Search Results for: green

April 5, 2017

Habitat for Humanity will build 48 affordable homes for New Yorkers

In New York City, and the rest of the country, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find affordable housing. To combat this, the Habitat for Humanity NYC announced a plan to build affordable houses for buyers in Brooklyn and Queens. The organization, aimed at constructing quality housing for families in need, will bring 48 units of affordable homes to these boroughs by redeveloping abandoned or foreclosed properties. Since most of these homes have been left vacant for decades, many are run-down and have negatively impacted the surrounding neighborhoods. As Brick Underground learned, the city’s Housing Authority first acquired these properties and then sold them to Habitat for Humanity at $1 each.
Find out more
April 5, 2017

Where I Work: Go inside Square Roots’ futuristic shipping container farm in Bed-Stuy

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 take a tour of the Bed-Stuy urban farm Square Roots. Want to see your business featured here? Get in touch! In a Bed-Stuy parking lot, across from the Marcy Houses (you'll know this as Jay-Z's childhood home) and behind the hulking Pfizer Building, is an urban farming accelerator that's collectively producing the equivalent of a 20-acre farm. An assuming eye may see merely a collection of 10 shipping containers, but inside each of these is a hydroponic, climate-controlled farm growing GMO-free, spray-free, greens--"real food," as Square Roots calls it. The incubator opened just this past November, a response by co-founders Kimbal Musk (Yes, Elon's brother) and Tobias Peggs against the industrial food system as a way to bring local food to urban settings. Each vertical farm is run by its own entrepreneur who runs his or her own sustainable business, selling directly to consumers. 6sqft recently visited Square Roots, went inside entrepreneur Paul Philpott's farm, and chatted with Tobias about the evolution of the company, its larger goals, and how food culture is changing.
Take a tour of Square Roots and get the full story from Tobias
April 4, 2017

This graphic color codes major transit lines in North America

Like New York, Boston's subway system is organized with a different color for each route. Unlike NYC, however, there's no corresponding numbers, so the lines along the T are actually referred to by their respective hues. Which is why Boston resident Ari Ofsevit, a transportation engineering and urban planning graduate student at MIT, found it odd that the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority didn't use the same colors on their Twitter alerts as were found on their maps and signs. As Next City reported, this inspired him to create a graphic comparing the various colors of 13 major transit lines across the U.S. and Canada.
Find out more
April 4, 2017

Trump buildings rank as some of the biggest polluters in NYC

With a federal budget proposal that strips significant funding to the Environmental Protection Agency, it’s not so shocking that President Trump and his son-in-law and close adviser, Jared Kushner, both own buildings that rank as the least energy-efficient in New York City. The Daily News shared a new report from ALIGN, a coalition of labor and environmental activists, which found that Trump Tower uses more energy than 93 percent of the city’s large residential buildings. Worse, the Trump Organization's Mayfair condo uses more than 98 percent. The report also revealed that a Kushner Companies' 666 Fifth Avenue (controversial for even more reasons as of late) uses more energy than 85 percent of large office buildings.
See the report here
April 4, 2017

The 10 best neighborhoods for New York City artists

Like most things in New York, creative communities come and ago as new development and rising rents force artists to move on to the next best, or cheaper neighborhood. While 6sqft found 'hoods like the Upper East Side, Harlem and Long Island City to be the best places for artists a few years back, we've updated our top-10 list to reflect the changing times. Ahead you'll find some areas you may expect--Sunset Park and Bushwick, for example, along with more up-and-coming artsy enclaves like Newark, Washington Heights, and the South Bronx.
The full list right this way
April 4, 2017

Massive high-rise complex with 900 apartments, retail, offices and schools coming to Downtown Brooklyn

Alloy Development announced plans to build a pair of towers at 80 Flatbush Avenue, a 61,000-square-foot parcel of land between Flatbush Avenue, Schermerhorn Street, Third Avenue and State Street. The developer–who, with the Department of Education, owns the land–has been selected by the city’s Educational Construction Fund to build the mixed-use complex as part of the redevelopment of the Khalil Gibran International Academy, which will move into one of the two new school buildings that will be part of the project. The second of the two will be a 350-seat elementary school. The project will also offer 900 apartments (200 of which will be affordable), a 15,000-square-foot cultural facility, 200,000 square feet of office space and 40,000 square feet of retail space.
Find out more about what's coming to the neighborhood
April 3, 2017

$2.4M waterfront home in Mill Basin has its own pool, dock and jet ski ramp

Water lovers should fall in love with this freestanding home up for sale in Mill Basin, a neighborhood of South Brooklyn. Located at 2406 National Drive, it is directly off a deck with access to a boat slip, jet ski ramp and storage room. On top of that, the home has its very own built-in pool and hot tub. The 3,048-square-foot house, which holds a total of three bedrooms and two-and-two-half bathrooms, is now on the market for $2.395 million.
READ MORE
March 31, 2017

Tyra Banks’ enormous Battery Park City duplex hits the market for $17.5M

Two years ago, Tyra Banks put her gigantic Battery Park City pad on the rental market for $50,000 a month, but the Times now reports that she's decided to part ways with it completely, listing the 7,000-square-foot Riverhouse duplex for $17.5 million. Banks, who welcomed her first child last year, is spending most of her time at her homes in Los Angeles and Northern California since her new makeup line is headquartered in LA and both of her hosting gigs--for “America’s Got Talent” and “America’s Next Top Model”--also film there. She did, however, tell the Times that she'll miss "the feeling of having a home in the sky."
Read the apartment's drool-worthy description
March 31, 2017

Morris Adjmi reveals ‘The Warehouse,’ High Line-adjacent office complex

Morris Adjmi is no stranger to converting and reinterpreting industrial architecture, so it's fitting that Elijah Equities tapped the "contextual king" to redevelopment the Carolina Manufacturing Company's former distribution facility and apparel-manufacturing space at 520 West 20th Street, right next to the High Line in Chelsea (h/t ArchDaily). For the project, known as "The Warehouse," Adjmi will add a three-story, steel-framed addition to the current 65,000-square-foot structure, resulting in 100,000 square feet of office and retail space with more than 18,000 square feet of rooftop and outdoor amenity space.
All the renderings and details ahead
March 31, 2017

Flexible pad with plenty of exposed brick and a terrace asks $985K in the East Village

This prewar co-op at 315 East 12th Street, in the East Village, has no shortage of charming apartments: here's a one bedroom with an outdoor terrace perfect for a barbecue, and here's another, cozier one-bedroom apartment that hit the market for $535,000 a few months ago. The latest apartment from the building to hit the market is this unit currently configured as a one bedroom with enough space for a second. With a wall of exposed brick and massive windows, it's up for grabs asking $985,000.
Take a look
March 30, 2017

The Living Table: A self-regulated planter-table perfect for small spaces

Two of the smartest things you can do when decorating your city-dwelling are to make use of indoor plants and to invest in multi-functional pieces of furniture. This brilliant new table, aptly named The Living Table, brings these two concepts together seamlessly. The innovative table design from Habitat Horticulture mimics how plants naturally absorb water from the ground, providing you with the perfect plant-ready furniture to house all of your favorite low-growing greenery.
READ MORE
March 30, 2017

Renaissance Revival brownstone in Bed-Stuy has original ‘speaking tubes’ dating back to 1895

You pretty much step back in time walking into this Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone, located in the eastern portion of the neighborhood at 538 Decatur Street. It is an 1895 Renaissance Revival, bay-fronted brownstone that is 18 feet wide with three stories and a two-story extension. When the listing brags that the interior boasts an "astonishing wealth of original detail" they aren't kidding--everything from carved fireplace mantles to oak pocket doors to beveled glass. The home even has its original "speaking tubes," which the original owners would have used to call to servants working on the garden floor of the home.
You must see this historic interior
March 30, 2017

MAP: How old are the buildings in each Brooklyn neighborhood?

Photo via Brooklyn Historical Society One of the most exciting things about exploring Brooklyn is seeing the unique architecture of each neighborhood. Now, thanks to an interactive map from urban_calc, you can also learn the age of these structures in the borough with the oldest buildings in the city. Using the city’s OpenData project and Pluto dataset, urban_calc found the median age of buildings in each census tract. The oldest neighborhood is Ocean Hill at 1911, followed by Cypress Hill, Park Slope and Stuyvesant Heights, all with a median building year of 1920. On the other hand, the newest neighborhoods include Coney Island, West Brighton, East New York, Canarsie and Williamsburg.
Find out more here
March 28, 2017

Explore historic LGBT sites in NYC with this interactive map

To broaden people's knowledge of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community’s history in New York City, the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project created a map-based online archive to document significant sites throughout the five boroughs. Although earlier maps highlighting LGBT history have been created, they focused solely on the history of Greenwich Village, the hub of gay activism. But the new interactive map, based on 25 years of research and advocacy, hopes to make “invisible history visible” by exploring sites across the city related to everything from theater and architecture to social activism and health.
Learn more here
March 28, 2017

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel are bringing sexy back to Tribeca with new penthouse buy

Although Justin Timberlake was spotted scoping out an $18.5 million Greenwich Village penthouse last month, he chose Tribeca to call home with wife Jessica Biel and their two-year-old son, Silas. According to the Real Deal, the power couple signed a deal for a penthouse at 443 Greenwich Street. Built in 1882 and recently restored by CetraRuddy Architects, the building boasts an interior courtyard, underground garage, 71-foot indoor swimming pool and landscaped roof terrace, so it’s no wonder celebrities are flocking here. Former residents include Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, Jennifer Lawrence, and Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. While the exact unit the couple bought remains unclear, Penthouse G is currently under contract for $27.5 million.
See the beautiful penthouse here
March 28, 2017

First look at the interiors of Waterline Square’s trio of towers

As 6sqft reported in November, a trio of glassy residential towers is rising on the five-acre waterfront site between West 59th and 61st Streets that comprises part of Riverside Center. Known as Waterline Square, the megaproject will offer a combination of condos and rentals, a Mathews Nielsen-designed park, and an impressive roster of starchitects–Richard Meier and Partners, Rafael Viñoly Architects, and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates. CityRealty now reports that the development team has announced the trio of designers who will shape the interiors--Champalimaud, Yabu Pushelberg and Groves & Co.--which comes with a fresh set of renderings.
Check on the progress of this megaproject
March 27, 2017

ODA’s slender-waisted ‘Orbit Tower’ wins the Metals in Construction 2017 Design Challenge

Metals in Construction magazine has just announced the winner and finalists in the magazine's 2017 Design Challenge, "Meeting the Architecture 2030 Challenge: Reimagine Structure." The competition invited architects, engineers, students and designers to submit their visions for combatting global warming in their design for a high-rise building. The winning design, "Orbit Tower," was created by architects and engineers from ODA Architecture and Werner Sobek New York. The building–though purely conceptual for the purposes of the competition–would be located in midtown Manhattan at 1114 Sixth Avenue on the north side of Bryant Park in place of the Grace Building.
Find out more
March 27, 2017

Gem of a two-bedroom in the East Village is both cute and cozy

We're guessing it's probably just coincidence, that there are so many charming, pre-war co-ops on this tranquil and lovely East Village street, but whatever the reason, here's another gem at 226 East 12th Street, with two bedrooms and space for a home office, now on the market for $1.2 million. Three exposures, high beamed ceilings, parquet floors and a cool dining alcove with a window to the neighborhood below definitely make this home "unique in today's plain vanilla box inventory."
Take a look
March 24, 2017

This $4M Riverdale mansion, known as the Esmeralda, was built in 1899 and still impresses today

The historic mansions of Riverdale never fail to impress, and this gem is no exception. Built in 1899 and known as the Esmeralda, the home has maintained many of its historic details over the years. Throughout formal dining and living areas, as well as all nine bedrooms, you'll find finishes like hardwood flooring, oak doors, wood-beamed ceilings and fireplaces. The property also comes with an impressive degree of privacy, as you enter through a long, gated driveway. For this level of exclusivity and historic charm, the price tag is $4.129 million.
Take the grand tour
March 24, 2017

Behind the counter and into the caves at Murray’s Cheese

Murray's Cheese was founded in 1940 on Cornelia Street. When Rob Kaufelt bought the business in 1991, he grew the store into an internationally known food destination that now includes educational programs, a full-service restaurant, catering, and state-of-the-art cheese aging caves in Long Island City. Personally, our love affair with Murray’s Cheese began in 1994, when we were newlyweds on a budget, often buying cheese from the small Bleecker Street store to eat with some freshly baked bread purchased from the nearby Zito & Sons Bakery. Plus, with Murray’s being our namesake, we felt an immediate connection to the store. Just last month, the Kroger Company purchased the equity of Murray’s Cheese and its flagship Greenwich Village location to form a merger of the two companies. As this new era approaches, we decided to capture all the cheesy goodness of the store, restaurant, and caves, as well as chat with Rob, cavemaster PJ, and Murray's Cheese Bar's general manager Jake Goznikar to learn about Murray's history, unique contributions to local and world-wide food culture, and future.
Take the grand tour
March 23, 2017

Bioswales face backlash from city residents for being eyesores

While you may have never heard of the term “bioswale,” you have probably seen these curbside gardens throughout the city. A bioswale, or rain garden, is a pit dug into the sidewalk that's been filled with rocky soil and shrubbery. These gardens absorb polluted stormwater and prevent runoff that could seep into waterways through the sewer system. Despite being an effective solution to water pollution, the New York Times reports that some city residents are crying out against find bioswales, calling them unattractive, messy, and hotbeds for trash and pests.
Find out more here
March 23, 2017

For $675K this tiny West Village studio is big on rustic loft style

This completely renovated loft-style studio co-op at 9 Barrow Street may be tiny with little more than 300 square feet of living space, but it definitely has an artistic side and plenty of warmth provided by details like exposede brick and hefty wood beams. Situated in a heavenly, tree-lined stretch of the heavenly, tree-lined Village, the doorman/elevator building is a top choice for location as well–and we're guessing it's the reason for the $675,000 ask.
Get a closer look
March 22, 2017

On this day in 1811, the Manhattan Street Grid became official

Deemed by historians as the "single most important document in New York City’s development," the Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which planned Manhattan's famous grid system, turns 211 years old this month. As the Village Preservation tells us, the chief surveyor of the plan, John Randel Jr., and city officials signed the final contract on March 22, 1811. The plan, completed at the end of the 19th century, produced 11 major avenues and 155 cross-town streets still used today.
Learn more here