Architecture And Design

May 30, 2017

Muppet set designer’s Catskills ‘tower house’ is a playful sculpture you can live in, for $1.2M

At the heart of this thoroughly trippy house near Woodstock, N.Y. are tales of the Muppets and Jim Henson, The Grateful Dead, and their biggest LSD supplier, and that's not even the half of it. The real visionary here was the home’s first owner, artist, engineer and master set designer John Kahn, who built the one-of-a-kind house over 15 years. Kahn was a friend and collaborator of the late Muppet creator, and he designed sets for the "Fraggle Rock" touring company and more. Kahn used re-purposed materials including slate, copper, aircraft-grade aluminum and redwood as well as local wood and bluestone to craft this cylindrical work of art that never seems to look the same way twice. The three-bedroom home spans 3,518 square feet and is asking $1.2 million.
Take a long, strange trip through this unbelievable house
May 27, 2017

Doon Architecture turned a run-down A-frame cabin into a family-friendly Hamptons home

Led by architect Edgar Papazian, Doon Architecture has revamped a once dilapidated cabin into a cozy family home in Sag Harbor, an affluent neighborhood on Long Island (h/t architecture lab). The cottage, appropriately dubbed the Triangle House, provides a small, unique footbridge from a road to the entrance of the home because it sits on a sloped site. The interiors showcase incredible Douglas fir wood paneling, a curvy staircase, and a yellow cedar shake roof.
See the interiors
May 25, 2017

The New Design Project filled this rustic Jersey City loft with colorful, geometric accessories

The New Design Project decked out a young couple's urban residence with bursts of bold color, texture, and geometry, transforming the rustic Jersey City loft into a vibrant modern oasis. Integrated into the interior decor are several modern pieces, strategically placed among playful accents and ethnic touches--an unexpected yet seamless integration of various styles that's become synonymous with the work of this edgy design duo.
Take a look
May 25, 2017

Hudson Yards’ art center The Shed wraps up steel construction on its movable shell

After an announcement yesterday morning that Michael R. Bloomberg made a $75 million gift towards Hudson Yards' arts center The Shed--bringing the total raised towards the $500 million capital campaign to $421 million--the "new center for artistic innovation" held a tour to mark the completion of steel construction. The eight-story structure, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro in partnership with the Rockwell Group, is a "fixed" base building made up of two gallery levels, a versatile theater, rehearsal space, creative studios for artists, and a sky-lit event space. But what makes the project truly unique is its telescoping outer shell that deploys over the building's courtyard, doubling its footprint and creating a myriad of options for flexible, multi-disciplinary work. Ahead, 6sqft shares an up-close view of this amazing structure.
See all the views and get more info
May 25, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 5/25-5/31

Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top art, design and architecture event picks for 6sqft readers! Take advantage of this long weekend to get outside and enjoy the city. Sign up for a free walking tour of Central Park or Bryant Park, or head to Washington Square Park for the 82nd year of the Outdoor Art Exhibit. If adventure is your thing, ferry over to Governors Island for their new zip line adventure, or take the boat to Ellis Island for Untapped Cities’ insiders' tour. Check out a sculpture by the Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti at the beautiful Elizabeth Street Garden, or role play with Ryohei Kawanishi at the Museum of Arts and Design. Finally, treat yourself to a free concert by the New York Philharmonic, inside the history St. John the Divine Cathedral on Memorial Day.
Details on these events and more this way
May 25, 2017

Beautifully preserved 1827 West Village Federal row house asks $13.9M

One of a pair of Federal-style row houses on the longest unbroken stretch of Federal/Greek Revival homes in New York City, 39 Charlton Street was built in 1827 to exacting standards by a builder-carpenter at a time when the area, now a tony enclave where the West Village meets Soho, was known as Richmond Hill. This 25-foot-wide home has been called one of the city's finest examples of Greek Revival/Federal houses. The house and its neighbor are regarded by the Landmarks Preservation Commission as “the two best (and best preserved) examples...whose exquisitely detailed entrances with original doors and leaded glass sidelights convey many of the style’s most distinctive qualities.” Both the interior and exterior of this unique home, now on the market for $13.85 million, have retained an extraordinary level of original detail.
Tour this historic home
May 24, 2017

First look at CetraRuddy’s proposed hotel-apartment tower for Hudson Yards

Back in September, the developer Joseph Chetrit filed plans to build a 48-floor mixed-use tower with 421 hotel rooms and 135 residential units in the Hudson Yards neighborhood. Now, the wait is over as renderings of Chetrit Group’s proposed tower at 541-545 West 37th Street have officially been revealed. As CityRealty learned, CetraRuddy Architecture is designing the high-tech skyscraper, which is expected to rise 622 feet and overlook the future Hudson Boulevard Park. The building will span 621,000 square feet and include exhibition, retail, hotel and residential spaces.
More details and renderings
May 23, 2017

REVEALED: Early studies of David Adjaye’s Wall Street Tower, his first skyscraper in NYC

Three years after completing his first New York City building, an affordable housing complex in Harlem called the Sugar Hill Development, starchitect David Adjaye is back. This time, he'll be working with David Lichtenstein's Lightstone Group to design a 61-story, 750-foot-tall condominium in the Financial District at 130 William Street known as the Wall Street Tower. Early conceptual studies uncovered by CityRealty show a gold-trimmed prism set against rigid rows of arched windows, as well as a glimpse at what the 244 apartments and amenity spaces will look like.
See the impressive renderings
May 23, 2017

VIDEO: West 8’s proposal for NYC’s largest private garden at One Manhattan Square

Adding to its unique character, Extell's One Manhattan Square will soon be home to NYC's largest outdoor private garden, detailed in a new video released today by the developer. The proposal, designed by urban planning and landscape architecture firm West 8, includes more than an acre of garden space for residents to both work and socialize, boasting indoor and outdoor grilling spaces, ping-pong tables, a putting green, children's playground, adult tree house, tea pavilion, and an observatory made for stargazing.
Watch the video here
May 23, 2017

Pier 55 project files appeal to stop work order; Durst says he backed opposition

6sqft reported in March on the latest developments in the on-again-off-again status of the $200 million Barry Diller-funded offshore park/performing arts center proposed for Pier 55 on the Hudson River; though construction began last November, opponents of the project, led by the City Club of New York, gained a victory in the form of a ruling by Judge Lorna G. Schofield that agreed with group’s claim that the Army Corps of Engineers had not conducted a sufficient environmental review on how the 2.4-acre park would affect fish and wildlife. The judge ordered that work stop at the site and called for a review of alternatives for building along Hudson River Park, a maritime sanctuary. Now, the New York Times reports that the Corps of Engineers, with the project's sponsor, the Hudson River Park Trust, has filed an appeal of the decision.
And what about that Diller-Durst feud
May 22, 2017

Robert Downey Jr. snags a historic windmill cottage in East Hampton

Sources tell Behind the Hedges that "Iron Man" actor Robert Downey Jr. bought the historic Edward DeRose Windmill Cottage on East Hampton. Built circa 1885 to resemble a local windmill (it was never functional), the home sits on four acres and boasts a seven-bedroom main house, two-bedroom guesthouse, three-car garage with a potting shed, 50-foot pool, tennis court, and gorgeous landscaped gardens. It's been on and off the market since 2014 when it listed for $13.5 million. The following year, the price dropped to $11.5 million, but property records show a sale last summer for $10.5 million disguised under an LLC.
Take a look around
May 21, 2017

Architect Steven Harris designed a modern retreat for himself on 50 acres upstate

Steven Harris Architects designed this modern upstate retreat for Steven Harris himself and his partner Lucien Rees Roberts, a British interior designer, who together own the 50-acre private estate. The land, known as Kinderhook Retreat, is located atop a hill between the Catskills and the Berkshires. Not to overwhelm the pastoral landscape design, the minimalist buildings were outfitted with a modernist white-shingled design. The design has evolved since the construction of the first building, in 1992, and even includes a croquet stadium and two-acre man-made lake.
Take the tour
May 19, 2017

‘Vending machine’ skyscraper 3D-prints pod apartments to address housing shortages

The growing need to build affordable housing in big, dense cities while keeping expenses to a minimum led to Malaysian designer Haseef Rafiei’s idea for a futuristic “skyscraper” housing pod vending machine. A Dezeen video shows how the designer–he won an honorable mention in this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition–inspired by the fascination with vending machines and robotics in Japan, sketched up the skyscraper idea for offering prospective homeowners a way to customize–and then create–a modular home. The home would then be slotted into place within a high-rise framework. According to the designer, the Pod Vending Machine is based on a "3D-printed building that grows in parallel with the city’s housing demand."
Check out this 'affordable mass produced home dispenser'
May 17, 2017

HWKN redesigns iconic Art Deco landmarks with modern construction techniques

Architecture firm Hollwich Kushner (HWKN) has just released a design research project that applies contemporary construction techniques and designs to famous NYC Art Deco landmarks. Part of their goal is to redesign landmarks so that aren’t just beautiful, but so they have unique personalities and remain relevant over time. Through their research project, called New(er) York, HWKN selected twelve timeless landmarks that represent New York. Some of these include iconic structures like the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One Wall Street, the Woolworth Building and the Flatiron.
See the renderings
May 17, 2017

REVEALED: See new renderings of the QueensWay elevated park

For the past couple years, there have been no major updates on the QueensWay, the High Line-style elevated park and cultural greenway proposed for a 3.5-mile stretch of abandoned railway in central Queens. But today, the Trust for Public Land and Friends of the QueensWay said in a press release that they've finished the schematic design for the first half-mile, which could open as soon as 2020. Along with the announcement and details comes a new set of renderings from DLANDstudio Architecture + Landscape Architecture.
All the details and renderings ahead
May 17, 2017

Watch Herzog & de Meuron’s ‘Jenga Tower’ rise in 60 seconds

56 Leonard is one of NYC's most exciting recent architectural additions. Dreamt up by Herzog & de Meuron, the skyline-altering condo tower rises 57 stories with an undeniable acrobatic grace, carefully staggering its floors in a cantilevering Jenga-like configuration that also appears to be in perfect equilibrium. Although the project developed by the Alexico Group and Hines took nearly a decade to build, a new video (h/t The Real Deal) released by the developers fast tracks the long and arduous process, neatly wrapping up 10 years of work into just over 60 seconds.
see the full timelapse here
May 17, 2017

NYC’s 10 best historic house museums

Did you know there are 23 house museums across the five boroughs? All of which are supported by the Historic House Trust, a nonprofit that works in conjunction with the Department of Parks & Recreation to preserve these sites of cultural and architectural significance. From farmer's cottages to gilded mansions, these public museums span 350 years of city history and offer fun additions such as art collections, historic holiday-themed events, and specialized tours. Ahead, 6sqft has put together a list of 10 house museums that represent some of NYC's most storied history.
Check out our favorite house museums
May 17, 2017

Rare Italianate townhouse in Long Island City comes with a sunroom and lush backyard

Long Island City isn't known as a neighborhood of historic townhomes--especially considering all the new development--but it does boast the impressive Hunters Point Historic District, lined with incredible residential architecture. One such building in the historic district is the Italianate townhouse at 21-20 45th Avenue built by developers Root and Rust in 1870. It's now on the market for $3.5 million. According to the listing, the exterior use of Westchester stone--a durable sandstone resembling marble--"has allowed this and other townhouses along the row to survive almost 150 years looking almost as good as the day they were built." Inside, there's tin ceilings, marble mantels and exposed brick, as well as a sunroom that leads out to a truly incredible backyard.
Go see it
May 16, 2017

Bates Masi’s passive Hamptons house boasts a twisted canvas facade

Adjacent to a preserve full of rolling sand dunes and low bushes of Long Island's south shore (the secluded area is said to once have been used as a film location for desert scenes in silent movies), this passive vacation home by Bates + Masi Architects named "Amagansett Dunes" takes full advantage of its setting. A unique facade of vertical louvers made from twisted canvas strips let marine breezes pass through them to cool the interiors and let in natural light without the harsh afternoon glares.
Learn more about this house in between the dunes
May 15, 2017

French-inspired townhouse asks $8.5M on Sutton Place

This $8.5 million townhouse at 19 Sutton Place boasts an interesting backstory dating to the 1920s. The home--like most others in the area--was built as an unassuming brownstone in the late 1800s. In 1920, the wealthy literary agent Elisabeth Marbury, with her partner Elsie de Wolfe, a well-known decorator, moved to the block and hired an architect to transform a nearby townhouse into a neo-Georgian townhouse. Millionaires followed suit, moving in and redesigning the homes of Sutton Place. At 19 Sutton, banker B. Stafford Mantz transformed the brownstone into a "provincial Louis XVI townhouse of grey and brown brick" according to Daytonian in Manhattan. And today, the interior boasts elegant spaces with high ceilings, five wood-burning fireplaces, and its own elevator.
Take a look around
May 15, 2017

NYCxDesign 2017: The 6sqft guide to finding the best design events this month

NYCxDesign 2017, New York City’s official turn to celebrate all things design, hits town from May 3 – May 24. NYC is among the world’s design capitals and home to more designers than any other U.S. metro area. NYCxDesign spotlights the city’s diverse design community and its contributions to our economy and everyday life, and increases awareness of and appreciation for design with a collaborative mix of cultural, professional, educational and commercial offerings. This year’s celebration is the longest-running one to date. You can head in any direction and you'll stumble into a design-related event, but we've compiled a guide to a few of the top collaborative efforts and highlighted some of our picks.
Check out our NYCxD picks, this way
May 14, 2017

$3M SHoP Architects-designed Red Hook townhouse is clad in zinc, concrete, and a hardwood screen

While we're used to seeing headline-stealing buildings from innovative design firm SHoP Architects–Barclays Center, the American Copper Buildings, and what will be Brooklyn's tallest tower, to name a modest few–we don't see SHoP-designed townhouses every day. This particular two-family home at 87 Dikeman Street in the heart of creative and laid-back Red Hook has at least four bedrooms and consists of an owners' triplex and a rental unit plus a garden and off-street parking. But it's the home's design that will likely attract the most attention, with an exterior comprised of zinc panels juxtaposed with polar white concrete planks and accented by a hardwood slat screen and full-height peerless windows. This 3,080-square-foot home, its innovative design–and design pedigree–can be yours for $3.15 million.
Tour this unique Brooklyn home
May 12, 2017

Stanford White-designed chapel, once part of the Edwin D. Morgan estate, is now a home asking $3.25M

Talk about a living arrangement that's holier than thou. This chapel is part of the former Edwin Denison Morgan III estate in Old Westbury, Long Island. The impressive estate, complete with gardens and fountains, was designed by the great Stanford White in the late-19th century, and now its chapel is on the market for $3.25 million. (It's a price decrease from last year, when it hit the market for $4.3 million.) Amazingly, the chapel was once connected to the estate’s other buildings by tunnels, though it was converted a while back to a four-bedroom home. Cathedral ceilings, stained-glass windows designed by John La Farge--the stunning space has got everything, not to mention a heated gunite pool and putting green outside.
Take a look inside
May 11, 2017

Arckit’s new modeling sets make it easy to build professional models without cutting or gluing

Arckit, an architectural model kit manufacturer, has recently added to its family of offerings a series of playful yet professional three-dimensional modeling sets designed to satisfy the needs of building professionals, as well as aspiring designers. Traditional methods of model building include "cut and glue" techniques or 3D drawings, but these kits, called Arckit Cityscape and Arckit Masterplan, provide the same tactile experience with no special skills required.
Learn more
May 11, 2017

Art Nerd New York’s top event picks for the week – 5/11-5/17

In a city where hundreds of interesting events occur each week, it can be hard to pick and choose your way to a fulfilling life. Ahead Art Nerd founder Lori Zimmer shares her top picks for 6sqft readers! Get outside of the white cube this week and experience an art opening inside of a corporate lobby, or experience an architecture talk inside of an art museum. Celebrate Haiti’s rich culture with the kick off of their film fest, then check out future art stars at FIT’s graduate exhibition. Grace Exhibition Space hosts a five-hour performance art event, and the historic Salmagundi Club on Fifth Avenue opens its doors for the ARC Salon Exhibition. Head to the Bronx for JMR’s latest solo show, or spend the week at the architectural events lead by Van Alen’s Spring Festival.
More on all the best events this way