Architecture And Design

Groundwork continues on Extell Development's 847-foot-tall mega-rental complex at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge. Rumored to be called One Manhattan Square, the project at 250 South Street will bring a staggering 790 luxury rentals and 205 affordable units to a remote section of the Two Bridges/Chinatown neighborhood. The project rises on the former site of a cherished one-story Pathmark supermarket and its sprawling parking lot. While details of the design remain scarce, public documents reveal a two-towered development of 68 and 23 stories to rise atop a three-story podium that will contain 30,000 square feet of retail. Blogger Bowery Boogie uncovered the residential amenity package, which will include two swimming pools, a health club, basketball court, squash court, bowling alley, golf simulator, and 137 on-site parking spaces.
More details on One Manhattan Square

January 12, 2015

EVENT: Is the Vanderbilt Corridor the Future of East Midtown?

The proposed East Midtown Rezoning has been a hotly debated issue over the past few years. First introduced by Mayor Bloomberg, and backed by Mayor de Blasio, the rezoning would allow developers to build larger and taller than the current Grand Central Terminal district zoning allows in exchange for financial contributions to the area's infrastructure needs. The Department of City Planning feels the rezoning would ensure that the area maintains its spot as a global business center, but others think it would forever ruin the historic nature of the neighborhood. One of the most major components of the project is One Vanderbilt, a 68-story, 1,514-foot zigzag tower that will stand adjacent to Grand Central. Along with the building comes a reconfiguration of the Vanderbilt Corridor, the streetscape around the Terminal. A panel discussion at the Museum of the City of New York on January 20th will examine both the tower and the corridor and what they mean for Midtown East.
More about the event here

January 12, 2015

NYC Design Firm Axis Mundi Creates a Work of Art to House Their Client’s Works of Art

What do you get when you mix the classic bones of a landmarked Greek Revival townhouse built in the 1840s with the bold, award-winning, and decidedly 21st century esthetic of New York-based design firm Axis Mundi? A Greenwich Village residence that is an absolutely stunning work of art. When tasked with not only the gut renovation of a timeless building but also ensuring a suitable context for their client’s spectacular and thoroughly modern art collection, Axis Mundi made certain to respect the charms and scale of the original style while creating a fitting showcase for the likes of Warhol, Haring, and Basquiat.
See why every inch of this home is a work of art

January 12, 2015

Checking In on 56 Leonard: The Rising Star in the Downtown Skyline

Esteemed architect and historian Robert A.M. Stern once said that "New York is a constellation of magic moments. No city as complex as New York rebuilds itself so often, and often so well." Two stars are being born in that nebula of irregular streets we call Downtown. The taller of the two, 30 Park Place, is designed by the famed starchitect himself, and has recently surpassed its neighbor, the Woolworth Building, to soon take its place as the tallest residential perch in the district. The other star, 56 Leonard, may still shine brighter, however. While absent any height superlatives, 56 Leonard may very well end up being the most interesting skyscraper Downtown has produced in decades. Nicknamed the "Jenga-building" and the "tower of penthouses," 56 Leonard's design comes from the Swiss architectural firm of Herzog & de Meuron while working with the residential know-it-alls at Goldstein Hill & West. Currently, the concrete frame is approximately 700 feet tall with little more than 100 feet to rise before topping off. The floors progressively stagger at varying configurations creating cantilevered interior spaces as well as outdoor balconies for each of the residences.
More details ahead

January 9, 2015

Once Vibrant Graffitied Boyce Thompson Institute in Yonkers Will Get a New Lease on Life

While not officially landmarked, the Federal-style masonry building that formerly housed the Boyce Thompson Plant Institute has been part of the Yonkers landscape for nearly a century. After the institute relocated to the Cornell University campus in the late '70s, the original location fell into disrepair, becoming an eyesore the city was anxious to remedy. Enter Simone Development, who welcomed the opportunity to purchase the property and conclude the city's decades-long quest to find the right owner.
Find out about the Institute's new life and the architects behind it

January 9, 2015

Muddy Construction Commences on Jardim, Isay Weinfeld’s Condominium on the High Line

The construction boom in Chelsea along the High Line continues unabated with the start of another condo development penned by a highly acclaimed foreign architect. This latest condominium, dubbed “Jardim” (Portuguese for garden), comes from the office of visionary Brazilian architect Isay Weinfeld. Developed by Harlan Berger's Centaur Properties, Jardim's site is situated at 525 West 25th Street between 10th and 11th Avenues–just a single starchitect's lot away from the High Line. Construction at the currently muddy site has commenced, and we got a first-hand look at the progress.
More on the project here

January 9, 2015

The Beaverbrook Cottage Is a Charming Quonset Hut Retreat in the Country

If you daydream about spending a few days in a wooden cottage surrounded by an old-growth forest, bush blueberries and native wildlife, don’t worry, paradise is just around the corner. We found this charming two-bedroom, curved-roof retreat in Catskills which looks like the perfect place to unwind without having to leave your beloved modern amenities behind. Sweet and spacious, the Beaverbrook Cottage features spacious bright interiors, a modest country-style decor, a wood-stove, a piano, and a romantic garden complete with a gazebo.
Learn more about this charming curved-roof cottage

January 9, 2015

NoMad’s Commune Hotel Reaches Street Level, Will Feature a Public Roof Deck at 300 Feet

After lying fallow for years, the site of the city's first Commune Hotel at 11 East 31st Street is abuzz with construction activity and has risen to street level. Developed by Simon Development Group, Cube Capital, and Eagle Point Hotel, the 250-room, 32-story hotel situated between Fifth and Madison Avenues will be among a dozen new residential and hotel developments slated to transform the once-sleepy NoMad neighborhood. With Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman Architects serving as the design architects and Mancini-Duffy Architecture as the architects of record, the slender 335-foot tower will feature a 125-seat restaurant, lounge, and a rooftop bar providing sweeping skyline vistas and front-row views of the Empire State Building.
More on the hotel and construction progress ahead

January 9, 2015

Community Board Likes Pier55 Floating Park Overall, but Wants More Transparency

It's been relatively quiet over the past six weeks or so as far as news about the proposed offshore park and performance space in the Hudson River known as Pier55. But this week, Community Board 2's Parks and Waterfront Committee reviewed the project, and though they liked Thomas Heatherwick's design overall, they cited their main concern as transparency. The board's issue stems from the fact that billionaire media mogul Barry Diller, who committed $130 million to the 2.7-acre park, and the Hudson River Park Trust had been working secretively for two years on the plans. According to Curbed, committee member Arthur Schwartz said, "Probably the main public critique of this project has been the way that so much of the design was developed in infinite detail before it even became a matter of public knowledge."
More on the outcome of the public meeting

Cozy Rustic Cabin Near the Finger Lakes Comes with a Sauna and Serene Surroundings

Sweet, wooden and eco-minded, this small guest-home offers a humble retreat in nature not too far from the city. Perched on a ravine in the forest, the cabin is perfect for both nature and wine lovers as it's just a short walk from the Finger Lakes Wine Trail and National Forest. The compact escape is well-equipped despite its diminutive size and features a lofted bed area, a composting toilet, a sauna, and the perfect porch for relaxing and taking in those soothing woodland aromas.
Learn more about this charming wooden cabin

January 8, 2015

There’s No Place to Hide in This Former Printing Press Turned Soho Loft Home

We love how New York’s historical mashup of factories, businesses, places of worship, carriage houses, etc., means that modern living spaces often have unique and interesting former lives. This Soho loft originally housed a printing press, and JENDRETZKI Architects was given the enviable task of transforming its hard edges and wide-open floor plan into a contemporary and functional home—although those who desire lots of privacy may not be so keen on some of the views afforded within the interior.
From printing press to posh loft

Architecture And Design

January 8, 2015

Fox News Host Kimberly Guilfoyle Buys $3.4M Central Park West Apartment Full of Taxidermied Animals

Generally speaking, the ultra-conservative crowd isn't spending their free time volunteering with PETA. So it's quite fitting that Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle just picked up the infamous taxidermy-filled apartment in the Beresford. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your thoughts on decorative dead animals, the long-time owner, journalist Gregory Speck, is sending his massive collection of stuffed friends to the Virginia Museum of Natural History, according to the Post. And Guilfoyle has already hired architect Campion Platt to renovate the two-bedroom, "classic six" home. Lucky for us, though, it's not too late to see the bizarre (or some may say terrifying) Central Park West home.
Take a look inside

January 8, 2015

Construction Update: High Line-Embracing Condo 505 West 19th Street Gets Its Skin

The area surrounding the High Line continues to serve as the city's hotbed of avant-garde architecture, and Thomas Juul-Hansen's 505w19 is the latest jewel to stud West Chelsea's verdant necklace. The two-building project, whose 10-story volumes straddle either side of the High Line, will join the ranks of Foster's 551W21, Selldorf's 520 West Chelsea, and Shigeru Ban's Metal Shutter House as a timeless, modern addition that contextually blends into the west side's no-nonsense streetscape. We recently got a peek at the construction of this 35-unit condo development, which is currently getting its skin--a dark-grey saw toothed façade with exposed concrete columns and slab edges.
Take a look at the progress here

January 7, 2015

Prospect Heights Row House Once Literally “Gone to the Dogs” Is Now Best in Show

Like most townhouses of its time, this Prospect Heights abode suffered from what Delson or Sherman Architects referred to as "common row-house ailments." Dark in the middle and spatially flat, coupled with the fact that it had housed a kennel in one of its former lives, this home had literally gone to the dogs in more ways than one. But wait until you see how the firm transformed the Brooklyn house.
From dark and flat to bright and layered

January 6, 2015

Dean/Wolf Architects’ Amazing Brooklyn Townhouse Has an Operable Tetris-Like Facade

By Diane Pham

Fusing indoor and outdoor space is a rare occurrence in places like New York City, where outside real estate rarely constitutes anything more than a 2 foot x 5 foot fire escape. So when the residents of this Brooklyn Heights townhouse moved into their new pad, they knew that their spacious backyard would have to be the star of their home. As such, the Brooklynites called upon Dean / Wolf Architects to take on the task of breathing new life into their townhouse, and by the looks of things, they couldn't have chosen better. Instead of simply employing floor-to-ceiling windows to make the connection, the savvy architects designed an operable, puzzle-like rear facade that allows the home's inhabitants to seamlessly join the indoors and the out with just a few turns of the wrist.
More on the aptly named 'Operable Boundary Townhouse/Garden' here

January 6, 2015

Gorgeous Sagaponack Stone House Gets a Brise-Soleil Addition by Martin Architects

This Daniels Lane residence consists of two contrasting parts—an existing stone beach house and a textured modern addition to its side. Settled atop a grassy site in the Southampton village of Sagaponack, this beautiful dwelling was re-designed by local studio Martin Architects, who not only created a striking second volume with a layer of wood screens, but cleverly lifted and rotated the old stone beach house to provide new views and more light.
Learn more about this modern contrasting home

January 5, 2015

General Assembly Design’s Merging of Two Vinegar Hill Apartments Produces Sweet Results

Aristotle’s wise words,"The whole is better than the sum of its parts," are certainly true in the case of this beautifully designed Vinegar Hill home. With owners who were used to a large, sprawling Victorian in equally sprawling Los Angeles, combining two apartments in a bland developer-style building in Brooklyn proved to offer the perfect replacement, given the right amount of ingenuity.
See more of this 'sweet' home

Architecture And Design

January 5, 2015

The Twins: Otherworldly Upstate Vacation Homes Designed for Two Brothers

Architect William O'Brien Jr. was approached by twin brothers to create two vacation homes that neighbor each other. Designed to be built on the same plot of land upstate, the homes, like the twins, are fraternal but not identical. Both of the structures are based on the polygon, and the black, futuristic dwellings are separated yet joined by a seasonal food garden.
Learn more about these futuristic twin homes

January 5, 2015

The Rumbles Are 3D-Printed Pendant Lights by Studio MeraldiRubini

We're no strangers to the 3D printing movement (we even know someone who's printing an entire estate), but we still get excited when we find a product that not only incorporates the technology, but is also a beautiful, striking design. The Rumbles made just that impression on us. Using 3D printers, industrial design firm Studio MeraldiRubini created this collection of three pendant lights characterized by soft and sinuous shapes that artistically filter light.
More details on the Rumbles ahead

January 4, 2015

The Olnick Spanu House Is a Minimal, Modern Glazed Home on the Hudson River

The Olnick Spanu House is a modernist beauty on the banks of the Hudson River in Garrison, New York. Its simple design consists of a glazed box built on an extended platform and topped by a light cantilevered roof supported by an array of cylindrical pillars. The project is by Spanish architect and lecturer Alberto Campo Baeza, who sought to create a modest but modern home peacefully immersed in nature.
Learn more about this modern glazed home

January 2, 2015

The Brooklyn Home Company Blends the Old with the New to Transform a Park Slope Home

By Aisha Carter

As an artist, there’s nothing more liberating than being given total control to show what you can really do. So we’re guessing the design team at The Brooklyn Home Company was more than happy to be approached by a Park Slope family to renovate and redesign this historic four-story Lincoln Place townhouse. The team was given complete creative license while incorporating the family’s substantial art and furniture collection into the design. The final product is a completely fresh and new look for the owners, even though it features many familiar elements of a classic Brooklyn brownstone.
More photos inside

January 2, 2015

A House in the Woods by William Reue Uses Locally-Sourced Materials and Bold Geometry

Just one look at A House in the Woods by William Reue and you know this is not your average piece of architecture. Located in the Hudson Valley on a densely forested 8.5-acre lot at the base of the Shawangunk Mountains, the 4,800-square-foot, LEED-certified home was realized through the owner's request for "an artful home that responded to her values of order, beauty, and environmental stewardship." Reue arrived at this goal by using bold, locally-sourced materials to create a seamless transition between the built structure and its surrounding landscape.
Much more on A House in the Woods ahead

December 31, 2014

REVEALED: 141 Willoughby, 30-Story Mixed-Use Tower to Replace Site Once Slated for Eminent Domain Takeover

A Downtown Brooklyn school once planned to be seized through eminent domain will sprout a 30-story mixed-use tower by Savanna Partners. Renderings posted on Savanna's website reveal a glass tower at 141 Willoughby Street with a retail base, student housing, and commercial or residential space above. The project will replace the three-story building that's home to the Institute of Design and Construction, a 77-year-old technical college.
More details on the project

December 31, 2014

West Village Townhouse by 1100 Architect Maximizes Natural Light in a Historic Structure