Architecture And Design

Skyscraper proposal drapes Billionaires’ Row tower with flexible materials
April 12, 2017

Skyscraper proposal drapes Billionaires’ Row tower with flexible materials

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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
Morpholio’s AVA squeezes every interior design tool into one app
April 11, 2017

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

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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
‘Human Castell’ tower proposal turns the traditional skyscraper inside out
April 11, 2017

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

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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
Contest winners suggest a car-free 14th Street with shuttles and bike lanes during L train shutdown
April 11, 2017

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

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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
INTERVIEW: Paula Scher on designing the brands of New York’s most beloved institutions
April 11, 2017

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

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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
A design proposal envisions a cantilevered transit hub on Roosevelt Island
April 11, 2017

A design proposal envisions a cantilevered transit hub on Roosevelt Island

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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
The New Design Project’s Park Avenue apartment has an uptown address with downtown style
April 10, 2017

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

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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
Wouter Scheublin’s spider-inspired table will walk right into your home
April 7, 2017

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

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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
Gorgeous $25M Village townhouse owned by Roy Lichtenstein’s son for sale for the first time in 170 years
April 7, 2017

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

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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
Townhouse once owned by President Martin Van Buren hits the market for the first time in 53 years
April 7, 2017

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

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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
Kwong Von Glinow’s new prototype for affordable housing can be stacked to fit any lot size
April 7, 2017

Kwong Von Glinow’s new prototype for affordable housing can be stacked to fit any lot size

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The first place winners of the New York Affordable Housing Challenge, an architectural competition run by Bee Breeders, have been announced. Kwong Von Glinow Design Office received first prize for their entry “The Table Top,” a modular system that aggregates and stacks to provide density and diversity in a city as varied as New York. Designed as a prototype for affordable housing in New York City, the flexible system could accommodate the city's wide range of lot sizes and is adaptable to a variety of unit combinations for diverse types of residents. With an affordable housing crisis abetting an increasingly socially divided city with the majority of its residents spending over half of their annual income on rent, the project speaks to Mayor de Blasio’s emphasis on the dire need to create more affordable housing at both new and redeveloped existing sites.
Find out more about this flexible, scalable design for living
Clever and compact Kammerspiel provides an all-inclusive living unit for studio apartments
April 6, 2017

Clever and compact Kammerspiel provides an all-inclusive living unit for studio apartments

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For many city-dwellers, living spaces often comes limited, so much so that it's not uncommon for homes to be referred to as "micro-apartments." German designer Nils Holger Moormann has created Kammerspiel for these tiny abodes, a sleek, all-in-one unit for sleeping, eating, working and storage. This is the largest piece of furniture he's ever engineered, and the purpose of the multi-functional structure is to provide a space-saving solution for people with limited square footage.
see more here
Outrageous Bronx mansion built for Jesus’ second coming finally sells
April 6, 2017

Outrageous Bronx mansion built for Jesus’ second coming finally sells

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Atop the city's second-highest peak, in Riverdale, the Bronx, this opulent mansion has been beckoning the heavens–and seeking a buyer–since 2009 when it hit the market with an ask of $14 million; As 6sqft previously reported, the 17-room 1home was built in 1928 for an eccentric owner who never actually lived there herself, but rather constructed it for Jesus’ second coming. The house was asking $11 million in 2013 and re-listed with a $10 million price tag in 2015. Welcome2TheBronx reports that the home finally sold for $6,250,000 on January 9th of this year.
Tour this unusual home
Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s
April 5, 2017

Plans revealed for new creative office hub above revamped Downtown Brooklyn Macy’s

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Tishman Speyer has released plans for the 422 Fulton Street Macy's renovation that will turn a new 10-story space above the department store into a 620,000 square foot creative office hub called The Wheeler. Reflecting a recent trend in snazzy work spaces that attract TAMI (technology, advertising, media and information) clients, the space will comprise "620,000 square feet of opportunity in the center of downtown Brooklyn," according to the developer. On offer will be the largest floor plates in Brooklyn with 15+ foot ceilings that "leave plenty of room for huge ideas," and a sprawling rooftop terrace, part of an acre of outdoor space that "provides fresh air for fresher thinking." There will also be 130 subterranean bike stations with lockers and showers for workers who bike to work.
Find out more
REVEALED: Inside the model residences of Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street
April 5, 2017

REVEALED: Inside the model residences of Zaha Hadid’s 520 West 28th Street

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Just a few days after the first anniversary of Zaha Hadid's death, developer Related Companies has revealed the first look inside the apartments at 520 West 28th Street--the Pritzker Prize-winning architect's first (and possibly only) NYC project. The first is a 4,500-square-foot, $15 million four-bedroom designed by Jennifer Post, combining her signature elegant, minimal aesthetic with Hadid's futuristic, architectural vision. The other is a 1,700-square-foot, $4.9 million unit from West Chin who employs his signature modern style in a way that complements the building's signature curves and organic indoor and outdoor architecture. Both spaces will serve as the building's sales gallery before the anticipated June 2017 move-in.
See all the renderings here
This graphic color codes major transit lines in North America
April 4, 2017

This graphic color codes major transit lines in North America

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Like New York, Boston's subway system is organized with a different color for each route. Unlike NYC, however, there's no corresponding numbers, so the lines along the T are actually referred to by their respective hues. Which is why Boston resident Ari Ofsevit, a transportation engineering and urban planning graduate student at MIT, found it odd that the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority didn't use the same colors on their Twitter alerts as were found on their maps and signs. As Next City reported, this inspired him to create a graphic comparing the various colors of 13 major transit lines across the U.S. and Canada.
Find out more
Noroof Architects’ Bed-Stuy porcHouse re-imagines the classic American front porch
April 4, 2017

Noroof Architects’ Bed-Stuy porcHouse re-imagines the classic American front porch

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"The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time," said architect Davida Rochlin in her essay "Home, Sweet Home." It was this idea that Brooklyn-based firm Noroof Architects kept in mind when redesigning this 1879 two-story, wood-frame home in Bed-Stuy. It was structurally sound and maintained original details like its covered porch with original cornice and trim, marble mantels, and carved stair balusters, but mechanically required a full gut renovation. To complete their "porcHouse" vision, Noroof added a two-story addition at the rear that they say "creates a kind of ‘interior portico.’"
See the whole place
Fōz Design transforms an old upstate farmhouse into a bright, rustic-modern retreat
March 31, 2017

Fōz Design transforms an old upstate farmhouse into a bright, rustic-modern retreat

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Located upstate in historic Hyde Park, this 1830s farmhouse recently underwent a full gut renovation by New York architecture firm Fōz Design. The project, called Fallkill Farm, was executed in collaboration with custom-builder Wolcott Builders, a team effort resulting in what is now a light-infused, rustic, modern retreat that preserved as many of the home's historic elements as possible, while adding modern, purposeful elements to expose views of the 36-acre property, complete with three barns and a pond.
Take a tour
Morris Adjmi reveals ‘The Warehouse,’ High Line-adjacent office complex
March 31, 2017

Morris Adjmi reveals ‘The Warehouse,’ High Line-adjacent office complex

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Morris Adjmi is no stranger to converting and reinterpreting industrial architecture, so it's fitting that Elijah Equities tapped the "contextual king" to redevelopment the Carolina Manufacturing Company's former distribution facility and apparel-manufacturing space at 520 West 20th Street, right next to the High Line in Chelsea (h/t ArchDaily). For the project, known as "The Warehouse," Adjmi will add a three-story, steel-framed addition to the current 65,000-square-foot structure, resulting in 100,000 square feet of office and retail space with more than 18,000 square feet of rooftop and outdoor amenity space.
All the renderings and details ahead
18th-century Dutch Colonial home, one of the city’s last, is for sale for the first time in 40 years
March 31, 2017

18th-century Dutch Colonial home, one of the city’s last, is for sale for the first time in 40 years

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The Cornelius Van Wyck House in Douglaston, Queens, built in 1735 and both a New York City landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, is now for sale asking $3.25 million (h/t Curbed). The home has been called New York City's "most impressive architectural remnant of the early Dutch Culture." In addition to its historic and architectural significance, it's located on Little Neck Bay and is one of the largest true waterfront properties in Queens. The home at 126 West Drive has been well-tended over the years, with many “interesting details of the Dutch period” still intact according to the property's 1966 landmark designation report.
Get a closer look at this unique piece of New York history
Zaha Hadid’s unknown, unbuilt and celebrated projects in New York City
March 31, 2017

Zaha Hadid’s unknown, unbuilt and celebrated projects in New York City

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A year ago today, Zaha Hadid's sudden passing at age 65 rocked the architecture world. Best known for her signature swooping and curving forms and for being the first female to win the Pritzker Prize, she surprisingly has only one project in NYC, the under-construction 520 West 28th Street. Likely due to an unwillingness to tame her energetic visions to suit a developer's bottom line, the majority of her work envisioned for the city remains unbuilt. To mark the one-year anniversary of her passing and to pay tribute to her "larger than life" creations and personality, 6sqft has rounded up Zaha Hadid's projects and proposals for NYC.
All the projects, this way
The Living Table: A self-regulated planter-table perfect for small spaces
March 30, 2017

The Living Table: A self-regulated planter-table perfect for small spaces

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Two of the smartest things you can do when decorating your city-dwelling are to make use of indoor plants and to invest in multi-functional pieces of furniture. This brilliant new table, aptly named The Living Table, brings these two concepts together seamlessly. The innovative table design from Habitat Horticulture mimics how plants naturally absorb water from the ground, providing you with the perfect plant-ready furniture to house all of your favorite low-growing greenery.
READ MORE
Studio V’s art-focused development will bring 1,200 residential units to Journal Square
March 30, 2017

Studio V’s art-focused development will bring 1,200 residential units to Journal Square

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With significantly lower rents than Manhattan and a less than 20-minute PATH ride to the city, Journal Square continues to blossom into the next hip neighborhood. In addition to the 10+ major residential projects going up in the neighborhood, it's also looking to become an official Art District. According to Jersey Digs, the newest project to follow suit is a two-tower, mixed-use complex at 808 Pavonia Avenue, adjacent to the historic Loew's Jersey Theater. Developer Harwood Properties tapped Studio V Architecture to create a pedestrian neighborhood, focused on arts and cultural facilities.
Find out more here
Renaissance Revival brownstone in Bed-Stuy has original ‘speaking tubes’ dating back to 1895
March 30, 2017

Renaissance Revival brownstone in Bed-Stuy has original ‘speaking tubes’ dating back to 1895

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You pretty much step back in time walking into this Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone, located in the eastern portion of the neighborhood at 538 Decatur Street. It is an 1895 Renaissance Revival, bay-fronted brownstone that is 18 feet wide with three stories and a two-story extension. When the listing brags that the interior boasts an "astonishing wealth of original detail" they aren't kidding--everything from carved fireplace mantles to oak pocket doors to beveled glass. The home even has its original "speaking tubes," which the original owners would have used to call to servants working on the garden floor of the home.
You must see this historic interior
$29K/month West Village townhouse got a modern, romantic renovation by Annabelle Selldorf
March 30, 2017

$29K/month West Village townhouse got a modern, romantic renovation by Annabelle Selldorf

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The thoroughly modern gut-renovation of this 1869 single family home at 281 West 4th Street is the creation of noted starchitect Anabelle Selldorf, and we're assuming that its romantic-contemporary decor was inspired by the owners' creative talents. Luxuries, comforts, and conveniences fill this somewhat narrow, 2,720-square-foot historic private home, from a finished and functional cellar to a planted and enchanted roof garden. For the why-own-when-you-can-rent-for-more monthly price of $29,000, you can step into this dream of a West Village townhouse, cue up a rooftop party and fire up the parlor-floor movie screen.
Take the tour
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