Architecture And Design

April 17, 2014

LOT-EK’s DUNE CO-HABITAT Will Protect Far Rockaway from Future Storm Surges

Say goodbye to the old wooden bungalows, and hello to a new, much more sustainable community. Ever since Hurricane Sandy devastated Far Rockaway, there have been plans to either rebuild it magnificently or leave it alone. The new design from LOT-EK (famous for their shipping container houses) makes it a beautiful community to rival to those in Manhattan. Aptly dubbed DUNE CO-HABITAT, the 80+ acre plan involves building a community of houses on raised platforms, and using planted dunes as a natural flood defense.
More details on the distaster-proof design here
April 11, 2014

“Plus Pool” Will Let You Safely Swim in the East River

Last year, a Kickstarter crowd funding project for an ambitious public pool in the East River passed its $250,000 goal. This month, the project entered its first phase by dropping a miniature version of the pool called Float Lab into the river, testing the water quality and concept of the pool. If all goes according to plan, Gothamites will be splashing in this river pool in 2016!
See more renderings of this amazing design here
April 9, 2014

Photographers James and Karla Murray Capture New York City’s Rapidly Gentrifying Storefronts

If it seems like Starbucks and Duane Reade are colonizing the streets of New York City, there’s now photographic proof. A new series from shutterbugs James and Karla Murray looks at the rapidly changing face of Gotham’s storefronts and — no surprise — they’re getting more corporate. Gone are the colorful mom-and-pop signage the Murrays shot just a decade ago for their book Store Front: The Disappearing Face of New York. In their place? Fast food franchises, banks, and high-end boutiques.
A peek inside the book
April 7, 2014

Barclays Center is Getting a Green Roof!

There is one more thing to cheer about at Barclays Center. The sports and entertainment venue in Brooklyn is about to get a little greener thanks to a collaboration between Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) and the Shanghai-based Greenland Group Co. Barclays will soon be topped off with small plants and a soil-like cover to create an expansive 130,000-square-foot green roof!
Going green
April 5, 2014

Exclusive Photos of the Incredible $80K Towhnouse Rental Where Beyonce Shot ‘Halo’

The Soho home where Beyonce shot the video 'Halo' is still renting for $80K a month — putting it out of reach of just about all of us. Though broker photos are aplenty across the nets, 6sqft got to explore the private home last fall on Dwell magazine's City Modern Tour. The 5-story structure, renovated by Asfour Guzy, is touted as one of New York’s most unique properties, and it's no wonder why: This former Con Ed station boasts everything from a huge verdant terrace to 19-foot ceilings, and even a 007-like indoor pool that we bet B took a dip in.
Take a look inside
April 5, 2014

Sky High Living: Inside the Penthouses of 10 of Manhattan’s Supertalls

Manhattan is known for hosting more than a handful of the world's most luxurious homes — many of which are perched hundreds if not thousands of feet above ground. Though few folks will ever get to see the interior of anything higher than their 5-story walk-up, we're offering up a look into how New York's loftiest live. From the "smallest" to the tallest, take a peek into the penthouses of 10 of Manhattan's supertall condos ahead. And just to give you a little more context, the Empire State Building soars 1,250 feet high.
It's a tall, tall world
April 4, 2014

NYC EVENT: Cities by Water – Solutions from Copenhagen and New York

How can we create sustainable and livable cities in the face of climate change? On April 8, 2014, the AIA New York Chapter is joining forces with the Consulate General of Denmark in New York to host a panel discussion on the water-related challenges faced by New York City and Copenhagen, and the wide array of approaches and solutions that have already been deployed or will be implemented.
attend the event
March 25, 2014

Famous Transforming 420 Sq Ft Apartment Now Selling for $1M

Back in 2009, Graham Hill purchased two apartments at 150 Sullivan Street with the express purpose of showing that people could have everything they need using less stuff and space. Rather than hiring an architect, the eco-entrepreneur, TED-Talk alum, and founder of Treehugger.com, decided to kickstart a competition to find his unique one-size-fits-all design. What turned up was an innovative transforming apartment filled with brilliant space-efficient features like sliding walls, hidden storage, and multi-tasking furniture. Though Hill's 'Life Edited' apartment measures an ultra tiny 420-square-feet, the elegant, high-tech space still manages to pack in all the amenities of a home of more than twice its size.
How many people can you pack into 420 sq ft?
March 24, 2014

Santiago Calatrava’s Winged ‘Oculus’ WTC Transportation Hub Takes Shape

It's unfortunate that Santiago Calatrava's original design for the WTC Transportation Hub got scrapped for a shrunken, more watered-down version. But the cost saving measures that transformed his beautiful "bird" into what some critics have dubbed as a "rack of lamb" didn't completely destroy the majestic spirit of the original design. Construction images recently released by the Port Authority of NY & NJ reveal that the Oculus is finally taking shape, emerging from its WTC site as something that could very well be quite iconic.
More incredible photos ahead
March 24, 2014

Shigeru Ban Named the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize Winner!

Just moments ago, Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was announced at the 2014 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate. The 56-year old architect, who has offices in Tokyo, Paris, and NYC, is known for his elegant and innovative applications of unconventional materials such as paper and corrugated plastic in his structures, for both private international clients and in disaster relief efforts. Jump ahead to see some of his best works, including the Metal Shutter Houses, located right here in NYC.
More Shigeru here