Urban Elegance : Classic Contemporary Living

A celebration of luxury apartment towers by RAMSA, the unquestioned leader in this architecture arena

In the early twentieth century, a spate of elegantly proportioned and classically detailed residential buildings in New York gave rise to the concept of the Golden Age of apartment living. After a significant hiatus, these design values have resurfaced and expanded in reach, with New York-based architecture firm RAMSA leading the charge.

Urban Elegance is an immersive exploration of RAMSA’s residential towers, including 15 Central Park West and 220 Central Park South—two renowned buildings in New York —as well as projects in exclusive residential enclaves around the world, from South Florida, San Francisco, and Chicago to Lima, London, Tianjian, and Shanghai.

The book spotlights RAMSA’s deep appreciation of history, commitment to modern classicism, and focus on interpreting the architecture for local climate and culture. Each project is introduced by a short essay describing the place, its history, and the architectural traditions that inspired the building’s form and materials. Dialogues between RAMSA partners Michael Jones, Gemma Kim, Daniel Lobitz, and Paul Whalen address the design intent as well as the final execution of the work.

Lush photographs of the completed projects, capturing both the larger neighborhood context and the fine artisanal details, bring these extraordinary buildings to life. Preliminary sketches, plans, and renderings reveal the meticulous process that characterizes all RAMSA designs.