Architecture And Design

July 25, 2017

REVEALED: Tishman Speyer’s Long Island City office development boasts food hall and rooftop park

Long Island City, New York City’s fastest growing neighborhood, shows no signs of slowing down. Following the completion of Jackson Park, the residential phase of Tishman Speyer Properties’ massive Gotham Center development, renderings have been revealed for their creative office space across the street at 28-01 Jackson Avenue. As CityRealty learned, the development, called the JACX, consists of two identical towers that will include over 40,000 square feet of retail space, with a gourmet market, food hall, dining, and boutique fitness centers, as well as a one-acre rooftop terrace.
See inside

A rejected design for Central Park from 1858 shows colorful, whimsical topiaries

John Rink’s rejected design proposal for Central Park, via NY Historical Society

July 24, 2017

A rejected design for Central Park from 1858 shows colorful, whimsical topiaries

By Devin Gannon

Central Park, which celebrated its 164th anniversary this month, required elaborate planning to make it what it is today: the most visited urban park in the country. New York City launched a design competition in 1857 for the development of the open space between Manhattan’s 59th and 110th Streets. Most New Yorkers know that out of 33 total entrants, the city chose Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux's "Greensward Plan." However, just five of the losing designs survived and can be seen at the New York Historical Society. One particularly unique design was submitted by park engineer John Rink, who planned Central Park to be highly decorated with whimsically shaped sections dominated by topiaries (h/t Slate).
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July 24, 2017

Muslim-backed cultural center would be the first of its kind in NYC

By Devin Gannon

As a way to promote inter-religious coexistence and cultural exchange, the American Society for Muslim Advancement and Buro Koray Duman Architects have collaborated to create a design proposal for an Islamic cultural center, the first Muslim-sponsored multi-faith community center in New York City. According to ArchDaily, the design for the center, called Cordoba House, is based on the historic “Kulliye,” an Ottoman Islamic center, and features a vertical landscape design. It will stretch 100,000 square feet and include recreation, culinary, art, retail and administrative spaces.
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Architecture And Design

New City Council bill would create a comprehensive urban agriculture plan for New York

Image courtesy of Gotham Greens.

July 21, 2017

New City Council bill would create a comprehensive urban agriculture plan for New York

By Michelle Cohen

A new bill introduced in New York City Council Thursday addresses the need for an urban agriculture plan that doesn't fall through the cracks of the city's zoning and building regulations, the Wall Street Journal reports. The bill, introduced by Councilman Rafael Espinal and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and assigned to the Land Use Committee, also raises the possibility of an office of urban agriculture. If a New York City farm bill seems surprising, you may also be surprised to know that NYC has the country's largest urban agriculture system, including community gardens, rooftop farms and greenhouses.
Outgrowing the system

East Hampton’s ‘Driftwood House’ employs traditional Japanese charred wood techniques

Image © MB Architecture

July 19, 2017

East Hampton’s ‘Driftwood House’ employs traditional Japanese charred wood techniques

By Dana Schulz

On a half-acre lot perched 18 feet above Gardiner's Bay in East Hampton sits a unique site, shielded by neighboring waterfront homes on its east and west sides, but completely open in front to the bay. With these two extremes as their inspiration, MB Architecture designed the Driftwood House, using both reclaimed wood from the property's previous home and charred cypress prepared using the traditional Japanese Shou-Sugi-Ban technique. The result is a sustainable residence that "[weaves] the line of the horizon through its spaces, slowly unveiling the views, with glimpses through layers and framed transparencies."
See the whole house

July 18, 2017

‘Loop NYC’ proposes driverless auto expressways across Manhattan and a 13-mile pedestrian park

By Michelle Cohen

Architecture/engineering firm EDG, noting that New York City faces a unique and complex set of challenges when it comes to navigating highways and byways, has offered an equally unique and innovative proposal: LoopNYC suggests the conversion of one lane of existing cross streets and highways into driverless automobile expressways. The result? A safe, sustainable and efficient "microhighway" automated traffic grid.
So how would it work?

July 17, 2017

A former Wells Fargo horse stable in Jersey City gets converted into a modern plywood loft

By Devin Gannon

Located in the historic 1890 Wells Fargo building, the Wells Fargo Loft was originally used for the company’s horses and city carts. The loft, located at 299 Pavonia Avenue in Jersey City, was redesigned over the last few decades, but most recently by Jeff Jordan Architects in 2016 (h/t Architizer), who took full advantage of the ceiling heights ranging from 14 to 50 feet and amazing NYC views. To create a better live-work balance, the architects removed and reconfigured walls for a clearer separation between art studio and living spaces by using plywood and ample storage space.
See inside the unique loft

July 17, 2017

First closings commence at Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street

By Michelle Cohen

The architect’s signature curves and organic indoor and outdoor architecture made the late Pritzker Prize winner Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street 6sqft’s Building of the Year. Now, closings have begun in the stunning Chelsea condo, starting with a pair of two bedroom units. Residences 9, which sold for $6 million, and 14, which sold for $6.2 million, are 2,147-square-foot two-bedroom homes with private balconies.
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July 15, 2017

This striking Bridgehampton home was designed with reclaimed wood from an old Brooklyn factory

By Emily Nonko

This Bridgehampton estate combines the rustic rural farmhouse with the grittiness of a Williamsburg loft. The Brooklyn-based studio TA Dumbleton Architect designed the entire property, which includes both a guest home--a project 6sqft profiled here--and this main residence. The guest home, dubbed the WE Guest House, boasts an open 3,000-square-foot layout, double-height windows and insulated stucco walls. The main property, called the WE House, utilized reclaimed wood from a Brooklyn factory, board concrete and casement windows to make a strong design statement.
See the blend between farm and loft

July 14, 2017

Nature informs modern design in this $6M upstate retreat with Scandinavian and Korean influences

By Michelle Cohen

This unusual property at 156 Duell Hollow Road known as Hammersley Ridge is the culmination of the desires of the current homeowner to find the perfect spot to live, and the vision of the home’s architect, Anik Pearson, of integrating Scandinavian and Korean design principles into its unique surroundings (h/t Mansion Global). In the hamlet of Wingdale, NY about a 90 minute commute from Manhattan, the 5,000 square-foot home sits just below a mountaintop overlooking a nature conservancy, which means your stunning vistas across the valley floor won't be spoiled by any new neighbors.
See more of this amazing mountain retreat

Art Nerd NY’s top art, architecture, and design event picks – 7/13-7/19

By Lori Zimmer

Art Nerd New York founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! This week, party it up at PS1 Moma’s Night at the Museum, then get to the roots of the salsa movement in New York with the Museum of the City of New York’s walking tour. The Center for Architecture leads a tour about the space-age architecture of the 1964 World’s Fair, and the Design Trust for Public Space hosts a potluck at the park outside of the Holland Tunnel. Speaking of public space, Madison Square Park’s art installation will be the scene to experience yoiking, a northern Norwegian practice of channeling animal spirits with the voice. Interesting. Then, this weekend is all about outdoor festivals. Head to Governors Island for free kayaking, boating and fun for City of Water Day, or to the Rubin Museum for their annual free block party. Finally, Bar Tabac shuts down Smith Street in Brooklyn to celebrate Bastille Day—a French festival of food, drinks, and petanque!
Details on these events and more this way

July 13, 2017

10 artsy daycation escapes from NYC to visit this summer

By Lori Zimmer

For some of us, the idea of a summer vacation is a fantastical memory from childhood, now seeming a far cry from demanding jobs and lack of PTO. But the same cultural rejuvenation can be yours—if only for a day. Whether by bus, train or if you want to get fancy and rent a car, an art-filled daycation could be just what you need this summer to get that vacation glow. From Jackson Pollock's Hamptons studio and Dia Beacon's minimalist art collection to the Rockefeller family's historic mansion Kykuit and the Gilded Age ruins of Bannerman Castle, we've rounded up 10 artsy day trips that are just a stone's throw from NYC.
All the best escape here

July 13, 2017

Design concept replaces Rikers jail with community-based ‘justice hubs’

By Devin Gannon

Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and the Independent Commission on New York City Criminal Justice, along with the Van Alen Institute, released a set of guidelines to decentralize Rikers Island and improve city jails in every borough. The "Justice in Design" report outlines recommendations for healthier jails, including interior and exterior design elements, greater amenities, and ways to better integrate the jail with the surrounding neighborhood. As one of the first steps to permanently closing Rikers, these new justice hubs, or decentralized borough-based jails, would be tailored to the needs of detainees, officers, lawyers, visitors and community members.
See the design concepts

July 13, 2017

One of NYC’s rare rooftop ‘cottages’ is for sale, asking $3.5M in the East Village

By Michelle Cohen

The listing calls the two-unit, three-story property that tops the condominium building at 72 East 1st Street "the most unique property in the East Village," and while it may not be the entire city's most interesting, it's definitely among them. The lower unit is a full-floor penthouse duplex, above which is perched a perfect replica of a New England cottage. The property is for sale for $3.5 million; while much has been written about the city's handful of rooftop cabins and cottages, they rarely appear on the market. In this case, the Nantucket-style cottage is an artists' studio, which makes it even cooler.
Check out this little sky cottage

July 11, 2017

Entire 62-acre Connecticut ghost town sells for $1.85M

By Devin Gannon

The small-town of Johnsonville in East Haddam, Connecticut has just sold for $1.85 million, after being abandoned for nearly 20 years. As Business Insider discovered, the international religious organization Iglesia Ni Cristo, known as Church of Christ, purchased the 62-acre property to turn it into a recreation center for its members. The current owner is hotel company Meyer Jabara Hotels, who paid $2.5 million for the town in 2001.
See the ghost town here

July 11, 2017

Built from the ground up, this Hamptons retreat combines nature’s beauty and paradise imagined

By Michelle Cohen

This Sagaponack, NY home might just be the perfect antidote for the summer of hell; it would definitely make an insufferable commute worth it. Summerhill Landscapes, Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners designed the idyllic Hamptons retreat on a swath of meadowland where the tall grass is never far from the sea on the East End of Long Island.
See more of this Southampton summer vision

Architecture And Design

July 8, 2017

Rural farmhouse meets urban loft at this Hamptons guest house by TA Dumbleton Architect

By Devin Gannon

Brooklyn-based studio TA Dumbleton Architect designed and built their Bridgehampton WE Guest House in just eight months (h/t dezeen). In that short amount of time, the team converged the look of an old farmhouse with that of a New York City loft apartment, employing incredible double-height windows, an open 3,000-square-foot layout, and insulated stucco walls.
See inside

Architecture And Design

July 7, 2017

An architect’s 1969 nuclear shelter plan shows a mini-Manhattan built thousands of feet underground

By Michelle Cohen

The 1960s Cold War years were America's peak fear/fantasy period as far as the threat of nuclear weapons being deployed. Related scenarios played heavily in science fiction works and frequently surfaced in art and writing. On occasion the line between sci-fi and urban planning tends to blur, at least in hindsight; such is the case for architect and city planner Oscar Newman's probably tongue-in-cheek vision of an enormous spherical underground replica of Manhattan located thousands of feet below the city itself, to be switched into action in the event of a nuclear event. Atlas Obscura reveals Newman's fantastical map to a subterranean metropolis where New Yorkers would wait out the fallout.
Head underground for a look-see

July 6, 2017

Art Nerd NY’s top art, architecture, and design event picks – 7/6-7/12

By Lori Zimmer

Art Nerd New York founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! Times Square is offering up some pretty cool art experiences this week including a late-night 3D movie and vintage telephone booths that have been repurposed to play stories from immigrants to our great city. The High Line is holding a live chess tournament where pieces are swapped out for visitors, and Chesterfield Gallery hosts a group of artists who have swapped paint for textiles. Photographs celebrating the “limitless beauty of blackness” opens at Brilliant Champions, and artist Andrea Fraser gives a free lunchtime talk at SVA. If you’re out in the Hamptons, take some art with your beach time at Market Art + Design, and finally, rumor has it that the Kosciuszko Bridge will finally be imploded.
Details on these events and more this way

City seeks to revoke access to office rooftops made for employee mingling

Rendering of L&L Holding Company’s planned rooftop terrace at 390 Madison Avenue

July 5, 2017

City seeks to revoke access to office rooftops made for employee mingling

By Devin Gannon

Update 7/31/17: The Post reports that the DOB recently sent landlords a draft memo clarifying that, aside from minor details, terraces are allowed "as open passive recreation space." To give workers a comfortable and conducive work space, some companies have outfitted their offices with amenities like on-site fitness centers, free coffee and outdoor space. However, the city’s Department of Buildings has launched a campaign to stop or delay these rooftop terraces on office towers, claiming the spaces can only be used for plants, not people. As the New York Post reported, DOB may not approve office terrace plans and may even rescind already approved plans.
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July 3, 2017

Escape to a Bali retreat that’s no further than the Hudson Valley

By Michelle Cohen

If you're looking to get out of town but you're uninspired by the usual country inns, historic schoolhouses, and rustic log cabins, this unusual Hudson Valley vacation property could be just the tranquil escape for you (and up to nine of your closest friends). The Hudson Valley Bali House Retreat in Rosendale, New York combines a country setting with details that were inspired by vacations in Bali and Thailand. Built using materials imported from Indonesia, this exotic compound makes visitors forget they're only about 90 minutes from Midtown.
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July 1, 2017

$3.85M waterfront estate designed by McKim, Mead & White is just 30 minutes outside NYC

By Emily Nonko

Renowned architecture firm McKim, Mead & White hardly ever disappoints--they are, after all, the firm behind the original Penn Station--and this Westchester property now for sale lives up to the firm's reputation. Located at 10 Sheldrake Road in the town of New Rochelle, this waterfront estate is known as "Four Chimneys" and was built in 1938. The exterior is a graceful brick, Georgian architecture surrounded by 1.65 acres of landscaping. On the interior, a renovation included converting the ballroom into a gym, installing an infinity pool on the edge of Sheldrake Lake, and building an indoor half-court for basketball. (Don't worry, there are some lavish and historic interior details that remain on display, too.) To live 30 minutes outside of Manhattan on this impressive estate will cost $3.85 million.
You have to see the interior

Just one ‘CityTree’ unit purifies air at the same rate as 275 trees

Photo courtesy of Green City Solution’s Instagram

June 30, 2017

Just one ‘CityTree’ unit purifies air at the same rate as 275 trees

By Devin Gannon

Nearly 90 percent of residents in cities around the world breathe polluted air, which is the single largest environmental health risk, according to the World Health Organization. To address this global problem, Green City Solutions created a mobile installation of specific moss culture that has large surface leaf areas and that can remove pollutants from the air. As Curbed NY reported, this new mossy air filter has been installed in Oslo, Paris, Brussels and Hong Kong. According to the team, CityTree has the same effect as up to 275 trees but requires 99 percent less space and just five percent of the cost.
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June 30, 2017

Four architecture teams envision NYC’s driverless transit future

By Devin Gannon

With NYC residents owning fewer personal vehicles than any other city in the U.S., it’s no surprise that it may soon become a major hub for autonomous transportation. To ensure the future efficiency of driverless vehicles in such a densely populated area, Blank Space and the City of New York created a Driverless Future Challenge to solicit visions for the future of autonomous transit. According to Archinect, participants from over 25 countries sent proposals, which have now been narrowed down to four finalists. Their ideas include a plug-and-play public square, curbside pickup system, a rideshare platform for the outer boroughs, and a local food delivery service.
Find our more about each proposal and watch the project videos

June 29, 2017

Upper West Side penthouse masterminded by Italian designer Ettore Sottsass asks $19 million

By Emily Nonko

This Hotel des Artistes apartment, now on the market, comes with an incredible interior decor story. Bloomberg notes that it belongs to the French-born entrepreneur/photographer/art collector/playboy Jean Pigozzi, who purchased it in 1986. Soon after, he enlisted Ettore Sottsass, designer and founder of the Memphis Group, to redesign it. Sottass, at the time, was at the height of his fame, and ended up designing every nook and cranny. (He passed away in 2007, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art will host a retrospective of his work this summer.) As Pigozzi told Bloomberg, "He designed 100 percent of everything... Every table, every sofa, every book shelf, every sink, every doorknob." He even helped Pigozzi expand the design into the adjacent duplex that he purchased a few years later. Now, the fabulous penthouse is on the market for $19 million.
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