Architecture And Design

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is nearing an end, we're daydreaming about winding down in a cozy winter cabin, complete with snowy views and warm, crackling fires. And this upstate Adirondack-style cabin by James Thomas is exactly what we've been envisioning. Though the family retreat can't produce snow on the spot, it can offer a tranquil getaway with two fireplaces, comfortable furniture, and an organic mix of natural wood and stone.
Take a look around

REVEALED: New East Williamsburg Rental 66 Ainslie Street Aims for Ubiquitous Factory Look

Rendering of 66 Ainslie Street via Slate Property Group

December 29, 2014

REVEALED: New East Williamsburg Rental 66 Ainslie Street Aims for Ubiquitous Factory Look

Here's the first look at 66 Ainslie Street, a seven-story, 50-unit rental building set to rise from the East Williamsburg corner of Ainslie and Keap Streets. According to The Real Deal, the project is being developed by Slate Property Group, led by Martin Nussbaum and David Schwartz, and the site's previous sole owners, Tavolario and Meszaros Realty Corporation. Slate purchased the site for $15 million in an off-market deal in September. Construction permits filed this past November by Aufgang Architects indicate that the building will contain 42,500 square feet of residential and retail space, 23 parking spaces in an underground garage, and a roof deck and fitness center. The site is also around the corner from the Metropolitan-Lorimer G and L train stop. The filing of a "major alteration" application indicates that at least some part of the existing one-story factory building will remain.
More details ahead

December 26, 2014

TRA Founders Transform Soho Loft into Bright, Sophisticated Space

By Aisha Carter

Kids change everything. And that’s exactly what happened when architect Caterina Roiatti and designer/artist Bob Traboscia of TRA Studio welcomed their son into the world. Shortly afterwards, their apartment of 20 years—a 2,000-square-foot semi-raw “shoebox” loft in Soho—would be transformed from an open live/work space with few windows and doors and no storage to a more grown-up, light-filled home suited for a sophisticated New York family.
More photos inside

December 26, 2014

As the Met Prepares to Move into the Whitney’s Old Building, A Madison Avenue Block Is Transformed

All eyes have been on the construction of Renzo Piano's new downtown home for the Whitney Museum, set to open in May. But let's not forget about what's happening to the Whitney's old Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue and 75th Street. The Brutalist building opened in 1966 and has since dominated its Upper East Side surroundings. It's set to be taken over as a satellite location for the Metropolitan Museum of Art to showcase their contemporary and modern art collections when it reopens in March 2016. And though the Met will not alter the façade of the landmarked museum building, its surroundings will certainly look different than in the Whitney's days. The biggest changes are happening right next door, where the row of six 19th-century Italianate and Greek Revival brownstones on Madison Avenue and two townhouses on East 74th Street are being reimagined as condos and retail space by developer and healthcare entrepreneur Daniel Straus, who bought the properties from the Whitney in 2010 for $95 million and subsequently was granted approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for their new design by Beyer Blinder Belle. According to the Times, who profiled the development, the flurry of construction could be considered "the Met effect."
More on the development here

December 26, 2014

Nikolo Kerimov’s Upon-Tea Beautifully Unveils the Visual Side of Brewing

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Upon-tea is not just a teapot but also an object for admiring the process of brewing of tea. Made from a sleek combination of glass, renewable cork and white ceramic, it offers a unique visual experience in a common daily act. Designed by Nikolo Kerimov, this minimal design enhances one of life's most simple pleasures.
Learn more about this transparent Finnish teapot

December 24, 2014

A 1960s Upstate Log Cabin Transformed into a One-Room Family Home

Takaaki Kawabata (Taka), a senior associate at architecture firm Janson Goldstein, and his wife, designer Christina Kawabata, wanted to move their family from Williamsburg, where their rent had quadrupled, to a rural home still within commuting distance to the city. After first seeing a 1960s log cabin in Garrison, New York, Taka wasn't impressed. But, having grown up in a one-room farmhouse in Japan, when he looked over the plans he knew this was his family's new home. The couple bought the cabin for $335,000, embarked on a year-long $50,000 remodel, and transformed the outdated structure into an 1,100-square-foot family home with a completely open-plan layout and an excess-free living model.
Take a look at the result here

Architecture And Design

Say Goodbye to Williamsburg’s Iconic Diner, New Six-Story Apartment Building Coming

Image by Avagara via Panoramio

December 24, 2014

Say Goodbye to Williamsburg’s Iconic Diner, New Six-Story Apartment Building Coming

Amongst Williamsburg's ever-growing, rapidly-rising new developments remains a neighborhood icon that has managed to stick around in the face of change. However, it looks like time has finally caught up to this tiny 1950s treasure, as Brownstoner reports that permits were filed today to replace the classic metal structure with a six-story, 10-unit apartment building. The replacement may not surprise too many given the transformation of the area, as well as the restaurants taking up space—from a diner in '52 to a beloved burger joint from '97 to 2010 to today providing a somewhat less fitting location for upscale La Esquina's satellite Mexican restaurant/cafe—but without a doubt it's still one that we're sad to see happen.
More details here

December 23, 2014

WE Design’s Brownstone Renovation Melds the Old with Mid-Century Modern Touches

We've featured the work of WE Design before, but here's another one of their Brooklyn beauties that's captured our attention. In a gut renovation of a historic brownstone, the architects brought a 19th century home right into the 21st by juxtaposing the old and the new and making way for spaces that are all about modern living.
Have a look inside this stunning home

170 Amsterdam Avenue: NYC’s First Concrete Diagrid Nears Completion

By Ondel Hylton and Adam Rothstein

Final touches are being added to the Upper West Side's exoskeletal rental building at 170 Amsterdam Avenue. The 20-story mid-rise between 67th and 68th Streets will be the first residential building in the city to feature a concrete "diagrid" structural system. Developed by Chicago-based Equity Residential, the tower will house 239 luxury rental units and is slated to begin leasing early next year. Rental pricing may be similar to the Aire next door, where available units range from $3,375 for a 25th floor studio to $15,000 for a three-bedroom penthouse. According to the New York Post, Equity signed a 99-year lease for the site from the American Properties Group for $76.5 million back in 2011.
More details here

Tiffany Stained Glass Window Found in a Salvage Yard Reveals a Piece of Upstate History

Images from Find Everything Historic

December 23, 2014

Tiffany Stained Glass Window Found in a Salvage Yard Reveals a Piece of Upstate History

By Alyssa Alimurung

Imagine waking up one morning and getting pulled into a whirlwind of adventure, art, history, and preservation. That’s exactly what happened to Doris Cultraro of DC Studios in upstate New York when she was called in to clean and restore a 60-square-foot stained glass panel with over 6,000 pieces in 2007. “Although the original studio […]

Architecture And Design

December 22, 2014

So You Think You Know Everything About One57?

Well, you might want to think twice. Even though the city's most expensive condo building is also perhaps the most written-about (even the Times has run out of ways to describe it), there are still plenty of little-known facts about the 1,005-foot-tall tower. One57 is considered the crown jewel of what's been dubbed "Billionaire's Row," and can also be credited with launching the ultra-luxury building boom. Developed by Extell's Gary Barnett and designed by Pritzker-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, the sleek tower is currently the second tallest structure in the city. And that's just the beginning.
Bone up on your One57 factoids here

Architecture And Design

December 22, 2014

Kristina Kjær’s Wooden Desk is a Sweet Modern Design That Also Saves Space

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

When you live in a dense city like New York, you know that every inch that you can get your hands on is a sacred one. While sacrifice usually comes into play when taking up space in an urban environment, thankfully there are smart designs out there that don't require us to give up the simple things in life–like a desk. Perfect for your computer–or for your unruly piles–this compact desk designed by Kristina Kjær is practical, comfortable, and pretty easy on the eyes.
Learn more about this small-scale wooden desk

December 21, 2014

North Haven’s Peconic Residence Is Made from an Assemblage of Volumes in Harmony with Nature

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Nestled amongst mature cedar, sycamore and black pines, this beautiful residence is made from an assemblage of different volumes. Featuring a mix of brown shades on its exterior, the Peconic Residence by Martin Architects in New York's North Haven was created in harmony with nature. Designed using passive house standards and sustainable materials, this beautiful dwelling also has a waterfall edge reflecting pool and a Japanese stone garden.
Learn more about this sustainable woodland home

December 19, 2014

REVEALED: 290-Foot Cantilevering Condo Coming to Hudson Square/West Soho

A development site at Greenwich and Charlton Streets promises to be among the first to bear fruit from Hudson Square's 2013 rezoning. Images uncovered on the website of Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FR-EE) detail a 26-floor, 116-unit condominium along the quiet commercial edge of the neighborhood. The L-shaped lot is owned by the developer Cape Advisors, whose forward-thinking projects include 100 Eleventh Avenue and One Kenmare Square.
More details ahead

December 19, 2014

MAD-Designed West Village Duplex Gets a Modern Update with a Cantilevered Staircase

By Rebecca Paul

Originally built in 1817, this West Village townhouse recently underwent a complete renovation by Matiz Architecture & Design (MAD). The transformation of this historic Bleecker Street duplex introduced custom millwork and a cantilevered wood stair as the focal point of the design. It also mixed the home's original features, like exposed brick, ceiling beams and wide-plank flooring with modern updates such as sleek countertops, whitewashed woodwork and contemporary art. By eliminating all full-height partitions and creating an open floor plan, the firm was able to make this space feel twice its size.
See what else this duplex has in store

December 19, 2014

REVEALED: NoMad Tower by FR-EE; Is It a Cowbell, Exclamation Point, or Cheese Grater?

Another exclamation point in a year of seemingly endless skyscraper unveilings has appeared on the city's "to-build list" with a possible rendering of a long-proposed mixed-use tower slated for the heart of NoMad. This exclamatory statement comes from the Mexico-based office of Fernando Romero EnterprisE (FR-EE). Never heard of them? Then check out their website and browse the bold work we New Yorkers too often miss out on. If the selection of FR-EE is official, Ziel Feldman’s HFZ Capital would join a growing list of New York developers bitten by the design bug. Developers like Hines, Rosen, Related, and Extell have led the way in commissioning big name, often foreign, architects to pen skyline-shifting projects aimed at the top of the market. HFZ also commissioned British-based David Chipperfield Architects to design a dignified 30-story tower along the southern edge of Bryant Park.
More details on the 50-story tower here

December 19, 2014

Announcing 6sqft’s 2014 Building of the Year!

DRUMROLL PLEASE… You came, you voted, and now we’re pleased to announce the winner of our first-ever Building of the Year competition! Congratulations to the Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed, Continuum Company-developed 45 East 22nd Street tower which won the hearts of 29 percent of over 3,500 readers who came to cast a vote. We’re not sure if it was the champagne flute-like design that sold […]

December 19, 2014

Hilarious Architecture-Inspired Holiday Cards to Hand Out This Season

Giving and getting holiday cards is always fun, but every so often you'll receive one that really gets you giggling. This year, be the person handing off clever cards to your friends and family. ArchDaily has just announced their 2014 Holiday Card Contest winners, and for all of you design-minded folks and architecture nerds, they've got plenty of punny—and just downright cool—cards to choose from.
get the cards here

December 18, 2014

INTERVIEW: HS2 Architecture’s Tom and Jane Talk Residential Design and Their 20-Year Collaboration

HS2 Architecture's name may not ring all that familiar, but you've certainly come across their projects before—and we're not just talking on 6sqft. HS2's power pair, Tom Hut and Jane Sachs, have been working together since 1994, enduring the ups and downs of the NYC market and putting some spectacular and very recognizable designs out there while at it. Does the Gramercy Park Hotel ring a bell? Maybe the Palazzo Chupi? Or maybe you've shopped at the Ralph Lauren Store on Madison and 72nd. Easily one of the most underrated architecture firms working today, HS2 is really a force to be reckoned with when it comes to the built environment. In celebration of their 20th anniversary, we recently sat down with founders Tom and Jane to talk about their studio, their work, and the roller coaster ride that has been New York City architecture over the past two decades.
Read the interview with HS2's principals here

2015 Architectural League Prize Is Accepting Submissions for Authenticity Competition

The 2013 exhibition of winning proposals, via Architectural League of New York

December 18, 2014

2015 Architectural League Prize Is Accepting Submissions for Authenticity Competition

Budding architects and designers have the chance to submit proposals that cultivate new positions of authenticity within architecture, the task of this year's Architectural League Prize Competition, according to Arch Daily. Since 1981, this contest has been put on by the Young Architects + Designers Committee to recognize young practitioners. Authenticity has a very different meaning in today's digital world than it did in ancient Greece, for example, where the only two forms of copying were stamping and casting. Thus, the 2015 Authenticity competition asks participants to explore "how design, technology, and practice challenge authenticity and the ways that originality, expression, and authorship continue to be pursued."
READ MORE

Architecture And Design

Davis Brody Bond, Architects of 9/11 Museum, Will Design New NYU Building in the Village

A rendering of the NYU expansion plan

December 18, 2014

Davis Brody Bond, Architects of 9/11 Museum, Will Design New NYU Building in the Village

Architecture firm Davis Brody Bond is continuing their tradition of designing projects met with much controversy. First came the 9/11 Museum, then the Frick Museum expansion, and now the new NYU building in the Village. Davis Brody Bond will join KieranTimberlake in designing the university's new building on the Coles Sports Center site on Mercer Street between Houston and Bleecker Streets. The building is part of the highly contentious $6 billion, 1.9 million-square-foot NYU 2031 expansion plan. The development agreement allows NYU to develop only one parcel of land at a time, with Coles being the first.
READ MORE

December 17, 2014

Explore NYC in 3-D with Google Maps’ Latest Update

For those of you who remember the quirky Times story featuring a Google team's attempt to document every inch of Ellis Island, here comes the the payoff. The awe-inspiring world of Google Maps and Google Earth is growing into an even grander time suck with a slew of new city sites rendered in 3-D. Their latest update now lets us explore New York's landmarks from top to torch to spire, and all the details in between, right from our desktops. Some of the most impressive sites worth a gander include the Statue of Liberty and One World Trade Center.
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December 17, 2014

$2.5M Romanesque Revival Rowhouse in Prospect Heights Is Full of Original Details