Architecture And Design

Another eye- and volume-popping mega-project by ODA Architects may be coming to Brooklyn, and this week's chosen neighborhood is Gowanus. A recently posted video by ODA delves into the thought process of Eran Chen's burgeoning firm and provides some shots of their recent work, including the provocative rendering shown here. We recognized the location only by the "Stop & Frisk Hands Off the Kids" text scrawled across the defunct Brooklyn Rapid Transit Powerhouse building (the "Bat Cave") and pinpointed the project for the full-block parcel at 175-225 Third Street purchased by Kushner Companies and LIVWRK last year. Update via LIVWRK/Kushner’s reps: "The developers are not working with ODA on this project and these designs do not represent our vision for this site or the Gowanus. We are committed to putting forth an outstanding plan that respects the context of the neighborhood and responds to the voices of local stakeholders.” As it turns out, ODA is one of many firms that pitched, and the design was ultimately turned down because it was out of touch with the direction of the neighborhood. Though it won't come to fruition, it does give some scale of what's to come—which will indeed be transformative for the area.
More information here

March 27, 2015

New Renderings Revealed for Tadao Ando’s ‘Glass Jewel Box’ Condo in Nolita

Over the summer we got a couple of teaser renderings for Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando's forthcoming Nolita condo at 152 Elizabeth Street. But now the Times has released the entire batch of starchitecture porn, including a full building shot and interior details. Ando's first-ever standalone building in New York is a seven-story condominium with just seven units, and its design is completely representative of his signature style. Described as a "glass jewel box" by the Times, it's made of in-situ concrete, galvanized steel and glass, combining to create a simplistic, modern esthetic that blends with the area's industrial character. The Japanese self-taught starchitect wanted to create "a space which no one has created before with a very common material which anyone is familiar with and has access to. Concrete can be made anywhere on earth."
Pricing info and renderings this way

Construction Update: ODA Architects’ 155W 18th Gets Its Skin

155W 18th Street under construction © 6sqft

March 26, 2015

Construction Update: ODA Architects’ 155W 18th Gets Its Skin

Flying under the radar, an 11-story, 30-unit condominium at 155 West 18th Street has topped off and is applying a dignified bluestone facade to its concrete structural frame. Developed by Eldad Blaustein's Izaki Group and designed by ODA Architects, 155W 18th joins a list of recent and upcoming downtown residential buildings sensitive to the rhythms and proportions of their neighbors, while still introducing fresh forms and rich materials to excite our senses and enhance our surroundings. With young design firms such as ODA, SHoP, and DDG leading the way, a cool and confident downtown vernacular has emerged, trading cookie-cutter layouts, flat glass skins, and pastiche styling for spacious light-filled floor plans and exteriors composed of sumptuous materials that provide a kind of weight and timelessness to the structures.
More details on 155 West 18th Street's progress

March 25, 2015

128-Square-Foot Tiny Heirloom Home Offers Rustic Elegance and Chic Quarters to Go

Living small is the new living large—at least that's what trend pieces would point to. While realistically most of us would rather stretch out in a four-bedroom, if we had to squeeze into a micro home, we definitely wouldn't mind shacking up in a Tiny Heirloom. Easily more elegant and better-styled than most NYC apartments (including our own!), this miniature abode is the glamorous incarnation of your typical tiny home and comes with all the bells an whistles you could possibly imagine, including free electricity provided by the sun or wind!
More photos of the 128 square foot home

NYCxDESIGN’s 2015 Event Lineup Announced!

Last year’s WantedDesign event in Chelsea, via Ikonphoto+Nudesignstudio

March 25, 2015

NYCxDESIGN’s 2015 Event Lineup Announced!

NYCxDESIGN is an annual celebration that brings together the design, commerce, culture, education, and entertainment communities for a full lineup of programs including exhibitions, installations, trade shows, talks, launches and open studios. Now in its third year, the city-wide festival will take place this year from Friday, May 8th to Tuesday, May 19th. The events calendar will be continually updated, but it's already full of can't-miss programming.
Check out some of the highlights here

March 24, 2015

Smart Street Furniture Responds to the Needs of the Blind, Elderly and More

Bullet trains, self-driving cars, autonomous people-moving pods, windowless jets with panoramic views of what's outside—transportation is without question rapidly evolving, but at the more basic level, infrastructure remains relatively unchanged in most major cities. The design of street lamps, crosswalks and other street furniture is generally a one-size-fits-all game that follows the needs of the average user, but the reality is that it takes far longer for an elderly woman to make her way across a busy intersection than it does a teen. Enter UK designers Ross Atkin and Jonathan Scott of RAA who have developed a system of “responsive street furniture” that adapts to the needs of the people using them. This means if you need more light, the street lamps will adjust. More time to cross? Done. Need to rest? A seat will unlock. And when a blind person walks past a streetlight, the post will read out the name of the store in front to help them orient themselves. So how does it work?
More about the high tech street furniture here

March 23, 2015

Rob Stuart Interiors Infuses Romantic, Turn-of-the-Century Charm into a Modern West Village Townhouse

Take one look at this Greenwich Street townhouse and you'll likely assume it's a historic West Village brownstone, but, in fact, the stately residence is only a decade old. Rob Stuart Interiors was commissioned by a "fearless family" that wanted a colorful yet calming design "with the detail and nuance of a rarified turn-of-the-century townhouse." The firm achieved this goal by romantically layering vintage mantles, traditional moldings, patterned wallpapers, and colorful fabrics.
Tour the entire West Village beauty here

March 22, 2015

Navy Road Guest House by Robert Young Puts a Rustic Twist on Simple Hamptons Living

Forget the fact that there's snow on the ground, the calendar says it's spring, so we think it's fair game to start planning some warm weather weekend retreats. And since the Hamptons Jitney runs all year, why not start by ogling this charming Montauk home by Robert Young Architects. The Navy Road Guest House mixes the best of traditional, clean Hamptons living with upstate-like rustic charm. Outside, perfectly landscaped, winding grounds complement the stone and wooden-shingled façade. Inside, whitewashed rooms are perfectly balanced with earthy wooden walls.
Take a look around the property

Architecture And Design

REVEALED: ODA’s New Bushwick Rental Project Looks a Lot Like BIG’s 8 Tallet in Copenhagen

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Bjarke Ingels should give himself a big pat on the back. A newly revealed residential design by architectural firm ODA for the Rheingold Brewery site in Bushwick looks a lot like Bjark Ingels Group's (BIG) 8 Tallet in Copenhagen. The Denmark building takes the shape of a figure 8 with a sloping ramp that runs from the base of the building to its roof, creating a large interior courtyard. Similarly, the 400-unit rental building planned for Bushwick at 10 Montieth Street has a subtle bow-tie shape with a sloping, zig-zagging green roof and amenity-laden courtyard. And just as 8 Tallet is the largest private development ever undertaken in Denmark, ODA's 400,000-square-foot building would be the largest residential building ever built in the area if completed.
More details on the proposed project

March 19, 2015

DHD Interiors’ Spectacular Tribeca Penthouse Design Is Fun, Fashionable, and Family-Friendly

By Stephanie Hoina

One of the key challenges to successful design is understanding the day-to-day needs of your client and marrying those needs with a sensorially pleasing aesthetic. When tasked with reconfiguring this 5,500-square-foot triplexed penthouse found in one of New York’s original cast iron façade buildings, DHD Interiors' goal was “to create a cool and chic family home ideal for entertaining but also conducive to a fun family life.”
See more photos of DHD's design

March 19, 2015

Skyscraper Museum Reveals Interactive Timeline of the Tallest Buildings Throughout History

The latest addition to the Skyscraper Museum's permanent collection is "The History of Height," an interactive timeline of the tallest buildings throughout history. The web tool is made up of a scrollable stream of flashcards starting as far back as the Great Pyramid in 2650 BCE and continuing all the way to today's tallest, the Burj Khalifa. It also offers information about the innovations that allowed people to build higher, like fireproof floors, zoning laws, elevators, and high-strength bolting, and includes towers that have long since been demolished, but had an impact on the supertall environment.
More on the interactive infographic here

Architecture And Design

March 18, 2015

Construction Update: COOKFOX’s 855 Sixth Avenue Tops Off, Ties for City’s ‘Shortest Skyscraper’

In the shadow of the Empire State Building, the concrete frame of 855 Sixth Avenue has quietly risen to its full 500-foot height. Spanning the full western blockfront of Sixth Avenue between West 30th and 31st Streets, the 41-story mixed-use tower, designed by COOKFOX Architects and co-developed by the Durst Organization and Fetner Properties, is poised to bring 190,000 square feet of commercial space and 375 rentals to the southern fringe of Herald Square later this year. While unremarkable in design and imperceptible in the city's skyline, the building's small claim to fame may be that its 152-meter (slightly under 500 feet) height is sometimes regarded as the benchmark figure for defining a skyscraper. Therefore, statistically, 855 Sixth could be considered the shortest skyscraper in New York. Huzzah!
More details ahead

Slab of Plexiglass Dislodges at One57 and Falls on Two Cars Below

Image © Wade Zimmerman courtesy of Agence Christian de Portzamparc (ACDP)

March 17, 2015

Slab of Plexiglass Dislodges at One57 and Falls on Two Cars Below

Watch where you walk when treading near supertall towers. The WSJ reports that a stop work order has been issued at One57 after a kitchen table-sized piece of Plexiglass fell from the 22nd floor of the tower on Sunday, smashing into two parked cars down below. Thankfully no one was injured in the incident, but the accident is just one in a slew of construction mishaps that have plagued the building. In late February, glass from the tower landed on a neighboring building’s terrace, and last May, a windowpane fell from the 22nd floor, hitting a truck below. The building was also creating precarious conditions back in 2012 during Super Storm Sandy, when all of New York City looked on in horror as the support cable of an 80-ton crane at the top of the building broke, causing it dangle above their heads.
Is one57 cursed? Find out more here

March 17, 2015

25 Epic Buildings That Were Never Constructed

While we all love to ogle the latest and greatest rendering reveals, it's a shame how quickly we forget about the incredible architecture that could have risen once their plans get scrapped. To give a small consolation to the architects who spent countless hours and sleepless nights scribbling skyscrapers with the hope of transforming the built landscape, Rubberbond has created a nifty infographic showing 25 ambitious projects that today, for better or worse, only live on in drawings. From a pyramid-shaped mausoleum in London designed to hold five million corpses to a Sagrada Familia-like hotel Gaudí fashioned for NYC to a giant Bucky dome that could have covered Manhattan, have a look at all the lost designs ahead and then weigh in—was it a good idea these were dumped or would they have been great architectural additions?
See the whole thing here

March 17, 2015

Bookniture Is a Moleskine That Turns into a Handy Pop-Up Stool

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

After the terrible snowstorms and generally freezing weather we went through this winter, it goes without saying that spring can't come soon enough. And one of the best ways to enjoy warmer times is to be out in the park, hanging with friends, having an alfresco picnic, or catching up on some work. For these outdoor occasions, Hong Kong-based designer Mike Mak created Bookniture, a light and stylish Moleskine-like stool/table that combines books and furniture in one pop-up design that you can bring on the go.
Learn more about this book-furniture piece

March 16, 2015

‘No-Shadow’ Skyscraper Could Solve the Problem of Towers Blocking the Sun

It's been one of the biggest criticisms of all of New York's new supertall towers–their shadow-casting, sun-blocking tendencies and the fact that there's nothing in place to regulate this. But a new skyscraper proposed for London may solve this urban dilemma. Architects at the London-based firm NBBJ digitally designed a pair of towers that are precisely aligned with curved and angled facades that act like mirrors to reflect down toward the street. According to the National Post, "In theory, one of the towers would reflect sunlight into the shadow of its sister tower, reducing the area of shade caused by the project as a whole."
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

March 13, 2015

New Renderings for 212 Fifth Avenue Show a Whimsical Top-Floor Restaurant and Enormous Clock

With the debut of their newly-sharpened website, the visual-realization whizzes at AJSNY are seeking to steal some Apple Watch buzz with this stunningly whimsical rooftop addition atop the now-under-conversion 212 Fifth Avenue in Nomad. The conceptual vision, designed by the rendering team themselves, shows a bronze-clad, multi-story addition wrapped with sinuous ribbons framing an enormous south-facing clock. Below the steampunk-esque penthouse, AJSNY depicts a standard condo-conversion affair of open layouts and double-height spaces for the 1913 neo-medieval tower. The team's images also give us an idea of what the official owners–Madison Equities, Thor Equities, and Building and Land Technology–have in mind for this quintessential Manhattan address. The scheme is not official or approved, but it certainly is creative.
More details on the proposed design ahead

March 13, 2015

World’s Skinniest Tower 111 West 57th Street Will Offer $100M Condos

Poised to become the world's skinniest tower and one of the hemisphere's tallest, it's no wonder that 111 West 57th Street will ask around $100 million for its condos, not to be outdone by other nine-digit supertalls like 220 Central Park South's $175 million penthouse, the $150 million penthouse at the Sony Building, and One57′s record $100 million sale, which currently holds the title for the most expensive unit ever sold in the city. Curbed has uncovered filings with the Attorney General's office that show the preliminary price list for the SHoP-designed 1,421-foot tower, which is being developed by JDS Development Group and Property Markets Group. The records indicate that there will be condos in the landmarked Steinway Hall, as well in the tower addition. "The 'landmark units' will be smaller and cheaper, starting at $1 million for a studio, while the 'tower units' will start at $13 million for a three-bedroom."
More details and the price list ahead

Going Up: Uncovering the Art Deco Elevators of Landmarked Building Interiors

Chrysler Building elevators via Wally Gobetz on Flickr

March 12, 2015

Going Up: Uncovering the Art Deco Elevators of Landmarked Building Interiors

Earlier this week, we visited the New York School of Interior Design's latest exhibit, Rescued, Restored, Reimagined: New York's Landmark Interiors, which, on the 50th anniversary of New York’s landmark legislation, features photography and information about more than 20 public spaces, known and little-known, that have been designated as interior landmarks. Looking through images of restored Broadway theaters, perfectly preserved coffered rotundas and period furniture, we couldn't help getting stuck on one often-overlooked element–the elevator. For most of us who live in a high rise or work in a typical office building, the elevator doors are just another blank wall that we stare at, only paying attention when they open and usher us in. But when the city's great Art Deco buildings were rising, the elevators were an extension of the lavish ornamentation and geometric details of the façade and interior lobby. We've rounded up some of our favorite Art Deco elevators in landmarked interiors, which means they're all publicly accessible so you can check them all out first hand.
Go up in style here

March 11, 2015

Jessica Chastain Snags a Gorgeous Osborne Co-op Once Owned by Leonard Bernstein

By Annie Doge

Jessica Chastain, who has been on a house hunt for over a year, has finally found the home of her dreams. The Post reports that the Oscar-nominated actress will be joining the world's upper crust at the landmarked Osborne at 205 West 57th Street. Chastain is said to have paid $5.1M for the home which itself also boasts a legendary story, being once owned by famed composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein for more than a decade—a highlight that was apparently one of the biggest draws for the Juilliard-trained actress.
Take a peek inside

March 11, 2015

Architect Marc Kushner Discusses How Social Media Will Dictate Future Architecture

Marc Kushner's architectural star has been on the rise over the last few years thanks to his booming practice, HWKN (Hollwich Kushner), and his super popular web venture Architizer (maybe you've heard of it?). So it only makes sense that TED would invite Kushner to offer up his thoughts on the state of architecture today and what he sees in its future—which happens to involve more of your input than you'd ever guess. In what is a quite an enlightening and inspiring talk, Kushner takes us through the architectural styles of the last thirty years, and more interestingly, how social media is completely transforming the profession.
watch the video here

March 10, 2015

190 Bowery Being Stripped of Its Graffiti as We Speak

Image courtesy of Lori Zimmer We all knew this day would come. 190 Bowery is currently undergoing a deep cleaning as its new owners prime it for its next life as a luxury mixed-use condo/retail development.
More here

Skyscraper Museum Exhibit ‘Ten Tops’ Explores the Uppermost Floors of the World’s Tallest Buildings

Image via Skyscraper Museum

March 10, 2015

Skyscraper Museum Exhibit ‘Ten Tops’ Explores the Uppermost Floors of the World’s Tallest Buildings