
they are often associated with a luxury lifestyle in popular culture. In the theme song to "Green
Acres", wealthy, sophisticated Manhattanite Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor) sings, "I just adore a
penthouse view...". Publisher Bob Guccione named his magazine Penthouse, with the trademark
phrase "Life on top".

Those wishing to market or otherwise inflate the prestige of a particular apartment may use the
term. The term penthouse is sometimes applied to apartments that are no different than others in
a building, other than being on one of the uppermost floors. The terms sub-penthouse or lower
penthouse are used to describe apartments below the top of a building, when the term penthouse
or upper penthouse is reserved for the uppermost floor.

Special:
a. An apartment or dwelling situated on the roof of a building.
b. A residence, often with a terrace, on the top floor or floors of a building.
c. A structure housing machinery on the roof of a building.
2. A shed or sloping roof attached to the side of a building or wall.
3. Sports the sloping roof that rises from the inner wall to the outer wall surrounding three sides
of the court in court tennis, off which the ball is served.