Architecture And Design

The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 have announced that the 2018 winner of their annual Young Architects Program is 'Hide & Seek' by Jennifer Newsom and Tom Carruthers of Dream The Combine, in collaboration with Clayton Binkley of ARUP. Opening in June, the winning construction, a "responsive, kinetic environment that features nine intersecting elements arrayed across the entirety of the MoMA PS1 courtyard" will serve as a backdrop for the 21st season of Warm Up, MoMA PS1’s outdoor seasonal music series.
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Image: DBOX

March 6, 2018

Bjarke Ingels reveals new rendering for West Chelsea hotel/condo project, The Eleventh

Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has released new design details and a teaser site for its first New York condominium and hotel project at 76 Eleventh Avenue near the High Line in West Chelsea (h/t Designboom). Known as "The Eleventh," or as it's being written now, The XI, the project is comprised of a pair of twisting asymmetrical bronze and travertine towers joined by a skybridge. The building’s windowed facade is said to be inspired by the Meatpacking District’s iconic warehouses.
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The second phase of Hunters Point South Park will be ready for visitors by summer

Photo by David Lloyd/SWA

March 6, 2018

The second phase of Hunters Point South Park will be ready for visitors by summer

Long Island City is getting five more glorious acres of waterfront park space, with the city expected to complete Hunters Point South Park in the coming months. The second phase of the park, which stretches below 54th Avenue and wraps around Newtown Creek, is nearing completion after three years under construction, according to LIC Post. The city's Economic Development Corporation says the opening date will come by late spring or early summer, so New Yorkers will have a whole new outdoor amenity to enjoy when the weather warms up.
The park has tons of cool features

March 5, 2018

Concept renderings for West Midtown skyscraper show super-slender ‘high performance office tower’

Architecture firm RB Systems has just published a set of renderings that explore the new supertall tower typology that's been gaining popularity in New York City in recent years. First spotted by New York Yimby, the "New York’s Super Slender” tower in the renderings is shown on a small (only 30 meters by 30 meters) vacant West Midtown site at 265 West 45th Street. The tower was designed to squeeze onto a 98-foot wide lot, which would put it among New York City's most slender towers. Rising 1,312 feet high, the theoretical building would provide modern, ergonomic, sustainable office spaces. The project reflects a likely path for skyscraper design in the coming years, when the city's towers will need to meet the challenges of dense city centers and a dearth of large vacant lots coupled with a demand for new properties.
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March 1, 2018

Brooklyn’s ‘hive loft’ creates private nooks within an open, industrial space

This quirky interior design project, for an apartment on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, came from the owner's desire to preserve their open, industrial loft space while adding some extra privacy and separation. The task fell to OS Architecture, a Manhattan-based firm that's done interior design around the world. As the firm notes, the main goal was "avoiding conventional partitions that would have closed off the space." So they got creative, creating a "single faceted form that could be enclosed and private at times," but still interlocked with the larger space of the open loft. Ultimately this interior object, separate from the columns, ceiling and walls of the apartment, makes for an interesting design talking piece.
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New construction photos show One Vanderbilt’s 1,401-foot ascent

Photo courtesy of Max Touhey

February 28, 2018

New construction photos show One Vanderbilt’s 1,401-foot ascent

After beginning its vertical construction last June, One Vanderbilt's progress shows no signs of slowing. According to SL Green, the supertall is currently rising two floors per month and after the 13th floor is completed, three floors will be installed every month. The planned 1,401-foot tower, which will become the city's second tallest skyscraper when completed, will measure over one million square feet. In addition to the above-ground construction, the project includes $220 million in public transit improvements as well as a passageway for direct access to the subway.
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February 27, 2018

Finalists for Park Avenue design contest propose an artificial mountain and a river for kayak commutes

Fisher Brothers unveiled on Tuesday the 17 finalists chosen for its "Beyond the Centerline" design competition after receiving more than 150 submissions. Participants were asked to think of creative and ambitious ideas to transform the traffic medians along Park Avenue between 46th and 57th Streets. The finalists did not disappoint. Proposals call for an Alpine mountain, a massive aquarium, floating gardens, mini-golf, an elevated walkway and more. Although a jury will select the grand prize winner, all 17 proposals will be on display for public voting at Park Avenue Plaza, located at 55 East 52nd Street, from March 5 to March 9 for the second-place prize. Below, check out all of the unique projects.
See the ambitious ideas

Architecture And Design

Design competition proposals call for fish tanks and mini-golf in the middle of Park Avenue

Rendering courtesy of Eric Spencer

February 26, 2018

Design competition proposals call for fish tanks and mini-golf in the middle of Park Avenue

In November, Fisher Brothers first launched a design competition to bring life to the boring traffic medians along Park Avenue, between East 46th and East 57th Streets. The privately-funded contest, dubbed "Beyond the Centerline," aims to spur creative thinking and unique ideas never before considered for the traffic medians. After the developer received more than 150 submissions from landscape architects and urban planners, the list has been narrowed to 17 finalists (h/t New York Times). Stand out proposals from the finalists include a mini-golf course, a glass aquarium and a curvy, elevated park.
More details here

Architecture And Design

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle will close for restoration next week

Photos via Central Park Conservancy

February 23, 2018

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle will close for restoration next week

The Belvedere in Central Park was conceived as a miniature castle by Calvert Vaux, co-designer of the park, in 1869. It opened with some of the best views of the city's prized green space--the name Belvedere was chosen as it is Italian for "beautiful view." But the years have taken their toll on the stone structure, which has not been renovated since 1983. Now the Central Park Conservancy will close it to address issues like cracked pavement, a leaky roof, and plumbing issues. Starting this Monday, February 26th, Belvedere Castle will be off-limits to the public for its restoration, and will not reopen until 2019.
More details of the reno

Architecture And Design

Conceptual proposal envisions futuristic mixed-use NYC project with micro units and drone landings

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last year new mandates to force building owners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a way to fight climate change, a Dallas-based architecture firm has taken the idea of sustainable design to the next level. During last month's International Builder's Show, Humphreys & Partners presented a conceptual plan for a mixed-use project on Manhattan's waterfront. In Pier 2: Apartment of the Future, the architects tackled major issues prevalent in many cities, like affordability and energy efficiency (h/t Curbed NY). The futuristic proposal includes two towers with modular and micro-units, which would boast futuristic amenities like artificial intelligence, drones, home automation and more.
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Rafael Viñoly’s octagonal-cored Upper East Side tower gets new rendering

Rendering of 249 East 62nd Street via Rafael Viñoly Architects

February 20, 2018

Rafael Viñoly’s octagonal-cored Upper East Side tower gets new rendering

First announced over a year ago and later approved by the city's Department of Buildings in September, Rafael Viñoly’s residential project planned for 249 East 62nd Street moved forward this week after the architect released a new rendering. As YIMBY reported, the 510-foot building will feature retail and a townhouse at its base, with apartments above it through the 12th floor. The uniqueness of this project's design lies with its 150-foot-tall octagonally-shaped core, aimed at raising the height of upper-level apartments without counting it toward usable square footage.
Details here

Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava to design Hudson Yards residential towers

Rendering of Hudson Yards. Image: Danny Forster Design Studio

February 20, 2018

Frank Gehry and Santiago Calatrava to design Hudson Yards residential towers

Though starchitect Frank Gehry threatened to flee to France after the 2016 election, he'll likely be sticking around to design new towers at the Hudson Yards mega-development on Manhattan's west side; Gehry and fellow controversial architect Santiago Calatrava are among those chosen to work on the residential western section of Related Cos. and Oxford Properties' 28-acre complex, according to a source close to the project who spoke with the Wall Street Journal.
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Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

Rendering via REX Architecture

February 16, 2018

Plan for a performing arts space at the World Trade Center moves forward

The project to bring a performing arts center to the World Trade Center is finally back on track, almost 15 years after the idea was included in the original vision for rebuilding the area post-9/11. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday an agreement for a 99-year lease between the Port Authority and the World Trade Center Performing Arts Center Inc. (PAC) for $1 per year, paving the way for construction to begin. Named for the billionaire who gifted $75 million to the project, the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center will include 200,000 square feet of space, three halls and a rehearsal space, a restaurant and a gift shop. If everything moves smoothly, the center could open as soon as the 2020 or 2021 season.
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RPA report envisions New Jersey’s Meadowlands as the first ‘Climate Change National Park’

Via ORG Permanent Modernity/Regional Plan Association

February 14, 2018

RPA report envisions New Jersey’s Meadowlands as the first ‘Climate Change National Park’

Released last fall, the Regional Plan Association's (RPA) Fourth Plan includes 61 recommendations focused on improving and expanding the area's deteriorating infrastructure, transportation, and affordability, much of which revolves around climate change and its transformation of the region. According to the report, more than one million people and 650,000 jobs are at risk of flooding due to rising sea levels. In the plan, the RPA ambitiously recommends that the New Jersey Meadowlands, 21,000 acres of low-lying wetlands, becomes a national park as a way to mitigate impacts of climate change (h/t Curbed). Designating the region's largest wetland as a national park would restore the natural habits, protect nearby communities, and create a recreational space, becoming, the report says, a "Climate Change National Park." The Meadowlands National Park would adapt and grow with climate change by drawing and redrawing the boundaries of the park as coastlines change.
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February 14, 2018

Designer Sebastian Errazuriz opens up his South Bronx studio full of functional art and furniture

By Dana Schulz

6sqft’s series “Where I Work” takes us into the studios, offices, and off-beat workspaces of New Yorkers across the city. In this installment, we’re touring the South Bronx design studio of Sebastian Errazuriz. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! Sebastian Errazuriz is a Chilean-born artist, designer, and activist but over the years, he's grown his multidisciplinary studio to incorporate everything from virtual reality to activism. But nothing he does is cookie-cutter. His cabinets undulate and mimic kaleidoscopes; his public art makes social commentary on issues from Wall Street and capitalism to Chile's politicide; and he's created sculptures that mix a boat with a coffin and a crystal chandelier with taxidermy birds. Sebastian likens his ability to work in these mediums separately but together to how he can speak both English and Spanish but also Spanglish. "It's the freedom to incorporate words that do not exist in one particular language but that enrich communication with someone else that I really enjoy within the boundaries of art and design," he explains. Now, Sebastian is at the forefront of yet another new frontier. Though he has a 5,000-square-foot space at the uber-hip Industry City, he opened his second location last summer in Mott Haven, one of the city's newest artist enclaves due to its affordable warehouse spaces and non-residential nature that sets it apart from the more gentrifying parts of the area. 6sqft recently paid Sebastian a visit here to learn how his firm is growing, the process behind his "functional art," and why he moved to the South Bronx.
Tour the studio and meet Sebastian

February 13, 2018

Historic Kips Bay townhouse with room to grow asks $4.3M

This mid-19th century townhouse in Manhattan's often overlooked neighborhood of Kips Bay might be a dime a dozen in a Brooklyn neighborhood like Cobble Hill. But in Midtown it's asking $4.3 million and it looks as cute as a button somehow. This four-story-plus-cellar Greek Revival-style (officially) three-family home sits on a pretty tree-lined residential street. At 18-inches wide its well-maintained and fetching façade is highlighted by custom contrasting shutters.
Tour the townhouse

February 13, 2018

World’s Fair fountains in Flushing Meadows will get a $5M revamp

By Dana Schulz

More than 50 years after the 1964-65 World's Fair was held in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the fountains leading up to the iconic Unisphere will be returned to their former glory. amNY first got word that the currently dilapidated Fountain of the Fairs would undergo a $5 million renovation next year. Renderings from Quennell Rothschild & Partners show a Fog Garden, a walkway filled with misting fountains, as well as a children's water park and another plaza for outdoor performances, all of which will be lined with new landscaping and seating.
More details and renderings

Architecture And Design

February 12, 2018

How NYC companies use workplace design and perks to affect emotional health and productivity

By Michelle Sinclair Colman

Modern companies understand that in order to attract and retain the best talent, they have to compete on more than salaries, vacation, and healthcare. Companies like Google, WeWork, Pixar, and Facebook are well known for providing workspaces that inspire creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Clive Wilkinson, the architect of Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters, is quoted as saying, “75 to 80 percent of America is cubicle land. Cubicles are the worst - like chicken farming. They are humiliating, disenfranchising and isolating. So many American corporations still have them." Modern office designs are the opposite of closed off, fluorescent-lit cubicles- they are open with natural light and little, if any, suggestion of hierarchies. In addition to designing workspaces that inspire creativity, these modern companies also providing perks like free food, drink, and recreation to entice employees. So what are some of the best practices in designing offices for people’s emotional health and productivity? And what other perks do companies have to offer to attract the top talent?
Here's what companies are offering up

February 12, 2018

Pier 40 concept envisions an offshore apartment complex that allows for sea-level rise

Local multidisciplinary creative firm DFA has come up with a concept for the rehabilitation of Manhattan's rapidly disintegrating Pier 40 that would provide housing and other services, but would also adapt to the predicted rising sea levels of future New York City. Dezeen reports on the firm's fascinating idea for a future-proof housing, commercial and recreation complex that rises from the Hudson River in the West Village and would be able to remain above water in the event of rising sea levels, while addressing the city's dire need for affordable housing and the ability to resist flooding as a result of climate change.
Find out more about the future-proof floating pier

Architecture And Design

New renderings revealed for SCDA’s flashy 11-story condo on the High Line

Rendering via Neoscape

February 9, 2018

New renderings revealed for SCDA’s flashy 11-story condo on the High Line

A swath of new renderings of SCDA Architects' condo tower was released this week, more than three years after the project was first announced in 2014. As Curbed NY learned, the new renderings of the building, located, at 515 West 29th Street, show a glass fin facade and the interiors of the 15 planned apartments, including five penthouses. Forum Absolute Capital Partners is developing the tower, dubbed Five One Five, which will contain two- and three-bedroom units ranging from $4.3 million to $8.5 million. CORE is handling sales and marketing.
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See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

Photo: Adrian Gaut

February 9, 2018

See new photos of SHoP Architects’ Domino rental tower at 325 Kent

Now that the doughnut-shaped 16-story waterfront rental building at 325 Kent Avenue is nearly complete, you can take a look at some seductive new snaps of interiors and amenity spaces to see if it lives up to the hype. The first structure at the 11-acre Domino Sugar Factory site to open, the 522-unit riverfront tower brings something new to ogle to the famously rezoned Williamsburg neighborhood’s veritable city of glassy condo towers that surround the landmarked Refinery building.
More photos, yoga and food this way

February 8, 2018

For $1.6M, a historic upstate church-turned-music venue can be your personal house of worship