Neighborhood Tours

December 21, 2014

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

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 17, 2014

NYU Professor Builds Himself a Tiny Cabin Using Recycled and Salvaged Materials

By Alyssa Alimurung

Everyone can use a break from the city, even those college professors we can’t imagine having lives outside the classroom. Equipped with a dream and a newly-bought plot of land in New Jersey, one NYU educator hired Derek “Deek” Diedricksen of RelaxShacks.com to build a tiny cabin perfect for grading papers and relaxation. The micro-pod was constructed on […]

December 16, 2014

Lubrano Ciavarra Architects’ West Village Townhouse Boasts a Plush Green Roof

By Rebecca Paul

This elegant West Village townhouse was recently renovated by Lubrano Ciavarra Architects, a Brooklyn-based firm founded by Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra in 1999. Nestled on a beautiful tree-lined street, it boasts a rich brick exterior and plenty of original details. The 2,900-square-foot home's design is a cool combination of modern, clean textiles and a very unique approach to incorporating nature in and outside of the house.
Take a look around here

December 11, 2014

Bates Masi + Architects Renovated the Far Pond Residence with Hurricane-Proof Prefabricated Panels

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

The stunning Far Pond Residence has a naturally weathered wood skin and large windows overlooking layers of wetlands, an estuary and the Atlantic Ocean. Located on a half-acre site on the east end of Long Island in Southampton, this modern family dwelling is actually a renovated 1970s kit house. Its extension and tasteful modernization was designed by Bates Masi + Architects, who used prefabricated materials and new technologies that minimized waste and elevated the experience of inhabiting the space.
Learn more about the prefab home extension

December 10, 2014

In.Site-Architecture’s Southern Tier BARNagain Is Built from Old Barns

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Instead of building a new home from scratch, a resourceful family decided to put all of the wood they salvaged from a few local barns to good use. They called up In.Site-Architecture to help them on their journey, and what they got was a reclaimed wood dwelling with a stunning modern meets rustic look.
Learn more about the recycled BARNagain

December 9, 2014

Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin D in the All-Glass Photon Space

By Dana Schulz

It's raining, it's pouring, and all we can think of are sunnier days. Before people knew the health risks of tanning beds, they were a welcome cure for the winter blues, and a new, first-of-its-kind, all-glass modular structure could be just the safe replacement we've been looking for. The Photon Space was recently launched on Crowdcube, a British crowdfunding platform, by the Photon Project, a group of innovators in the fields of architecture, technology, engineering and design, along with scientists at Oxford University. It is a 147-foot compact living space that takes into account the health benefits of exposure to natural light. The distinguishing element of the Photon Space is its intelligent glass architecture, which can change in an instant from transparent to opaque.
More on the structure ahead

December 9, 2014

Don’t Forget, One World Trade Was Supposed to Be the Greenest Building in America

By Diane Pham

Since the opening of One World Trade Center just a few weeks ago, the world has been in an uproar over the design and the incredible cost of making New York's tallest tower a reality. But one feature that we all seemed to have forgotten was the promise that the tower would be the greenest building in America. A recent City Lab article looks at what went wrong, and why, in a race to meet contractual obligations to its anchor tenant, Condé Nast, the development dumped a major part of its plans to go green, currently leaving the building in a state of noncompliance.
Find out more here

December 8, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: Andrej Urem’s Architecturally Inspired Eco-Candles

By Dana Schulz

Candles are probably the easiest, most common holiday gift when you just don't have a clue what to get someone. But after several years of giving the same old candle, it gets a little boring. So we've found the perfect outside-the-box candle for architecture buffs, tech nerds, or anyone who will love an attractive eco-candle. The AU Collection by artist and designer Andrej Urem is a series of 3D-printed candles inspired by architectural forms. And they're made right here in Brooklyn.
More on the AU Collection

December 7, 2014

The Glowing Hudson Passive Project Is a Dreamy Upstate Eco-Retreat

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

BarlisWedlick Architects LLC joined forces with Bill Stratton Building Company to create this sweet, high-performance and very quick-to-build home. The stunning glazed dwelling sits within the Hudson Valley just two hours north of the city. Dubbed the Hudson Passive Project, this cutting-edge dream home is not only beautiful, it's proudly New York State's first-ever certified passive house.
Learn more about the stunning Hudson Passive Project

December 4, 2014

6sqft Gift Guide: Oyster Mushroom Log

By Dana Schulz

Sure, we'd all love to be able to give our fungus-loving friends a nice, big truffle for the holidays (or even this $1 million beauty), but that's not really the most economical gift idea. So to cure our mushroom cravings, we've found the next best thing. The Oyster Mushroom Log from Williams-Sonoma is a hardwood log pre-inoculated with oyster mushroom spores. Just keep it damp and stored in a dark place, and the delicious mushrooms will sprout every two months for up to three years.
More on the culinary gift here

ABC No Rio’s Graffiti-Covered Tenement Will Be Replaced with an Ultra-Modern “Passive House”

By Diane Pham

When ABC No Rio announced more than five years ago that they would be demolishing their building in favor of an updated facility, artists immediately began grieving over the impending loss of the cooperative's hardcore punk roots. Not much movement was made after that—only word that the artists would be going green with their renovation—but lo and behold, a new rendering revealed by Bowery Boogie shows us what will soon replace the artists' collective: a 9,000 square-foot, LEED-certified Passive House complete with exhibition and performance spaces, a green roof and a second floor terrace.
find out more here

November 28, 2014

Long Island’s Green Dome is the Largest Geodesic Dome Home in the World

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Measuring 70 feet in diameter and 45 feet high, Kevin Shea's spectacular dwelling is proudly the world’s largest geodesic dome home. Dubbed Long Island Green Dome, this LEED-certified building sets an example for both family life and sustainable living. The power comes courtesy of the wind and sun, and the home has trees growing inside and a lovely outdoor terraced garden made from recycled tires.
Learn more about this large geodesic home

November 26, 2014

NYC Dumpster Transforms into an Inflatable Urban Education Classroom

By Dana Schulz

Well, this gives a whole new meaning to the term "dumpster diving." In Morningside Heights, at 109th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, the New York-based architect John Locke, of the Department of Urban Betterment, has created "inflato dumpster," a blow-up urban education classroom inside of a typical city dumpster. The design team was inspired by the "contemporary fascination with transforming existing street structures into utilitarian spaces for habitation," which led to their combining the seemingly invisible lightness of the inflatable material with the hard, gritty, steel dumpster.
More details on the inflatable dumpster

November 25, 2014

Jellyfish Barge Floating Greenhouse Purifies Polluted Water While Growing Edibles

By Dana Schulz

Influenced by the World Bank's prediction that the world population will grow to almost 10 billion in the next four decades, and the fact that arable land is scarcest in many of the areas with the highest rates of population growth, the director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology and the architects at Studio Mobile have created the Jellyfish Barge, a floating greenhouse. At only 229 square feet, the sustainably-made, octagonal Jellyfish Barge can purify salt, brackish, or polluted water using solar energy, thereby acting as a module for crop cultivation that doesn’t rely on soil, fresh water, and chemical energy consumption.
More on the floating green house here

November 25, 2014

Westchester County’s First Certified Passive House is a Modern Renovation with Harbor Views

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Andreas M. Benzing, LEED-certified vice president of the New York Passive House, was the architect in charge of Westchester County's first-ever passive home. Located in a close-knit community in Mamaroneck Harbor, this ultra energy-efficient split-level is actually a re-do of a gutted 1960s home. A modern temple of natural wood and glass, the dwelling features bright modern interiors and takes passive energy from the sun.
Learn more about this stunning Passive Home

November 24, 2014

Float Is an Exquisite Coffee Table That Looks Like a Lotus Pond

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Float is a unique coffee table designed as an exquisite optical illusion for the home. Created by London's Central Saint Martins graduate Olivia Lee, it appears as a levitating lotus pond supported by a trio of intertwining stems. In addition to providing tranquility for the eye, it creates some surprising visual effects when objects are placed on it.
Learn more about this charming lotus table

November 21, 2014

Bring a Bit of the ‘Burbs Into Your City Home with Suburbia Wall Storage

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Swedish Note Design Studio has re-designed the iconic Uten.Silo by Dorothee Becker for Vitra in a playful architectonic way. The hyper-functional wall storage was originally made from ABS plastic and featured plenty of pockets for pens, makeup, toys and tools. But the new, more sustainable wooden version called Suburbia features a small neighborhood in which small objects can find a home.
Learn more about this sustainable storage redesign

November 20, 2014

Finalists Announced for 2015 Governors Island City of Dreams Pavilion

By Dana Schulz

Governors Island is one of those magical NYC places that comes to life in the spring after a long winter hibernation. And part of its reawakening will be the revealing of the City of Dreams Pavilion, a futuristic-looking art installation where visitors can gather. For the fifth consecutive year, FIGMENT has teamed with the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects NY Chapter (AIANY) and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY) to host a competition for the pavilion. Entrants were asked to design a temporary architectural structure to hold 50+ people, provide shade and rain cover, using sustainable materials. And just this week the five finalists were announced.
Take a look at the final five designs here

November 18, 2014

Viking-Inspired Barca Bench Fuses Furniture with Boat Building Techniques

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Here is a design we'd like to get cozy with. Perfect for a lazy autumn afternoon, the sculptural Barca Bench fuses furniture with boat building techniques. The piece is the work of Danish designer Jacob Joergensen, who constructed the bench from bent pieces of wood that are meticulously joined together into a sculptural, organic shape. Designed for easy assembly and disassembly, this unique seat is a modern Viking-style seat for utter relaxation.
Learn more about this Danish bench

20 Years from Now We May Sorely Regret Building All of These Glass Towers

What Manhattan will look like in 2018. Many of the buildings going up will be wrapped in glass. Image via CityRealty

November 14, 2014

20 Years from Now We May Sorely Regret Building All of These Glass Towers

By Diane Pham

Providing more affordable housing to New Yorkers is at the top of the De Blasio administration's agenda, but greening the city is certainly a major concern as well. It is anticipated that a new bill aimed at cutting the city's greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050 will be signed in to law, much of which is expected to center on green building. Ambitious, yes—but is 2050 too late? The Globe and Mail recently interviewed Canadian architect and journalist Lloyd Alter on the glass condo obsession, which, as with NYC, is taking the cities of Vancouver and Toronto by storm. What Alter shares for the future of glass towers worldwide is quite bleak, but he also proposes a number of measures and case studies that NYC developers should certainly take note of if they want to reduce costs and keep property values up in the long run.
Find out more here

November 14, 2014

Mianne de Vries’s Photosensitive Vase Lets You Capture Your Own Image on Its Skin

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

This year's winner of the Volvo Design Awards is a tangible object that lets you capture a special experience. Known as the Capture Vase, this unique customizable container comes with a photosensitive skin that lets you print your own photograph on it, completing the design. Envisioned by Dutch designer Mianne de Vries, this stunning vessel is both functional and magical.
Learn more about the Capture Vase

More Green Buildings Likely Under NYC’s New Greenhouse Gas Plan

Green community Battery Park City via gigi_nyc via photopin cc

November 14, 2014

More Green Buildings Likely Under NYC’s New Greenhouse Gas Plan

By Dana Schulz

Yesterday, the City Council passed a bill that says New York City must cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2050. The bill, which was approved 47-0, was sponsored by Queens Councilman Costa Constantinides and is expected to be signed into law by Mayor de Blasio. To reduce emissions, measures similar to those used for PlaNYC will be put into play, including planting trees and retrofitting buildings to be more energy efficient. But we also suspect that the bill will spur a wave of new green developments.
More on the greenhouse gas plan

November 12, 2014

INTERVIEW: Amy Norquist of Greensulate Talks Green Roofs and Sustainable Design

By Dana Schulz

6sqft is no stranger to green design, and more and more buildings throughout New York City are implementing eco-friendly features, from providing electric car chargers to utilizing geothermal energy systems. A major component in sustainable development is the addition of green roofs. Whether they're merely for environmental purposes, or if they provide a usable outdoor space, green roofs are the next big thing in green design. So, we decided to chat with Amy Norquist, CEO and founder of Greensulate, a leader in integrated design, engineering, installation and maintenance of green roof systems for the residential, commercial, and industrial markets.
Read our full interview with Amy here

November 12, 2014

Mediterranean-Style CarRem Trolley Lets Restaurant Guests Pick Fresh Herbs at the Table

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Andreu Carulla runs his own multidisciplinary design studio in a natural setting just an hour away from Barcelona. And that organic location serves as inspiration for his amazing designs, including the ingenious CarRem, a mobile herb garden designed to hold food, drinks, and plants, allowing guests at the table to choose and enjoy the taste of freshly plucked herbs. An innovative idea with a minimal aesthetic, this stylish trolley reflects the designer's Mediterranean lifestyle.
Learn more about the herb trolley

November 11, 2014

Nomadic Designer Stephanie Hornig’s Camp Daybed Is a Sleeping Bag on Legs

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Product designer Stephanie Hornig takes inspiration from her own nomadic lifestyle when creating beautifully simple objects. A "citizen of the world," she was born in Austria, studied in Berlin, was trained in Milan–where she worked for renowned Spanish architect Patricia Urquiola–and is now based in London. Hornig's fantastic Camp Daybed is a cozy sleeping bag on legs that pays tribute to hyper-functional camping elements and her own adventurous life on the road.
Learn more about this camping-inspired design

Neighborhood Tours

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

NYU Professor Builds Himself a Tiny Cabin Using Recycled and Salvaged Materials

Lubrano Ciavarra Architects’ West Village Townhouse Boasts a Plush Green Roof

Bates Masi + Architects Renovated the Far Pond Residence with Hurricane-Proof Prefabricated Panels

In.Site-Architecture’s Southern Tier BARNagain Is Built from Old Barns

Get Your Daily Dose of Vitamin D in the All-Glass Photon Space

Don’t Forget, One World Trade Was Supposed to Be the Greenest Building in America

6sqft Gift Guide: Andrej Urem’s Architecturally Inspired Eco-Candles

The Glowing Hudson Passive Project Is a Dreamy Upstate Eco-Retreat

6sqft Gift Guide: Oyster Mushroom Log

ABC No Rio’s Graffiti-Covered Tenement Will Be Replaced with an Ultra-Modern “Passive House”

Long Island’s Green Dome is the Largest Geodesic Dome Home in the World

NYC Dumpster Transforms into an Inflatable Urban Education Classroom

Jellyfish Barge Floating Greenhouse Purifies Polluted Water While Growing Edibles

Westchester County’s First Certified Passive House is a Modern Renovation with Harbor Views

Doors of steel and glass make this $3M Soho loft feel like a box of light

Float Is an Exquisite Coffee Table That Looks Like a Lotus Pond

Bring a Bit of the ‘Burbs Into Your City Home with Suburbia Wall Storage

Finalists Announced for 2015 Governors Island City of Dreams Pavilion

Viking-Inspired Barca Bench Fuses Furniture with Boat Building Techniques

20 Years from Now We May Sorely Regret Building All of These Glass Towers

Mianne de Vries’s Photosensitive Vase Lets You Capture Your Own Image on Its Skin

More Green Buildings Likely Under NYC’s New Greenhouse Gas Plan

INTERVIEW: Amy Norquist of Greensulate Talks Green Roofs and Sustainable Design

Mediterranean-Style CarRem Trolley Lets Restaurant Guests Pick Fresh Herbs at the Table

Nomadic Designer Stephanie Hornig’s Camp Daybed Is a Sleeping Bag on Legs

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