Architecture And Design

May 8, 2014

Why Was Norman Foster’s Design for the New York Public Library’s Flagship Building Dropped?

Though the famous marble lions that stand guard over the iconic Beaux-Arts building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street aren’t talking, the patience and fortitude of scholars and professors all over the tri-state area may have played some role in the shelving of a $300 million renovation plan for the New York Public Library’s flagship location. In the midst of three lawsuits and regular protests on the library steps, the library reversed course on revamping the midtown Manhattan building (which celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 2011) and moving 1.5 million books to New Jersey, a move that brought a sigh of relief to researchers worried about delays in gaining access to essential publications.
What shelved this $300 million renovation?

Architecture And Design

May 6, 2014

Geek Out with Fabio Novembre’s Cyborg-Shaped ROBOX Shelf

By Patty Lee

Geek culture has steadily been on the rise, with television shows like The Big Bang Theory and high-profile remakes of Star Trek stealing the pop culture limelight. Now, sci-fi lovers can deck out their homes with the ROBOX, a cyborg-shaped shelf designed by Fabio Novembre.
Read more on the design here

May 6, 2014

Sales Officially Open at Ralph Walker’s Stella Tower – Will It be the ‘Star’ of Hell’s Kitchen?

By Stephanie Hoina

Whether a reference to the Latin word meaning “star” or the lesser-known rare gold coin of the late 19th century, Stella Tower is aptly named. JDS Development Group, Property Markets Group, and Starwood Capital Group (the trio behind Chelsea’s Walker Tower) officially opened sales at Ralph Walker’s iconic Art Deco building, although a few sales have already moved forward quietly over the last few weeks.
See what all the fuss is about

May 6, 2014

Unique East Village Apartment with Retractable Facade Sells for $2.4 Million

By Aisha Carter

Oh, architects and their creativity. One such inventive architect Bill Peterson had a flash of “ahead of our time” genius when he decided to convert the front wall of his East Village apartment into a garage-style retractable facade after purchasing the pad in 2008. We suppose some people actually have too much privacy in New York City and would prefer to connect with the outside world (and terrify people with acrophobia simultaneously?).
Check out the inside of this unique beauty here

May 5, 2014

Brilliant Space-saving Sada Bike Folds Up Into Size of an Umbrella

By Patty Lee

An Italian designer may have invented the ultimate commuter bicycle. The Sada Bike — named after its creator Gianluca Sada — folds up to the size of an umbrella, making it easy to stow away in a backpack.
See the clever bike in action

May 5, 2014

35XV: Chelsea’s New High-Tech Condo Tower by FXFOWLE Nears Completion

By Carter B. Horsley

East Chelsea's stunning new landmark, the 35XV, is almost complete! We recently stopped by the site to survey the work that's been done over the past few months, and by the looks of things, 35 West 15th Street is just waiting for an outer-skin for its podium. Given the rapid progress that's been made so far, we think it's safe to say that we'll be seeing the transformation very soon.
More photos of the progress that's been made

May 5, 2014

Out-of-This-World Hotel Set for Wythe Avenue in Williamsburg

By Dana Schulz

For some longtime Williamsburg residents, the neighborhood already exhibits twilight-zone-like traits—the massive gentrification, glass waterfront towers, and skyrocketing rents—but the new Level Hotel planned for 55 Wythe Avenue is a literal translation of these possible feelings with its space-ship-looking design.
More photos this way

May 5, 2014

Archilier Architecture’s “Chinese Lantern” Inspired Design to Light Up 470 Eleventh Avenue

By Stephanie Hoina

Rising 720 feet tall from the corner of 11th Avenue and 38th Street, Archilier Architecture's new, unconventional mixed-use tower from developer Black House will bring 51 luxury apartments and 419 hotel rooms across the street from the newly-renovated Jacob K. Javits Center. While the ultra high-end skyscraper is one of many new construction projects in the city, it promises to be unlike anything we’ve seen before on the streets of Manhattan.
-See more of Archilier's beautiful design

Architecture And Design

May 5, 2014

Your Art and Design Events Agenda, Week of May 5, 2014

By Lori Zimmer

Looking for something to do in this great city now that the weather has warmed up? We've rounded up some of this week's best art, design and architecture events to kick off the month of May. Get your art fix in Times Square for Midnight Moment or head to Randalls Island for the third rendition of Frieze Art Fair, browse the latest in cutting edge design at Collective Design Fair, explore Jersey City with Mana Contemporary's massive open house or get outside and check out the latest installation at Socrates Sculpture Park. It's going to be a great week!
All the best events here

May 5, 2014

Wake Up to Stunning 180 Degree Views of the City That Never Sleeps

By Stephanie Hoina

One look and you may never want to leave this exquisite sun-drenched and spacious home, part of The Residences, a gorgeous new Gwathmey Siegel designed masterpiece developed by Bizzi & Partners. Sitting 60 stories above one of the most desired streets in Manhattan, this 2BR/2.5 bath residence at 400 Fifth Avenue bestows breathtaking panoramic views from just about every room. Every detail, from the hardwood black oak flooring throughout to the ample closet space, ensures no matter where you are in this gracious home, life is better simply by being there. In fact, the residences at 500 Fifth are so beautiful the building even has its own coffee table book, 500 Fifth Avenue: A New Gwathmey Siegel Landmark, coming out this fall!
Take a peek inside this gorgeous residence

Coming Soon Summer 2015: The Beekman Hotel

By Aisha Carter

After years of failed attempts by developers, GFI Capital Resources Group is accomplishing what some thought was impossible: They are converting 5 Beekman Street – along with its empty next-door neighbor 115 Nassau Street – into a hotel and condo. The landmark building was one of New York’s original skyscrapers, once towering nine stories. Its distinctive architecture boasts the famous Temple Court, an interior atrium punctuated by a skylight in the shape of a pyramid. It is surrounding this very feature that 287 hotel rooms will be constructed.
Read on for more details here

May 2, 2014

Amoeba-Shaped Transportation Hub Proposed for Queens

By Dana Schulz

Amoeba, organ, extraterrestrial creature — take your pick; this transportation hub dubbed the Urban Alloy Towers is quite interestingly shaped. The creation of Chad Kellogg and Matt Bowles of AMLGM, the structure is proposed for the area around where the LIRR station in Woodside, Queens links to the 7 train. The idea came from the notion that large-scale housing development is most successful when located near transportation. So, Kellog and Bowles figured they'd put their development "directly on the intersections between surface and elevated train lines," utilizing the remnant spaces surrounding the train infrastructure. Included in this multi-use structure would be live/work spaces, retail, small offices, both market-rate and luxury residential units, SROs, and a central atrium.
Read more about the design here

May 1, 2014

NYC Condos Designed by Pritzker Prize Winners

By Diane Pham

The Pritzker Architecture Prize is architecture’s most acclaimed honor. Since 1979, the award has been given away annually to honor one living architect whose built work demonstrates consistent and significant contributions to humanity and the built environment. New York City is home to structures built by 12 of the 36 past winners — ranging from Philip Johnson to I.M. Pei to this year's winner, Shigeru Ban — and currently holds 14 residential examples of their work. One other fascinating tidbit is that condos designed by Pritzker Prize winning architects are selling on average a whopping 44% higher (price/square foot) than those their respective neighborhoods, and 47.5% higher than the Manhattan market average. But are they worth the money? Learn more about them all ahead.
Are these Pritzker Laureate-designed condos worth their markup?

Architecture And Design

April 29, 2014

Park Avenue Historic District Approved with Major Modifications, Extell’s New Tower May Soon Rise as a Result

By Carter B. Horsley

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has just approved the creation of the Park Avenue Historic District, but with major modifications that could mean big changes for the neighborhood. The boundaries of the district were proposed to run from 79th to 96th Street, but the final version passed today excludes the blocks north of 94th Street, which encompasses the Morris Ketchum Jr.-designed Hunter College School as well as The Loyola Grammar School at 48 East 84th Street. More importantly, today's ruling would appear to give Extell Development the green light to replace a Park Avenue church rectory with a condominium tower.
Park Ave will soon be afoot with change

April 29, 2014

Christian de Portzamparc Unveils New Renderings of Riverside Center

By Aisha Carter

Famed French architect, and Pritzker Prize winner, Christian de Portzamparc is causing quite a stir. Take a glance at his website and you’ll be met with a rendering of the new Riverside Center that would inspire hope in the most pessimistic NIMBY. After a disappointing official rendering of the first building cast some serious doubt on the fate of the much-anticipated development, de Portzamparc has unveiled a new vision, and fingers are crossed that it will be realized.
More on de Portzamparc's design here

April 29, 2014

Anon Pairot’s Stunning Zatellite Lamp is Handwoven with Steel

By Dana Schulz

No, that's not a typo, though this futuristic lamp does have a satellite-like design form. A creation of the Anon Pairot Design Studio, it is constructed using spot welding and hundreds of woven 0.5 millimeter steel rods. The copper-colored, geometric orb is one of many Anon Pairot designs that feature a pattern reminiscent of traditional Thai textiles.
More about the design here

April 29, 2014

Demolition Begins at 43 East 22nd to Make Way for Bruce Eichner’s New Supertall Condo

By Ondel Hylton

A new 80-unit condominium tower at 45 East 22nd street will bring the distance between New York’s two preeminent skylines a bit closer. Ian Bruce Eichner’s, Continuum Company has plans to build the loftiest skyscraper between the Empire State Building (1,250 feet) in Midtown and the Woolworth Building (792 feet) in the Financial District. The project designed by the high-rise pros of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, stretches skyward 60 floors — a whopping 778 feet from an unassuming 50-foot wide lot currently occupied by two row-homes. We recently stopped by the site to see how things are coming along, and it looks like demolition has just started. Check out our survey and snaps of the project ahead.
More photos and renderings here

Architecture And Design

April 25, 2014

Eyeing the Drake: The Macklowe Construction Brings a “Patriotic” Burst of Color to Park Ave

By Carter B. Horsley

One of the city’s noblest professions is “sidewalk superintendent.” These intrepid pedestrians love to peer through holes in the wall to watch large equipment playing the construction game. The more sophisticated of these curiosity-seekers also look for holes in the city’s facades to glimpse the progress of larger-than-normal, future skyline stars. You can imagine the astonishment, therefore, when I noticed, a couple of days ago, that 432 Park Avenue had adopted a “patriotic” stance, and that its fenestration grid now is highlighted, from top down, in red, blue and white, the colors of the American flag, and also the French flag — a stark divergence from the pristine, streamlined design set out by the building's architect, Rafael Vinoly.
For sidewalk superintendents, the former Drake is startlingly colorful

April 25, 2014

Everyday Foods Re-Branded as Luxury Products by Tiffany, Gucci and More

By Jon Dioffa

If Gucci was to start canning pickles, would that make eating them more appetizing? A new series by artist Paddy Mergui is re-imagining everyday foods as luxury products. The collection, titled "Wheat is Wheat is Wheat", wraps over a dozen common foods in designer patterns and well-recognized packagings, playing on our susceptibility to big names and brand recognition. "[Design is] so under the radar that people think it's nice and that it's giving them self esteem," Mergui tells The Verge. "Actually, be aware that you're being manipulated by the visual aspects of packaging." From Apple's iMilk to Burberry ramen to Cartier coffee to a dozen Versace eggs, see all the products ahead.
More Images of the re-branded food ahead

April 25, 2014

Combine Work Time and Playtime with CATable

By Katrina Otuonye

Cats are fickle. They need attention only when they want it, and that’s usually when you’re working. Hao Ruan of LYCS Architecture has an answer for those moments when your cat leaps onto your computer while you’re working and one little paw happens to stomp on the ‘Delete’ button. Hand carved for a seamless touch, the CATable allows for fun and play for both you and Kitty. As your cat meanders through the maze-like tunnels and crannies in the desk, you can work happily on the tabletop.
More details on the design here

April 24, 2014

Bruce Eichner’s New 777-Foot Supertall Tower Will Dwarf the Flatiron

By Diane Pham

New York YIMBY has given us our first look of developer Bruce Eichner‘s tower planned for 41 East 22nd Street. The 777-foot skyscraper, designed by Kohn Pederson Fox and Goldstein Hill & West, will boast 60 stories hosting 81 residential units. Though the easiest way to characterize the new development is crazy tall (it’s set to trump […]

April 21, 2014

Condos at the Shigeru Ban-Designed Cast Iron House Now Up for Sale!

By Diane Pham

Want to live in a Pritzker prize winning architect-designed condo? Five units in the Shigeru Ban-designed Cast Iron House were placed on the market today, including the East penthouse. Designs for the 67 Franklin Street structure were approved two years ago, accompanied by plenty of accolades from community members and architecture enthusiasts alike. And now that Ban has added '2014 Pritzker Prize Laureate' to his resume, we expect these beauties to fly off the shelves in the coming months (You have heard of the Pritzker Prize-effect, right?). As it stands, the 2,990-square-foot 3BR/3BA on the second floor has an asking price of $4.975 million, while the 3,809-square-foot 4BR with 1,531-square-foot terrace East penthouse, has been listed for a cool $13 million.
More photos and floor plans ahead

April 18, 2014

Maya Lin and Daniel Wolf to Turn a Former Yonkers Jail Into a Studio and Gallery

By Stephanie Hoina

For nine decades the brick walls at 24-26 Alexander Street in Yonkers were known more for its portfolio of inmates than as a museum-like structure. But soon the classic two-story building will be liberated from its former life as a prison to house a collection of a very different kind. As part of a concentrated effort by the City of Yonkers to continue the transformation of the area all along the Husdon River, Mayor Mike Spano was more than a little excited when art collector and dealer, Daniel Wolf, and his wife, the renowned artist and architect Maya Lin, expressed interest in the property.
pics of the prison here

April 18, 2014

Construction Begins on Manhattan’s Tallest Condominium Tower

By Diane Pham

Construction on the SHoP Architects-designed tower at 111 West 57th Street has finally begun! Yesterday evening, one of 6sqft's reporters walked past the site and took a quick snap of the newly arrived construction vehicles and equipment. The Manhattan giant, which will also be the world's slenderest tower, will rise 1,300-feet high, above a floor plate of around 60-feet wide. The building will host three elevators and each floor will be its own 5,000-square-foot apartment with 15-foot ceilings. And for those worried how wind load will affect the 76-story structure, a huge steel weight will be suspended within the top of the building to keep it from swaying (yikes).
More on the tower

April 17, 2014

Chelsea’s Walker Tower Finally Getting Its Finishing Touches

By Diane Pham

One of our intrepid reports stopped by the Walker Tower earlier today to check out how things are coming along at the 212 West 18th Street landmark. The tower — which has drawn buyers ranging from Cameron Diaz to Mike Thorne (that guy who discovered the Sex Pistols) — had its scaffolding removed just seven months ago and has already set new sales records for Downtown Manhattan (this includes an impressive $50.9 million deal for the 6,000-square-foot 5BR/5.5BA penthouse). The conversion of the former Verizon building into luxury condos has been underway since 2011, but word is that construction on the interior will be wrapped up in the coming weeks. Let's take a look at what's been completed so far.
More photos here

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