While a summer spent in the city can be an exciting time for New Yorkers (outdoor movies and concerts, rooftop bars, barbecues in the park and of course, ice cream trucks), it can also be quite miserable for those whose apartments don’t have central air conditioning. For renters, though, a window AC unit makes the most sense since it’s a much cheaper alternative to installing central air and can be taken to your next apartment. Although installing your own air conditioning unit can be intimidating, 6sqft has put together a comprehensive list of AC installation tips to help you chill out and enjoy the short and sweet summer months ahead.
energy efficiency
apartment living 101, Features, Green Design, NYC Guides, Products
6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. With temperatures climbing, we put together the best products and tips for keeping your apartment cool this summer.
If you’re not one of the lucky ones who has central cooling in their apartment, the summer months can be a challenge. A regular old fan won’t always do the trick, and traditional wall-unit air conditioners are bulky, hard to install, loud, expensive to run, and often associated with health risks such as respiratory issues, headaches, and skin irritation. If you’re looking to try something new this season, 6sqft has rounded up several products and innovations perfect for keeping apartment dwellers from sticking to the sheets when the mercury rises. We’ve also put together a list of tips for those who want to go completely off-the-grid and for those who simply can’t give up the wall unit, but want to be less wasteful.
Green Design, ideas from abroad, Technology
UK-based technology company Pavegen built a sidewalk in London made up of kinetic pavement that turns pedestrians’ footsteps into energy. The 107-square-foot display on “Bird Street” harnesses and converts the power of footsteps into electricity that supplies energy for lights and bird sounds (h/t inhabitat). Walkers can connect via Bluetooth to an app on their phones to see how many joules of energy they’ve generated. Plus, the company partnered with local businesses that then will reward users with discounts and vouchers for their footsteps.
Policy, real estate trends
“Elite Emissions: How the Homes of the Wealthiest New Yorkers Help Drive Climate Change” is a new report from Climate Works for All, a project of advocacy group ALIGN. As 6sqft has previously reported, New York City is expected to be hotter, rainier, and severely underwater in the future, and this new study points to luxury buildings as one of the main culprits.
As first explained by Curbed, “The group looked at the Forbes Billionaire List, then Business Insider’s 20 Most Expensive Buildings in New York City list, and cross-referenced this information with the city’s Energy Benchmarking data.” They then drew up a list of the top ten offenders, all of which received an F for energy efficiency. Leading the pack is 838 Fifth Avenue, followed by 101 Warren Street, Trump Park Avenue, and Trump Tower, respectively.
Daily Link Fix
- Let There Be (Better) Light: For those of you who miss the warm natural glow of the incandescent light bulb, Gizmodo discusses how the people at Finally Light Bulb recreated it in a more energy efficient way.
- Learn Architecture… Online… for Free: Architizer spotlights the Open Online Academy (OOAc) which seeks to revolutionize the way we study architecture.
- Time for the Brooklyn Flag Snatchers to Surrender: According to the NY Daily News, the NYPD are now looking for a skateboarder and four friends for switching out the American flags for whitewashed flags earlier this week.
- 11-Year-Old Intern Resigns from Babycastles: Bedford and Bowery profiles Liam Walsh, quite possibly the youngest intern ever, as he prepares to leave his gaming internship… for summer camp. How cute?
Images: Tesla Tech Light bulb (left), Liam Walsh (right)
Architecture, Cool Listings, Green Design, Hamptons, Interiors
If you’ve been following our site from the start, you know that we love the rustic-meets-modern works of Bates Masi + Architects. So you can imagine our excitement when we were told that this small but stunning retreat, just steps away from the ocean, is now up for sale. Simply named the ‘Beach Hampton House’, this structure situated on the shores of Amagansett is a study in geometry and space at just 600 square feet, and offers luxurious seaside living with a minimal footprint.
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