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.

October 18, 2016

SL Green breaks ground on One Vanderbilt, NYC’s second tallest tower – see new renderings

By Diane Pham

Yesterday 6sqft brought you a time-lapse video showing an entire Midtown block being demolished to make way for the 1,401-foot supertall One Vanderbilt. Now with a cleared site—plus $1.5 billion in construction financing secured—SL Green is ready to build anew, and Tuesday morning the developer held an official groundbreaking ceremony to mark the momentous occasion.
see more here

The flagship New York Public Library shelves books by size, not subject matter

Image by timetrax23

October 14, 2016

The flagship New York Public Library shelves books by size, not subject matter

By Diane Pham

With over four million research books in their possession, finding a place for each and every title has been an ongoing challenge for the New York Public Library (NYPL). First starchitect Norman Foster was brought in to help remedy the issue, but his plans for expansion were dropped when researchers realized a redesign would mean moving 1.5 million books to Jersey for an undefined amount of time; and more recently, the library unveiled a brand new $23M storage facility below Bryant Park, complete with a $2.3M "Book Train" able to zip miles of volumes across the library's 11 floors. But even with this new facility, space remains a challenge. So in hopes of increasing capacity, the NYPL has decided to abandon the Dewey Decimal System for a more space-friendly cataloging system. Yes, when it comes to sorting, subject is no longer of interest—rather, it's size that matters.
find out more here

Architecture And Design

October 12, 2016

Peek into the rooms of millennials around the world (PHOTOS)

By Diane Pham

While it's certainly fun to admire listing photos for pristine homes dressed up by famous designers, those images are nowhere near as interesting or insightful as getting a raw, unstaged look at how people really live. In a news series called "My Room Project," French filmmaker and photographer John Thackwray takes us into the private spaces of one of the world's most misunderstood groups: millennials.
inside 21 rooms this way

City Living

October 11, 2016

The Rockefeller Center ice skating rink reopens today

By Diane Pham

Grab your skates kids, because the iconic ice rink at The Rockefeller Center is reopen for business today! This year The Rink at Rockefeller Center is celebrating its 80th year of operation (it opened on Christmas Day in 1936), and to mark the occasion the center held a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning with figure skater and Olympic silver medalist Sasha Cohen. While this mid-60s sweater weather may not feel quite as festive as that Christmastime nip, hitting the ice now does have a number of advantages—namely not having to bundle up, and not having to fight the lines. More than a quarter-million skaters are anticipated to visit the rink this year.
more info here

Events & Things To Do

October 10, 2016

VIDEO: MTA runs first test trains on Second Avenue Subway line!

By Diane Pham

While it's still unclear whether or not the Second Avenue Subway will meet its December opening date, it does look like the rails themselves are just about ready to take on riders. Over the weekend, Youtube user Dj Hammers spotted the agency running trains past the line's Lexington Avenue-63rd Street station (where a public area has already opened), testing out the third rail, signals and track.
more details and a video here

Transit

October 7, 2016

You could squeeze the population of 8 states into NYC’s 5 boroughs

By Diane Pham

New York City is crowded, but if you needed any more proof that you're being packed into a urban sardine can, just have a look at this map from Metric Maps which ushers out the city's current inhabitants for those elsewhere in the United States. As the illustration reveals, to bring NYC's population from zero back to its mind-boggling 8.5 million, you could pull in the populace of eight different states.
more here

City Living

October 7, 2016

The Urban Lens: Attis Clopton documents New York’s fleeting moments and faces

By Diane Pham

6sqft’s ongoing series The Urban Lens invites photographers to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment Brooklyn resident Attis Clopton offers us a look at his stunning portraits. Are you a photographer who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. If you ask Attis Clopton what his day job is, he'd quickly respond "musician." However, the drummer, who's travelled the world recording and performing, would be remiss not to mention his impressive photography skills. Though not formally trained, Attis has developed an eye and the ability to capture subjects in a way that many professional photographers struggle with throughout their career. But what may set Attis apart from his contemporaries is his openness, his curiosity and his unpretentious disposition, all of which help him lock into the moment and keep his photos from looking overthought or overdone. Ahead he shares some of his recent favorites with 6sqft.
more this way

October 5, 2016

Macro Sea’s David Belt takes us inside New Lab, an 84,000-square-foot thinkspace in the Navy Yard

By Diane Pham

The Brooklyn Navy Yard has since its inception acted as a pole for the cutting edge and creative, from its time as the "The Can-Do Shipyard" where U.S. warships assembled, to present day as urban farmers, photographers and filmmakers carve out spaces for themselves on the campus' more than 300 acres. But the latest most notable addition to the Navy Yard is most certainly New Lab. New Lab is the creation of Macro Sea (who many will remember brought dumpster pools to NYC a few years ago) and is a revolutionary hub that turns an 84,000-square-foot former shipping building into a thinkspace for nearly 300 engineers and entrepreneurs working in advanced hardware and robotics. Here, members whose work include everything from designing nano microscopes to using synthetic biology to engineer cities can take their ideas from concept to prototype to production under one roof. It's what the founders are calling "a breakthrough ecosystem of shared resources." In this 6sqft feature, we speak to New Lab's co-founder and Macro Sea Executive Director and founder David Belt. David is also the founder and Managing Partner of DBI, which is currently managing the realization of the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, amongst other high-profile projects around the city. Ahead, he takes us through the new facility and gives us some intel on what inspired the design, the cutting edge companies that have taken up space, and what he ultimately hopes to achieve with New Lab.
Learn more about New Lab with David here

October 5, 2016

The NYPL’s iconic Rose Reading Room reopens to the public today!

By Diane Pham

The New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room and Bill Blass Public Catalog Room officially reopened to the public today at 10 AM. Early this morning, NYPL staff held a ribbon-cutting celebration for two adjacent spaces located on the third floor of the iconic Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 5th Avenue. Both rooms had been closed to the public for more than two years for repairs and restorations.
more details this way

October 4, 2016

How Otis’ elevator made modern skyscrapers possible

By Diane Pham

Advances in engineering continue to push modern skyscrapers to dizzying new heights, but at the core of these structures, quite literally, is an often overlooked technology that’s been key to their proliferation: the elevator. The earliest known reference to the elevator was by Roman architect Vitruvius, who reported that Archimedes built his first elevator around 236 B.C. The design was fairly rudimentary, a platform using pulleys and hoisted by hand or by animal. While elevators found their way into countless buildings and homes in the centuries that followed, including that of Louis XV who used a private lift to connect his Versailles apartment to that of his mistress, it wasn’t until the late 19th century that their true potential was unlocked.
read more about the elevator here

Renters’ Rights 101: Know what your landlord is responsible for

By Diane Pham

No, you don't have to suffer in a sub-zero apartment this winter, nor do you need to dine with mice and roaches in your kitchen during the summer. If you're one of the many constantly finding themselves up in arms over a negligent landlord, rest assured there's more that you can do beyond grumbling to your friends. Indeed, in NYC tenants have a lot of power, and the city has established a number of regulations to protect you, your family, and especially young children living in rental properties. Ahead is 6sqft's list of the most common problems New York renters face—and some advice on how to get those issues fixed quickly.
Your rights here

September 29, 2016

Interactive map shows when and where to find fall foliage at its peak

By Diane Pham

If you want to know when and where you can experience autumn in all its glory, look no further than this incredible map from SmokyMountains.com. The predictive map is the ingenious creation of Wes Melton, an engineer who developed a complex algorithm that can compute several million data points—ranging from historical temperatures to historical precipitation and forecast temperatures—to forecast exactly when fall will reach its fiery perfection in any given county across the United States.
Give the interactive map a try here

City Living

September 28, 2016

$1.5B in construction financing secured for Midtown supertall One Vanderbilt

By Diane Pham

It's full steam ahead for SL Green's new Midtown supertall, One Vanderbilt. Early this morning the developer announced it had closed on $1.5 billion in financing for its 1,401-foot, full-block office tower slated to rise directly adjacent to Grand Central Terminal. As SL Green Managing Director, Robert Schiffer expressed in a statement: “Closing on the construction financing means that nothing stands in the way of One Vanderbilt becoming an iconic addition to the Manhattan skyline.”
find out more here

My 4000sqft: Inside artist Chad Lewine’s ‘minimal-vibrant’ Brooklyn Navy Yard loft

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the massive live/work space of a multi-disciplinary artist and designer in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!

September 26, 2016

My 4000sqft: Inside artist Chad Lewine’s ‘minimal-vibrant’ Brooklyn Navy Yard loft

By Diane Pham

The artists lofts romanticized by Andy Warhol and Jackson Pollock are long gone in neighborhoods like the East Village and Soho, but if you turn your gaze across the East River to Brooklyn, you'll find that these spaces are far less elusive; Just have a look at the home of multi-disciplinary artist Chad Lewine. One year ago, Chad, a serial loft-liver, went house hunting deep within the Brooklyn Navy Yard and came across a building filled with working artists. At first he took up a room on the top floor of the four-story structure, but shortly after migrated to the second floor where he now shares an incredible 4,000 square feet with a fellow creative. In addition to providing Chad with a place to rest his head at night, the vast full-floor apartment also serves as an office, production studio, painter's workshop, photo studio, party pad and a place to experiment with what he calls his "minimal-vibrant" style. As Chad says, "I've been on the hunt for this kind of space all my New York City life."
take a tour of the space here

September 23, 2016

Interactive map reveals NYC buildings where affordable housing is being threatened

By Diane Pham

New York City currently maintains about 178,000 affordable housing units, a number that is getting a boost with Mayor de Blasio's plans to preserve or build 200,000 more units over ten years. However, while de Blasio has put the preservation of affordable housing at the heart of his administration's work, there's still a lot of headway to be made, and the threat for displacement remains high for a considerable number of New Yorkers. But who is at most risk? A new map (h/t DNA Info) created by the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development (ANHD) seeks to shed some light on what areas, and even more specifically, which buildings, will likely see rent hikes in the near future.
learn more about how the map was created

Affordable Housing

September 16, 2016

Skyline blights: New York’s ugliest building finally gets its glassy update

By Diane Pham

The former Verizon Building at 375 Pearl Street has long been considered one of New York City's ugliest buildings. The oppressive structure was erected in 1975 and climbs 540 feet into the sky. While the height is almost negligible compared to some of the supertalls rising today, the tower's prime skyline positioning amongst some of the world's most celebrated architectural creations has done nothing to help shroud its banal facade. In fact, when the telephone switching center opened its doors for the first time more than 40 years ago, New York Times architecture critic Paul Goldberger described it as the Verizon's "most disturbing" addition to the city (though in defense of the architects Rose, Beaton & Rose, it was built to withstand severe weather and attacks and protect the critical telecommunications infrastructure within). But all of that is changing now, as the building's fortress-like facade is in the midst of receiving a long due makeover.
More photos of the progress that's been made here

September 15, 2016

‘Where Architects Live’ takes you into the private homes of Zaha Hadid, Shigeru Ban and Daniel Libeskind

By Diane Pham

You've admired their buildings, now go inside their homes. On October 1st, the Architecture and Design Film Festival will host the U.S. premiere of "Where Architects Live," a fascinating documentary that offers an intimate look into private interiors—and the daily lives—of eight of the world's most important architects, including Shigeru Ban, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield, Zaha Hadid, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Marcio Kogan, Daniel Libeskind and Bijoy Jain.
Watch the trailer here

September 14, 2016

VIDEO: Lose yourself in these sweeping drone and helicopter views of NYC

By Diane Pham

If you’re already feeling bogged down by the workweek, fix your eyes on Brandon Bray and Tim Sessler’s film "Balance" to help put your mind in a more tranquil state. In their 3.5-minute short, the pair compiles various drone and helicopter shots into one seamless work that depicts New York City as an almost peaceful space unspoiled by modern life. Some of the vantages featured in the piece are quite jaw-dropping, including a fully inverted skyline, a crowd-covered 30 Rock, and a plunging aerial close-up of the massive Calvary Cemetery in Queens—a place most of us have only experienced from the BQE.
see the full film here

City Living

September 13, 2016

$1B expansion of the Javits Center will commence this year

By Diane Pham

One of Governor Cuomo's biggest NYC projects will kick off construction by the end of this year. Per a press release released yesterday, the Cuomo administration has put out a request for proposals (RFP) for the first phase of the Jacob K. Javits Center's $1 billion expansion. The chosen firm will be responsible for the design and construction of a three-story building that will hold transformers, back-up generators, and other electrical equipment for the updated complex. This initial work will prepare the massive site for the larger expansion project that will increase the size of the events facility by 1.2 million square feet, bringing the total square footage to a hefty 3.3 million square feet.
more on the announcement here

Real Estate Trends

September 12, 2016

Waitlist re-opens for affordable rentals in Kips Bay mid-rise, units from $952/month

By Diane Pham

NYC's Housing Connect has announced today that it will re-open its waiting list for Henry Phipps Plaza South, an affordable residence located at 330 East 26th Street in the heart of Kips Bay. The 14-story post-war building boasts a total of 407 units and was developed under the Federal housing financing program. As such, 290 of the units have been reserved for New Yorkers earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, and residents of this building will pay no more than 30 percent of their adjusted income on rent.
Income requirements and offers this way

Affordable Housing

September 8, 2016

Pier55 prevails in court, construction to continue on Barry Diller-funded offshore park

By Diane Pham

All systems are go for the Barry Diller-funded Pier55 park, as a State Appellate court ruled today that work can continue on the 2.75-acre project sited along the Hudson River. As 6sqft previously reported, the main opponent of the park—better known as The City Club of New York—has been aiming to thwart the project under the claim that those involved, namely the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and Pier55 Inc. (the nonprofit manager established by Diller), failed to go through adequate environmental impact evaluations. City Club served the pair with a lawsuit that eventually led to a stop work order in June. However, an appeals court lifted the stop work order shortly after, and by the end of August, the first nine piles were installed. Today's ruling upholds a lower court's decision that HRPT and Pier55 Inc. did in fact do a proper environmental review, and moreover, that HRPT was not required to put out an RFP to solicit other ideas for the site from other developers—another major point of contention. The court also decided that the park reserves the right to use the space for non-public events like ticketed concerts, although it is noted that "the lease requires that 51 percent of the performances be free or low-cost."
find out more here

Architecture And Design

September 7, 2016

Be my roommate: Live on a leafy Fort Greene block with a filmmaker for $1,000

By Diane Pham

To help our fellow New Yorkers on their hunt for a good roommate, we present "Be My Roommate." If you have an empty room you'd like to see featured here, get in touch with us at [email protected]! Meet Jonathan, a freelance filmmaker who hails from Texas looking for not one, but two roommates to share his huge Fort Greene apartment with. Jonathan has been in NYC for over six years and has always found himself in living collaboratively with folks in oversized spaces (he shared an artist's loft with eight other people at one point). Now that two of his current roommates are setting out on their own, he's on the hunt for two new folks to move into their rooms. This home hits all the right notes; not only is it located in one of Brooklyn's most coveted neighborhoods, but it's got some great historic details, it's blindingly bright and did we mention that it's gigantic? Believe us, you'd be hard pressed to find such a fantastic room—let alone two—in a 2,000-square-foot apartment at just $1000 a month.
Go inside the apartment here

Where I Work

September 1, 2016

Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown lists elegant Sutton Place triplex for $9.75M

By Diane Pham

As you would expect from a former editor of one of the world's most recognized lifestyle magazines, Tina Brown has for the last 20 years found refuge in a spectacular home in an equally spectacular building at 447 East 57th Street. But now the media mogul, who also served as an editor at The New Yorker and founded The Daily Beast, and her journalist husband Harold Evans, who himself boasts quite a resume having held top positions at the likes of U.S. News & World Report and The Atlantic, have listed their elegant Sutton Place abode for $9.75M. According to the listing, the triplex comes with five bedrooms, 5.5 baths and an incredible 19'x64' private walled-in garden. But what might be the most alluring feature of this maisonette is that it's more than once served as the backdrop for riveting conversations (and surely some heated arguments) with names like Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Henry Kissinger and Angelina Jolie. As Brown so breezily told the Journal, “Yes, we love to entertain our friends, but there is always content to the evening, where we try to bring exposure for someone that has something incredible.”
Have a closer look inside this special home

August 30, 2016

Vintage 1901 film captures the infamous 23 Skidoo of the Flatiron

By Diane Pham

The Flatiron building is best known for its angular form and its striking architectural details. But back in the early 1900s it gained notoriety for something far less virtuous: the 23 skidoo. Because the Flatiron building sits at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Broadway, which together form a sharp angle, winds will often collect to create currents strong enough to lift a woman's skirt. While by today’s standards bare legs and ankles aren't worth taking note of, back then this sight was a real treat for the fellas. As such, hordes of men would flock to 23rd Street in hopes catching one of the many old-timey wardrobe malfunctions that occurred throughout the day. In fact, according to Andrew S. Dolkart, professor of Historic Preservation at the Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, the number of men who gathered would sometimes become so disruptive that police would have to shoo them away!
watch the full 23 skidoo here

History

10 easy ways to give your rental kitchen a makeover

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we’ve got tips on how to give your rental kitchen an inexpensive makeover.

August 30, 2016

10 easy ways to give your rental kitchen a makeover

By Diane Pham

For renters, the kitchen is often the least attractive area of their home. And this is especially true in NYC where landlords often turn to the cheapest finishes, built-ins and fixtures they can find in order to save a few dollars. But even if your apartment ultimately won't be your forever home, there's no reason suffer through an interior design nightmare. Ahead 6sqft highlights 10 easy and affordable ways to transform a ugly rental kitchen into a chic space—all without putting your deposit at risk.
Our 10 tips here

All articles by Diane Pham

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