Architecture And Design

New York City is abuzz with penthouse talk, whether it's the $100M blockbuster sale at One57, the unbelievable $150M ask for the topper at the Sony Building, or if it's all the chatter around just how much more folks are willing to pay to have these two letters in their address: PH. While we love playing the game "If I had the money..." as much the next person, we thought before we start daydreaming too far out of our financial means—or cursing the system altogether—that we'd pay homage to the city's "other penthouses," the ones far closer in reach. Okay, so they're really just tiny attics or additions, but what each of these little spaces lacks in floor area, they certainly make up in character. Check out some of the coolest, cutest and just downright amazing attic spaces we've dug up ahead!
NYC's Amazing and Adorable Attics This Way

April 30, 2015

$2.5M Clinton Hill Townhouse Is Dripping with Historic Details

This beautiful Brooklyn townhouse, located at 181 St. James Place, is right in the heart of the Clinton Hill Historic District. The single-family property itself is historic inside and out–all three buildings were designed by the prominent Brooklyn architect William Tubby. No. 181 is the centerpiece, a combo of both Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles with an oeil-de-boeuf (bulls-eye) with four keystones at the center of the gable. The interior is decked out with incredibly restored historic details... a carved wooden staircase, fireplaces, stained glass windows, even a claw foot tub. To live in this piece of Brooklyn history, it's going to cost you $2.545 million.
Tour the interior right here

April 30, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 4/30-5/6

By Lori Zimmer

This week, I recommend taking a magical vintage-inspired boat ride set to romantic music, or experiencing old New York with an exhibition at the historic Westbeth Artists Housing's gallery. You can also gawk at the ill-fated Edie Sedgwick's beauty as Andy Warhol's Screen Tests take over Times Square, commemorate the life of urban activist—and Robert Moses nemesis—Jane Jacobs with over 200 free walking tours, or celebrate the vigor of the city with Michael Sorgatz's paintings. Leave your comfort zone and head to New Jersey–zip into Newark for the Gateway Project's ribbon cutting and party, or spend the day taking in the 1 million square feet of art space at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City.
All the best events here

April 29, 2015

This Cozy Brooklyn ‘Slot House’ Fits a Bed in the Kitchen

Who says small spaces can't be designed luxuriously? In fact, this compact home in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn looks downright gorgeous—even if there is a bed lofted above a refrigerator. Noroof Architects designed the home in the early 2000s, and nicknamed the project "Slot House." The exterior "slot" was inspired by the existing maple tree on site, which the owners did not want to remove. The slot allows the tree to be seen from the inside, and this clever slotted design gesture was carried to the interior.
See the impressive result here

April 29, 2015

POLL: Will Bjarke Ingels Take Over the Design for 2 World Trade Center?

Earlier this week, we reported that Bjarke Ingels was in talks to take over Norman Foster‘s design of 2 World Trade Center, noting that “if News Corporation and 21st Century Fox decide to move into 2 World Trade Center, as previously reported, developer Larry Silverstein may drop Foster’s design in favor of a new one […]

April 29, 2015

18th Century Cottage in Columbia County Is Turned into a Modern Dutch-Style Family Home

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Today's dose of simplicity comes via a house extension upstate in Columbia County. This striking copper home was designed by architects Messana O’Rorke, who reimagined an eighteenth century wood cottage and integrated it into their modern design. Although the original property was neglected for a couple of years, the firm managed to turn the shelter, now dubbed Ten Broeck Cottage, into a stunning place to live, work, and play.
Learn more about this modernized 1734 cottage

The Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate of Brooklyn’s… Gravesend?

Image: Nest Seekers International

April 28, 2015

The Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate of Brooklyn’s… Gravesend?

When people talk about expensive Brooklyn real estate, the conversation often revolves around the well-kept townhouses in Brownstone Brooklyn, the waterfront condos of Williamsburg, the freestanding mansions of Prospect Park South. Gravesend is not a neighborhood that’s on most New Yorkers' minds. But this South Brooklyn enclave, bordered by Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Bensonhurst and the waterfront, sees some of the highest home sales in all of Kings County. Here, it’s not uncommon for selling prices to break the $10 million mark. Two years ago, a home hit the market for $14 million. So what’s happening in Gravesend? Simply put, this is not your average New York City real estate market. This neighborhood is home to the largest Sephardic Jewish community in the United States, and real estate is dominated by proximity to synagogues and Jewish Community Centers. That pressure for proximity has driven real estate prices into the multi-millions.
Learn more about the unique Gravesend real estate market…

A Family of Four Squeezes into This Tiny 640-Square-Foot East Village Apartment

Image courtesy of Dwell

April 28, 2015

A Family of Four Squeezes into This Tiny 640-Square-Foot East Village Apartment

Couples shacking up in small spaces is nothing new, but this may be the first time we've seen more than two folks squeezing into a tiny pad. Featured on Dwell, this family of four in the East Village proves that home is where the heart is—not how big your house is. So how do they manage with a baby and a nine-year-old in just 640 square feet?
Have a look inside here

April 28, 2015

Detailed Chart Shows the World’s Tallest Building Constructed Every Year

An infographic about the world's tallest buildings is not a new idea (in fact, we've featured a great one, as well an interactive version, here before). But the Economist's idea of looking at the race to the top connected with the times and world events is a fresh take. The highly detailed chart shows the tallest building constructed every year beginning in 1885. Each bar represents its height, and the color shows on what continent it was built. The chart also highlights exceptionally noteworthy buildings and certain world events that contributed to the ebb and flow of skyscraper construction over time.
More details ahead

Architecture And Design

2 World Trade Center May Ditch Norman Foster’s Design for a Bjarke Ingels Skyscraper

Norman Foster may lose out on yet another major project in Manhattan. The Journal writes that if News Corporation and 21st Century Fox decide to move into 2 World Trade Center, as previously reported, developer Larry Silverstein may drop Foster's design in favor of a new one by none other than starchitect of the moment, Bjarke Ingels of BIG.
Find out more here

April 27, 2015

Ikea’s Concept Kitchen 2025 Predicts We’ll Soon Use Smart Tables and Drone-Delivered Groceries

As part of Milan Design Week, Ikea has revealed their Concept Kitchen 2025, created in collaboration with London-based design firm IDEO and students from Sweden's Lund and Eindhoven universities. The futuristic kitchen prototype is based on predictions about what the world will be like ten years from now. It assumes we'll all be living a much greener, reduced lifestyle and technology such as smart tables and drone-delivered groceries will run kitchen operations.
Learn all about the modern kitchen prototype

April 27, 2015

VIDEO: Bjarke Ingels Discusses ‘Bigamy’ and Why Architecture Should Be Like Minecraft

With news breaking that Bjarke Ingels could be re-designing 2 World Trade Center, we thought now would be a great opportunity to peek into the creative mind behind modern architecture's most mind-bending and whimsical new additions. In this short film created for Dezeen, Ingels explains his theory of "Worldcraft" (a play on Minecraft) which posits that we should tear away from status quo architecture and instead turn our most "surreal dreams into inhabitable space." The feature is quite poetic and also provides plenty of insight into Ingels's design process and his most recent works—including a trash-mound-slash-waste-treatment-center-slash-power-plant-turned-ski-slope for Copenhagen that releases its steam in playful puff rings.
watch the video here

Architecture And Design

April 27, 2015

WSP Eco Map Tracks the Hidden Minetta Creek and Trees of Washington Square Park

It's easy to get distracted in Washington Square Park by all the NYU students and street performers, but there's a lot more than meets the eye in this historic public space. For instance, did you know the Minetta Creek runs under the park and through the surrounding neighborhood? Or what about all those beautiful trees, wouldn't it be fun to know a little more about them? With a new mobile map called the WSP Eco Map, you can identify the species of many trees in the park, locate other environmental park components like nesting boxes, and see exactly where the Minetta Brook/Creek is hiding.
Find out more here

Architecture And Design

EVENT: FDNY to Mark Its 150th Anniversary with Citywide Firehouse Tour!

Engine 33 via Eric on Flickr

April 24, 2015

EVENT: FDNY to Mark Its 150th Anniversary with Citywide Firehouse Tour!

Firehouses represent some of the most beautiful architecture in New York City, and now instead of just peeking inside through the windows (or ogling the FDNY calendar) you'll have the chance to get up close and personal with these firehouses (and maybe even some of the calendar models). To mark its 150th anniversary, the FDNY is hosting a citywide open house on Saturday, May 2nd where the public will be welcomed inside.
Find out more here

April 24, 2015

Vasily Klyukin’s ‘Top Sexy’ Skyscraper Concept Shows Some Serious Leg

Just when you thought skyscraper design couldn't get any more out there, Vasily Klyukin's vision for a FiDi tower blows even the tallest of towers out of the water. Unquestionably a very eye-catching and provocative—if not downright weird—design, Klyukin's "Top Sexy Tower" concept is inspired by the stems of fashion models who can be found stomping across the streets of Manhattan.
Find out more, plus other photos here

Architecture And Design

April 23, 2015

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Take a Tour Inside the Brand New Whitney Museum!

May 1st will mark a new era for the Whitney when its brand new home along the High Line swings its doors open to the public for the first time. A project that has been decades in the making, the $422 million structure designed by Renzo Piano is a game changer for a museum that had long outgrown its Upper East Side space. Boasting a whopping 220,000 square feet of column-free spaces, this glass and steel behemoth is a dynamic assemblage of shapes and angles, and perfectly outfitted to host the Whitney Museum's 22,000 works and then some. Though the museum won't officially open for another few days, this morning 6sqft joined a trove of celebrants at the pre-opening preview of the new High Line-hugging masterpiece. Take an exclusive photo tour with us inside ahead.
All the photos here

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 4/23-4/28

Image: Sakura Matsuri at the BK Botanical Garden by Liz Ligon

April 23, 2015

Art Nerd New York’s Top Event Picks for the Week, 4/23-4/28

By Lori Zimmer

In a city where hundreds of interesting happenings occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Art Nerd‘s philosophy is a combination of observation, participation, education and of course a party to create the ultimate well-rounded week. Jump ahead for ArtNerd founder Lori Zimmer’s top picks for 6sqft readers, beginning tonight! Spring means another week of great events, kicking off with one of my own at the fabulous historic Roger Smith Hotel. This week, spend 12 hours celebrating philosophy, shop the best in home design for a cause, enjoy the authentic Lower East Side, or let art save your soul at the Rubin Museum. You can also celebrate spring Japanese style at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, take a selfie at Rockefeller Center, or school yourself at the Guggenheim.
All the best events here

United Nations Tower Has Floating Wrap-Around Gardens, Will Be New World’s Skinniest Tower

Renderings via ODA

April 23, 2015

United Nations Tower Has Floating Wrap-Around Gardens, Will Be New World’s Skinniest Tower

Just last month, Perkins + Will announced a new 65-story, 700-foot, pencil-thin tower coming to 37th Street. But it wasn't the height or slender design that got our attention; it was the sky-high gardens, five clusters of shared amenity and park spaces located at specific intervals on the building. Now, this project will be joined by another urban garden wonder near the United Nations. The Daily News reveals today renderings from ODA Architects of a super-skinny, 41-story, 600-foot skyscraper at 303 East 44th Street that will feature "six 16-foot-high gaps in the façade — each filled with a full-floor, canopied green space that will wrap around the core of the tower." These floating gardens will occupy the 2,600-square-foot floor plates, which are far smaller than the 4,800-square-foot floor plates at 111 West 57th Street, which has therefore lost its title of will-be world's skinniest tower.
More details ahead

April 23, 2015

Architectural Saviors: NYC Landmarks Saved from Destruction

Yesterday we rounded up some of the most heinous crimes committed against architecture in New York City, but today we're taking a look at the sunnier side of things. Our list of architectural saviors includes sites saved from the wrecking ball, as well as those that have remained intact and been adaptively reused. And with city-wide preservationists celebrating this year's 50th anniversary of the landmarks law, what better time to take a look back?
View our list of architectural saviors

April 22, 2015

Crimes Against Architecture: Treasured NYC Landmarks Purposely Destroyed or Damaged

At Monday's MCNY symposium “Redefining Preservation for the 21st Century,” starchitect Robert A.M. Stern lamented about 2 Columbus Circle and its renovation that rendered it completely unrecognizable. What Stern saw as a modernist architectural wonder, notable for its esthetics, cultural importance (it was built to challenge MoMA and the prevailing architectural style at the time), and history (the building originally served as a museum for the art collection of Huntington Hartford), others saw as a hulking grey slab. Despite the efforts of Stern and others to have the building landmarked, it was ultimately altered completely. This story is not unique; there are plenty of worthy historic buildings in New York City that have been heavily changed, let to fall into disrepair, or altogether demolished. And in many of these cases, the general public realized their significance only after they were destroyed. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the NYC landmarks law, we've rounded up some of the most cringe-worthy crimes committed against architecture.
Check out our list right here

April 22, 2015

Hexagonal Hamptons Beach Bungalow Has Quirky Checkered Floors and Beamed Ceilings

It's not all Real Housewives of NYC and mega-mansions out on the Hamptons. In fact, one of the cutest houses on the island (in our humble opinion) is on the market for just $595,000. Located in East Hampton at 73 Waterhole Road, this beach bungalow stands out on the exterior for its charming hexagonal shape and on the interior for its funky hand-painted checkered floors and rustic cedar beamed ceilings. And if that wasn't enough, the house sits on a large lot adjacent to a preserve and near a private residents-only beach and marina.
See more here

April 21, 2015

City’s First Micro-Apartment Project ‘MY Micro NY’ Ready for Stacking

By Ondel Hylton

Just in time for Earth Day, New York's first micro-unit apartment building, dubbed My Micro NY, is entering its final construction phase. When finished later this year, urbanites will have a chance to live within the center of the city in a brand new building flush with amenities, all for under $3,000. Developed by Monadnock Development and the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the soon-to-be-nine-story structure wrapped up foundation work this past winter, and a one-story steel platform is ready to receive 55 modular units. The units are currently being built off-site at the Brooklyn Navy Yard by a team of 50 workers. In late May, the units will be shipped to the Gramercy Park lot at 335 East 27th Street where they will be stacked and bolted together along with stairs, an elevator, and other shared spaces.
More details ahead

Going Green and Curbing Gentrification: How the Bronx Is Doing It Differently

Image: View Grand Concourse via photopin (license)

April 20, 2015

Going Green and Curbing Gentrification: How the Bronx Is Doing It Differently

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning." The infamous phrase, uttered in a 1977 broadcast of a Bronx fire, has stuck in the mind of many New Yorkers even today. Indeed, the Bronx saw a sharp decline in population and quality of life in the late 1960s and 1970s, which culminated in a wave of arson. By the early 1980s, the South Bronx was considered one of the most blighted neighborhoods in the country, with a 60 percent decline in population and 40 percent decline of housing units. Although revitalization picked up by the '90s, the Bronx never quite took off like its outer-borough counterparts Brooklyn and Queens. While media hype, quickly rising prices and a rush of development has come to characterize those two boroughs, the Bronx has flourished more quietly. The borough, nevertheless, has become home to growth and development distinct from the rest of New York City. Innovative affordable housing, adaptive reuse projects, green development and strong community involvement are redefining the area. As Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said during this Municipal Arts Society discussion in 2014, this is "The New Bronx."
Keep Reading About What's Going on in the Bronx

New Renderings Revealed for 217 West 57th Street, the Will-Be Tallest Residential Building in the World

Rendering via NY Yimby

April 20, 2015

New Renderings Revealed for 217 West 57th Street, the Will-Be Tallest Residential Building in the World