All articles by Diane Pham

Diane is the founder and Editorial Director of 6sqft. After graduating from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Real Estate Finance & Development and a minor in Architecture, she enjoyed stints at SCI-Arc, the A+D Museum Los Angeles, Perkins Eastman Architects and Resolution 4: Architecture. She also previously served as Senior Editor of Inhabitat.com and spent several years as an analyst at CB Richard Ellis Investments in Milan, Italy.
VIDEO: Ride the Elevator Up to the Marriott Marquis’ Secret 55th Floor
October 28, 2015

VIDEO: Ride the Elevator Up to the Marriott Marquis’ Secret 55th Floor

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The Marriott Marquis may not have the illustrious, storied past of NYC's landmarked hotels like The Plaza or the Algonquin, but that doesn't mean it doesn't keep its fair share of secrets. As you probably know, the Times Square locale is famous for its spectacular high-tech Schindler Miconic 10 elevators which zip passengers up and down the building while offering incredible views over the hotel's massive atrium lobby below. While the building is said to be just 48 floors tall, rumor has it there's actually a secret 55th floor that no regular person has been to before. Could it be true? One intrepid guest of the Marriott was daring enough to find out.
check it out here
Blockbuster Greenwich Lane Closes Its First Sales, Each Eight Figures
October 28, 2015

Blockbuster Greenwich Lane Closes Its First Sales, Each Eight Figures

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The first of five of the city's priciest developments has finally started to cash in, with two eight-figure sales recorded at Greenwich Village's rising mega-development, The Greenwich Lane. As 6qft reported in April, the ginormous, block-eating condo complex located at 145 West 11th Street is anticipated to make between $1.4 to $1.7 billion dollars at sell out. The first two sales, which appeared in public filings released yesterday, are a five-bedroom 4,537-square-foot unit (#8) which closed at $19.53 million, and similarly another 4,529-square-foot five-bedroom (#4) that closed at $16.32 million.
more on the significance of the two sales here
October 27, 2015

How NYC Could Be Better, Architects Vishaan Chakrabarti and Gregg Pasquarelli Sound Off

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SHoP architect Gregg Pasquarelli and Vishaan Chakrabarti of Partnership for Architecture and Urbanism (and formerly of SHoP) talk about all of the infrastructural and architectural improvements NYC needs. The pair cite solutions spurring change in other cities around the world as examples of what we should be doing. [Curbed via Wired] The NYC Marathon generates millions of dollars for the city […]

REVEALED: Interior Renderings of Norman Foster’s Skinny Seagram-Neighboring Condo Tower
October 27, 2015

REVEALED: Interior Renderings of Norman Foster’s Skinny Seagram-Neighboring Condo Tower

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Norman Foster is a master when it comes to contextual thoughtfulness, and his latest creation slated to rise next door to Mies van der Rohe's iconic Seagram Building is one to be admired. Called One Hundred East Fifty Third Street (it takes its name from its address), the 63-story tower has just released a new set of interior renderings to Dezeen which show what the world's richest will be snapping up when units hit the market next week.
Have a closer look inside
INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

James Ramsey (right) with co-founder Dan Barasch (left)

October 26, 2015

INTERVIEW: Lowline Creator James Ramsey Discusses the Challenges of Building an Underground Park

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The hottest destination in the Lower East Side is not a bar, but rather a cutting edge installation hidden inside a vacant warehouse at 140 Essex Street. Just over a week ago, partners James Ramsey and Dan Barasch launched the Lowline Lab, a high-tech, miniaturized precursor to the city’s first underground park. James is the co-founder (alongside Dan) of the park, which will occupy a 40,000-square-foot abandoned trolley terminal below Delancey Street; and creator of the technology that will fill it—a remote skylight system that redirects light underground thorough a maze of optic tubes and diffuses it over a canopy to produce a subterranean environment where plants can grow and flourish (phew!). 6sqft recently took a private tour of the Lowline Lab alongside James, and he gave us some insight into the science, as well how he and Dan are approaching the challenges that come with bringing a park below ground to life. We of course asked all those questions you've been wondering about, like: Who's paying for this whole thing? And what about the rats?
Read our interview with James here
PHOTOS: Go Inside the NYC Subway Cars Dumped in the Atlantic Over a Decade Ago

Image via Gothamist

October 23, 2015

PHOTOS: Go Inside the NYC Subway Cars Dumped in the Atlantic Over a Decade Ago

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By now, you've probably seen Stephen Mallon's insane photo series showing thousands of subway cars being tossed into the ocean. The unlikely MTA initiative was undertaken more than ten years ago with the goal of creating artificial reefs that would support sea life along the Eastern seabed. Now fast forward a decade plus, and the fruits of the agency's environmental efforts can finally be seen in these incredible underwater images from Express Water Sports.
See them all here
City Subsidies Have Been Focused on Wealthy Neighborhoods; New Construction in Crown Heights Draws in Buyers
October 22, 2015

City Subsidies Have Been Focused on Wealthy Neighborhoods; New Construction in Crown Heights Draws in Buyers

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A new report from the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development shows that city subsidies have historically gone to the neighborhoods that need it the least. [Crain’s] Why it was faster to build subways back in 1900. [Atlas Obscura] New condos in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights account for 20 percent of the borough’s sales. [DNA Info] […]

‘DIY Loft Kit’ Adds Another 160 Square Feet to Your Tiny Apartment
October 19, 2015

‘DIY Loft Kit’ Adds Another 160 Square Feet to Your Tiny Apartment

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If you're blessed with reasonably high ceilings, but plagued with minimal floor space, this microloft kit might be the solution you need for maximizing your living area. The modular "DIY Loft Kit" will bring a legit lofted space (complete with staircase!) to any tiny apartment, adding an extra 160 square feet to sprawl out in. But be forewarned, it doesn't come cheap. At $3,115 (yup), we can't imagine anyone who's living in a studio or loft with six other roommates to be shelling out that many Gs. But on the other hand, this is NYC, and at just over $19 a square foot, maybe it is a deal?
You be the judge
Weird Words Only Architects Know; Few NYC Supers Are Women
October 19, 2015

Weird Words Only Architects Know; Few NYC Supers Are Women

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WeWork wants to bring a 205-unit tower to Wall Street. [Curbed] 150 words that only architects use. [ArchDaily] Silverstein Properties, the developer of the World Trade Center, has dropped plans to build the city’s tallest residential tower on the West Side. The supertall would have had 1,400+ units. [NYDN] Of the city’s more than 3,000 unionized […]

New Yorker Spotlight: Larry Berezin on Why You Should Never Pay a Parking Ticket No Questions Asked
October 16, 2015

New Yorker Spotlight: Larry Berezin on Why You Should Never Pay a Parking Ticket No Questions Asked

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New York may characteristically be a city of straphangers, but there are still millions of city residents who keep cars. If you're one of many who have taken on the (oftentimes regrettable) responsibility of car ownership, you know that the biggest challenge faced on the streets is the task of parking. Every year the city issues around 10 million parking tickets with fines running from $65 all the way up to $300. While no driver is ever shy about sharing their rage when being met with one of the pesky orange rectangles on their windshield, most will pay those violations no questions asked. And that's a problem, according to lawyer Larry Berezin, who says a very large percentage of NYC tickets are scam tickets. Larry is the CEO and founder of New York Parking Ticket, a consulting company with a website that provides comprehensive, easy to understand, FREE advice on how regular folks can beat the racket that is NYC parking. "There are ways to fight these tickets, but you need to be armed with the right information," Larry says. We recently spoke to Larry to find out more about what he does and to get some expert advice on how to beat that ticket currently hanging on your fridge.
Read the interview and get some tips from Larry here
Art Titan Larry Gagosian Sells His Upper East Side Carriage House for $18M
October 14, 2015

Art Titan Larry Gagosian Sells His Upper East Side Carriage House for $18M

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Art mogul Larry Gagosian has just closed a deal on the sale of his Lenox Hill mansion at 147 East 69th Street, according to property records just released. Gagosian sold the sprawling home to fellow art buff Sasha Bauer, chairman of the SculptureCenter in Long Island City, for an impressive $18 million. Gagosian purchased the property back in 1988, transforming the former carriage house (of a late 19th century millionaire, nonetheless) into a single family residence called "House for a Bachelor." The renovation, which was completed by architect Francois de Menil, made way for Gagosian's multi-million dollar collection of artworks that included pieces by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Picasso. The redesign of the property even won a 2000 AIA New York Design Award for interior architecture.
See inside the stunning home here
Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’
October 14, 2015

Tell NYC Officials What Neighborhood Improvements You Want to See Using the ‘Idea Collection Map’

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There's a lot to complain about in New York, but few of us have the opportunity to make our voices heard. As such, the New York City Council has created the Idea Collection Map, a handy map tool that allows you to suggest improvements you'd like to see in your neighborhood, and anywhere else, right from your computer screen.
How to send in your suggestions here
$100M Penthouse Listing at City Spire Is No More; Williamsburg’s Futuristic Hotel Tops Out
October 14, 2015

$100M Penthouse Listing at City Spire Is No More; Williamsburg’s Futuristic Hotel Tops Out

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The owner of City Spire’s $100M penthouse listing has removed it from the market. [NYP] Williamsburg’s architecturally-forward William Vale Hotel has topped out. [Brownstoner] Five of the U.S.’ coolest tiny homes. [NYP] Airbnb can push rents up by as much as $69 a month in neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Greenpoint, a study has found. [TRD]

We May Soon Be Free of Those Horrid Taxi TV Screens

Image via

October 13, 2015

We May Soon Be Free of Those Horrid Taxi TV Screens

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Those annoying taxi TV screens that can turn a great night into one of frustration and fury as you fumble to hit the mute button may finally be silenced once and for all. According to the Post, the city's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) will vote this Thursday night on whether or not the screens should be removed in favor of smartphone or tablet payment systems. As it stands, sources say that the the proposal will most likely pass. Apparently officials have been "flooded" for years with complaints about the TVs and they've also been a big reason that riders opting for Ubers as an alternative to the yellow cab, the agency admits.
Find out more here
New Renderings of One Vanderbilt Show the 1,500-Foot Tall Tower Set in the Skyline
October 12, 2015

New Renderings of One Vanderbilt Show the 1,500-Foot Tall Tower Set in the Skyline

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Outside of a $1.1 billion lawsuit, news on the One Vanderbilt front has been relatively quiet. The supertall tower received unanimous approval back in May by the City Council and since then demo at the site has been underway. But now, NY Yimby has gotten ahold of some new renderings that offer additional views of the KPF-designed tower—in particular, how the 1,500-foot behemoth will fit in with the existing NYC skyline. Once the building is constructed, it will be one of the tallest skycrapers in the city with a roof height exceeding that of One World Trade's. And as noted by YIMBY, One Vanderbilt will also be the first building in Midtown east to surpass the Chrysler Building in height (which, if you look closely at the above rendering, you can see demurely reflected in the building's glass).
see more here
INTERVIEW: ADFF Founder Kyle Bergman Invites You to Revel in Architecture Films All This Week!
October 12, 2015

INTERVIEW: ADFF Founder Kyle Bergman Invites You to Revel in Architecture Films All This Week!

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Attention all film, architecture and architecture film buffs! This week marks the start of the seventh annual Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF). For six glorious days, from October 13th-18th, New Yorkers are invited to enjoy more than 30 feature-length and short films centered on, you guessed it, architecture and design. While many of you may be thinking that watching a two-plus hour movie about a building is a guaranteed snoozer, ADFF's Kyle Bergman would most definitely argue otherwise. We recently caught up with the festival founder and architect who turned the once five-film gathering into a multi-city phenomenon that has captured the eyes, ears and hearts of not just design professionals, but folks from all walks of life looking to be inspired and moved by great cinema. Learn more about how the festival came to be and what's in store for this year's ADFF ahead. **BONUS: 6sqft readers can enjoy special discount on tickets! Just enter the code “FLOOR” at check out.**
read the interview with Kyle here
Brooklyn Home Prices Set Record, Manhattan Rents So High Studios Command $2,431/Month
October 8, 2015

Brooklyn Home Prices Set Record, Manhattan Rents So High Studios Command $2,431/Month

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The latest round of real estate reports have arrived and needless to say prices continue to hover completely out of reach of us normal folk. A new Elliman report compiled by Jonathan Miller found that Brooklyn now boasts a median sales price of $676,250, 15 percent higher than just one year ago this time, and 25 percent higher than the record set before the 2008 financial collapse—this makes it the only borough to exceed the pre-recession high. Miller attributes the boost to Brooklyn's change in identity, which has over the years gone from a cheap alternative to Manhattan to a first choice destination for buyers, renters and proprietors. That's not to say Manhattan saw a slump, the median sales price rose to an impressive $998,000, the highest level since the financial crisis.
More numbers this way
Cities Would Take Up 37 Percent More Space if It Were Not for Public Transit

Image via Anorian

October 7, 2015

Cities Would Take Up 37 Percent More Space if It Were Not for Public Transit

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The major benefits of public transportation are clear: riding the subway or bus is way cheaper than maintaing a car, and more often than not, it's a much faster means of getting from point A to point B. But as Streetsblog points out in this recent study by the Transportation Research Board, transit is a major of driver of density within a city, and it's something that incentivizes developers and city planners to put things closer together. While this may not be an earth-shattering revelation to you, if you quantify the effect, you just might be surprised. According to the report, U.S. cities on average would take up 37 percent more space to house current populations if it were not for public transit.
Find out more here
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