Architecture And Design

April 21, 2017

For one week only, get an up-close view of Staten Island’s proposed aerial gondola

While the city continues to develop ways to quicken commutes between Manhattan and the outer boroughs (like the soon-to-be-launched NYC Ferry), the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation (SIEDC) has taken matters into their own hands and created an idea for an aerial gondola. Similar to the East River Skyway proposal, which would transport passengers across the East River to ease the inconvenience of the impending L train shutdown, the gondola would take commuters in the sky from the borough to Bayonne, NJ where they'd connect to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and ultimately the PATH. As WYNC learned, starting this week and for seven days only, the gondola will be touring Staten Island on the back of a flatbed truck to boost support from officials to fund the project.
Find out more
April 20, 2017

Midtown’s 1,401-foot One Vanderbilt to begin vertical construction next month

One of the city's most pivotal new office towers is approaching its latest milestone. This afternoon, developer SL Green announced that One Vanderbilt, the supertall currently under construction directly adjacent to Grand Central Terminal, will begin its vertical ascent in early May. According to a press release, the 1,401-foot skyscraper's construction manager, AECOM Tishman, has secured the procurement of more than 25,000 tons of domestically-fabricated structural steel, in addition to a New Building Permit from the New York City Department of Buildings.
more details here
April 20, 2017

First look at Domino Sugar Factory’s 11-acre park and waterfront esplanade

With building construction well under way at the Domino Sugar Factory site, Two Trees Management has now released details about the 11-acre park that will anchor the three-million-square-foot Williamsburg mega-development. To be known as Domino Park and designed by James Corner Field Operations, the quarter-mile open space will boast a new waterfront esplanade, six acres of parkland, a plethora of preserved artifacts, and easier waterfront access. In addition to sharing several new renderings, Two Trees also announced that the park will open in the summer of 2018.
All the details and renderings ahead
April 19, 2017

First home designed by Philip Johnson seeks $1M and a preservation savior

As any modern architecture aficionado knows, the Glass House is Philip Johnson's best-known residence. However, it's not his first. That title goes to the Booth House, built in 1946 (three years prior to the New Canaan beauty) in rural Bedford, New York. Like the Glass House, it boasts Johnson's iconic floor-to-ceiling glazing, location atop a grass podium, and internal organization around a central fireplace. But unlike the Glass House, now a historic house museum, the Booth House is not protected, and moreover, its title is in litigation which means it could very well face the wrecking ball. Therefore, Archpaper tells us that the long-time owners have listed the home for $1 million in hopes that a preservation-minded buyer will step up.
Find out more
April 19, 2017

Tour Zaha Hadid and Frank Gehry buildings around the globe with the new Google Earth

As part of its relaunch, Google Earth, a program that allows users to explore the planet virtually, now features guided tours of projects by various architects, like Frank Gehry and the late Zaha Hadid. As ArchDaily learned, the relaunch allows users to orbit the entire globe in 3D, instead of simply exploring isolated cities. It also enhanced the web application’s accessibility, with searches within the app providing snapshots of information about the places. Plus, using the app is free of charge and users do not have to pay or install any software.
Explore the Google Earth relaunch
April 18, 2017

INTERVIEW: Co-founder of the Brooklyn Home Company, Bill Caleo

The Brooklyn Home Company (THBCo) is a family-run cooperative of artists and builders that develop unique residential spaces in booming Brooklyn. Best described as white and wood but never cookie cutter, their work is always light and airy, and blend modern style with historic elements. It's this signature style that's made THBCo a favorite amongst both renovators and Pinterest enthusiasts alike. But what inspires their designs and how do they decide where to develop projects? Ahead, 6sqft speaks to THBCo's co-founder and Head of Operations, Bill Caleo, about the business. Find out how this family-run establishment firmly roots itself in working with local makers, how they've grown their business model to include sustainability, and why they always add a custom piece of art to all their homes.
our interview with bill here
April 18, 2017

Related’s Stephen Ross kicks off construction on Hudson Yards’ 150-foot climbable ‘Vessel’

The standard for public art spaces has officially reached new heights. Today, the installation has begun on Vessel, an innovative landmark designed by Heatherwick Studio at Hudson Yards. As 6sqft previously wrote, the project’s idea stems from Related Companies' chairman Stephen Ross, who chose Heatherwick to design the $200 million (up as of today from the original $150 million estimate) large-scale piece of art. After being fabricated and constructed in Monfalcone, Italy, the first ten pieces of the 150-foot-tall steel structure arrived in January at the Port of Newark via ship and then traveled across the Hudson River. And as of this morning, Ross was on site to mark the first of these massive components (they each weigh close to 100,000 pounds) being put into place by crane.
See photos from Vessel's installation and watch a video of Stephen Ross' remarks
April 17, 2017

Toolbox Tutorials: Learn to make a simple macramé plant hanger

6sqft's new series Toolbox Tutorials shares step-by-step guides for simple, affordable DIY projects. This week, Igor Josifovic and Judith de Graaff, founders of Urban Jungle Bloggers and authors of the new book "Urban Jungle: Living and Styling With Plants," teach us how to make an easy macramĂ© plant hanger. Have a project you'd like to share? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In small apartments, the valuable real estate on shelves and windowsills gets used up fast, but don't let this deter you from bringing in some greenery. Even if your flat surfaces aren't available, there's always room for a hanging plant, which can be suspended from the ceiling, a wall or window, or a doorknob that's not used on a daily basis. To do this, we're showing you how to make macramĂ© hangers for anything from regular terracotta pots to colorful salad bowls that have rounded bottoms.
The illustrated, step-by-step guide ahead
April 14, 2017

1100 Architect’s Watermill estate uses glass structures to integrate the surrounding landscape

Located in the Hamptons neighborhood of Water Mill , this modern yet surprisingly rustic family retreat includes a main house, pool house, guest house, bunkhouse, and garage. The mini-complex was designed by 1100 Architect and occupies a total of 15 wooded acres. The main house's design is a balanced combination of glass and location, as it's situated on the plot's highest peak, providing the structure with expansive and unobstructed views of the surrounding property and shoreline from the roof terrace.
Take the tour
April 14, 2017

An upgraded and expanded 1900 schoolhouse is now a charming residence for sale upstate

"A century’s worth of historical appeal" is how the listing describes this unique property upstate, located at 636 Bedford Road in the town of North Castle. Indeed, this structure was built in 1900 and originally served as a school house (h/t CIRCA). In 1980 it was expanded and renovated without taking away any of that century-old character. Details like six-inch oak flooring and exposed beams from a Brooklyn shipyard distinguish the property, and it doesn't hurt that it sits on almost an acre of land. The price, of course, is what you might pay for a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan: $855,000.
Don't miss this property tour
April 14, 2017

Robert A.M. Stern’s 520 Park Avenue, Upper East Side’s tallest building, hits pinnacle height

520 Park Avenue, well on its way to being the tallest skyscraper on the Upper East Side, is putting its final crowning members in place, CityRealty reports. The developer of the 54-story tower just off Park Avenue at East 60th Street is the multi-generational Zeckendorf real estate dynasty who brought us 50 U.N. Plaza, 15 Central Park West and the neighborhood-transforming Worldwide Plaza and Union Square's Zeckendorf Towers.
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April 14, 2017

$625K boho duplex is a cave-like East Village hideaway

The listing for this quirky little bohemian bolthole at 121 East 10th Street, near the iconic St. Marks Church in-the-Bowery, uses words like "special," "handpicked" and "salvaged," and there's a reason beyond salesmanship. Looking at this enchanted mini-loft does, in fact, make us feel "transported to another time and place." Another time, at least: The place is the old East Village of legend. Who knows, this could even be the apartment that invented exposed brick.
Have a look around this creative little pad
April 12, 2017

Central Park’s Belvedere Castle and two playgrounds to close for renovations this summer

While the outside of the Belvedere Castle looks strong, the inside of the 146-year-old fortress is actually crumbling. The cracked pavement, leaking roof, and plumbing issues encouraged the Central Park Conservancy to start a 10-year $300 million campaign last summer to renovate its structures, as well as surrounding playgrounds. As DNAInfo reported, beginning at the end of this summer and early fall, the castle, the Bernard Family Playground, and the Billy Johnson Playground will be closed for reconstruction.
Find out more
April 12, 2017

Burrow’s new modular couch is designed for millennials’ nomadic lifestyle

With moving frequently an assumed part of being a young adult today, furniture startup Burrow has released a new line of modular sofas that are easily assembled, affordable (prices range from $550 for a single chair to $1,150 for a four-seat couch), and can adapt to new spaces with pieces that can be tacked on or removed. The company also mixed the principals of two millennial-loved companies--Ikea's flatpack approach to shipping and Casper matresses' one-week free shipping and 100-day free return policy.
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April 12, 2017

Perched on a Staten Island hillside with stunning bay views, this cute country cottage is only $739K

This single-family home in a storybook hillside setting with some of Staten Island's most attractive property below and Raritan Bay and the Atlantic Highlands beyond is a testament to the island's diversity of places. Built by an artist who made sure the home's windows were positioned to take advantage of the natural light, the crimson cottage at 298 Lighthouse Avenue, whose listing calls it a "Hansel & Gretel gingerbread home," sits on a half-acre lot, sharing Lighthouse Hill with the Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art (h/t Curbed). So much uniqueness comes at the relatively surprising price of $739,500.
Check it out
April 12, 2017

Skyscraper proposal drapes Billionaires’ Row tower with flexible materials

Yesterday, 6sqft shared a proposal for an inside-out Midtown tower that received an honorable mention in Evolo's 2017 Skyscraper Competition. Another that made the list is the Flexible Materials Skyscraper, an idea for a Billionaires' Row supertall with an exterior made of a new material that can be folded, cut, sewed, and turned over, falling into a pattern. The designers called it “draping,” and hope building skyscrapers with flexible materials will allow architects to explore a new model of building while also cutting down on the construction process.
See renderings of the skyscraper
April 11, 2017

Morpholio’s AVA squeezes every interior design tool into one app

Interior designers who have been looking for a way to streamline their creative and production processes will appreciate Morpholio's newest app feature, AVA. Short for Automated Visual Assembly, AVA makes it easier for users to create not just presentation boards but also to produce cut sheets and specs for drawings, and product lists for purchasing. As professional designers know, projects are imbued with many moving parts that are difficult to manage piecemeal. AVA puts all of these pieces in one program, allowing designers to do everything they need within one application, reducing the opportunity for error. Plus, it's presentation ready, meaning there's no need to spend hours laying out images and assembling the details for client review.
find out more
April 11, 2017

‘Human Castell’ tower proposal turns the traditional skyscraper inside out

Evolo has announced the winners of its 2017 Skyscraper Competition, and though projects specific to NYC didn't take the top spots this year, several of the honorable mentions looked at new ways to build high-rise projects in New York. This one, the Human Castell Skyscraper, comes from a New Zealand-based team who wanted to address the question "where does art end and architecture begin?" Inspired by the castells of ancient Catalonia, the designers eliminated exterior walls for the Midtown tower to open its insides out towards the city, tapping into the history of architecture using sculptural expression to speak of its inhabitants' "myths and tales."
More on the proposal ahead
April 11, 2017

Contest winners suggest a car-free 14th Street with shuttles and bike lanes during L train shutdown

Advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has been trying to stay focused on grounded solutions–literally, as opposed to the tunnel and skyway ideas that are also being discussed–to mitigate the anticipated possible chaos when the dreaded 15-month L train shutdown hits. The organization is aiming for the ear of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the MTA which control street design and bus expansion, respectively. The group recently held an "L-ternative" contest seeking pedestrian-centered proposals for main transit corridors along the L line, such as 14th street, Gothamist reports. The winning proposal, called 14TH ST.OPS, imagines a (car) traffic-free 14th Street with a six-stop shuttle bus using dedicated lanes, plus protected bike lanes.
Check out the winning post-L-Train vision
April 11, 2017

INTERVIEW: Paula Scher on designing the brands of New York’s most beloved institutions

Paula Scher is one of the most recognizable names in the design world, considered legendary in the industry for creating the identities of major New York institutions. Scher moved to New York in the 1970s to begin her design career and got her start in the music industry. As art director for CBS, she designed around 150 albums a year and produced numerous ads and posters. Her record covers include everything from the Rolling Stones' Still Life to Leonard Bernstein's Stravinky, four of which were recognized with Grammy nominations. As a record designer, Scher was credited with reviving historical typefaces and design styles—and typefaces still play heavily in her work today. Scher left Atlantic Records to begin her own design firm in 1982, and in 1991 she joined her current firm, Pentagram, as the company's first female principal. Although Pentagram is an international design company, its New York office is behind the identities of some of the city's most beloved establishments. It was at Pentagram Scher established her reputation as a New York designer who created unique, lasting identities.
more with Paula Scher here
April 11, 2017

A design proposal envisions a cantilevered transit hub on Roosevelt Island

Roosevelt Island, the mile-long neighborhood that lies in the East River between Manhattan and Queens, will be a stop on the NYC Ferry route that connects Astoria to Wall Street beginning in August. While this will ease access to other parts of the city for residents of the island, French architect Victor Ostojic has another idea. As Curbed reported, Ostojic published a conceptual proposal of a cantilevered glass-covered ferry terminal on the western side of the island. Located parallel to Manhattan’s East 63rd Street, the terminal would include ground-floor retail, a food court, office space and a luxury hotel on top.
See renderings of the transit hub
April 10, 2017

The New Design Project’s Park Avenue apartment has an uptown address with downtown style

This beautiful Park Avenue apartment from the The New Design Project reflects the elegance and refinement synonymous with its Upper East Side address but also boasts a unique downtown vibe made possible by the studio's signature aesthetic. The light-filled home is adorned with modern furniture and lighting, as well as carefully curated floor treatments and accessories.
See the whole home
April 7, 2017

Wouter Scheublin’s spider-inspired table will walk right into your home

When describing furniture as nomadic, it usually denotes lightweight, modular pieces that can easily be taken apart to move with you. But Dutch designer Wouter Scheublin created a table that needs no dismantling, as it can quite literally walk to your next home. Inspired by eight-legged creatures, the Walking Table is still graceful enough not to leave scuffing marks on your floor.
Learn more about this crawling table
April 7, 2017

Gorgeous $25M Village townhouse owned by Roy Lichtenstein’s son for sale for the first time in 170 years

In the heart of the beautiful Greenwich Village Historic District, this 24-foot-wide 1847 Greek Revival townhouse at 118 West 12th Street is on the public market for the first time in 170 years, asking $25 million. In addition to rare and perfectly restored historic details, the home has been renovated with a collector's eye for the eclectic and unique, incorporating the best in contemporary comforts, adding even more character to its already magical rooms. While we wish we could say the dizzying collection of Roy Lichtenstein works and other art that adorns the walls of this amazing home were part of the deal, we'd imagine the current owner, filmmaker Mitchell Lichtenstein–the Pop artist's son–and his husband Vincent Sanchez, will be holding on to those treasures.
View the rooms and collections of this remarkable home
April 7, 2017

Townhouse once owned by President Martin Van Buren hits the market for the first time in 53 years

You could now own a piece of New York presidential history for $4.9 million. The Federalist-style townhouse at 150 East 38th Street, in Murray Hill, was once called home by President Martin Van Buren. This is, without a doubt, one of the most unique properties in New York--besides the presidential ownership, ironwork frames the entryway, a squat structure connected to the four-story townhouse. It was built in 1857, altered in 1935, and then restored in the early 2000s. The interior will bring you back in time, with fireplaces, wood paneling and coffered ceilings.
Don't miss the interior tour