Architecture And Design

February 8, 2017

MKCA transforms 225-square-foot West Village pad into a super-multi-functional home

The master of small apartment design in New York is at it again. The architecture firm MKCA managed to transform a 225-square-foot space that connects to an adjoining five-foot-tall storage attic into a highly functional apartment. MKCA has made a name for itself by designing claustrophobically tiny spaces into enviable apartments through creative and space-saving techniques. (Read more about the firm's design style in this 6sqft interview with MKCA's founder, Michael Chen.) This apartment, located in the West Village, is no different--a customized wall of storage created space for a bed, table, hangers and shelving that can be taken out and tucked away as the owner desires.
learn how the apartment works

Architecture And Design

February 6, 2017

BKSK Architects share new renderings of artsy, boutique Noho condo 22 Bond

By Dana Schulz

It's been a long time since Noho went from a creative warehouse district, home to the likes of Basquiat and Warhol, to a trendy enclave full of multi million-dollar lofts and Michelin-starred restaurants, but the 'hood has seen a recent influx of new boutique residential buildings, specifically 22 Bond, which may be the overall embodiment of the area. The 11-story condo offers only six units that begin at $9.8 million, but BKSK Architects' purposeful inclusion of large-scale art, both in the lobby and on the building itself, keep the neighborhood's creative history in play. The project has now launched its official page, which bring us new looks at its facades, art work, and interiors.
All the renderings and details ahead

February 6, 2017

Vince Clarke’s gorgeous Park Slope townhouse asks $6M after Roman and Williams haute-goth makeover

By Michelle Cohen

Back in 2008, the stunning 19th century Park Slope townhouse at 178 Garfield Place belonging to J. Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons wowed design and brownstone junkies when it made the cover of Domino magazine and the pages of countless others. In 2012, the stylishly- and painstakingly-renovated home was sold for an impressive $4 million to Depeche Mode founder Vince Clarke and his wife, Tracy Hurley Martin. As 6sqft previously reported, the pair–she helmed Brooklyn's fabulously peculiar (and recently-shuttered) Morbid Anatomy Museum and adores curiosities and the darker side of collecting–hired designers-to-the-stars Roman and Williams to give the four-story home yet another design makeover. Though a New York Times home design feature quotes Mrs. Martin as saying, "This is it. This is where I’m going to die. Hopefully not anytime soon,” upon first touring the 3,600 square-foot townhouse, a very much alive Martin and Mr. Clarke have put the home on the market for $5.995 million.
Tour the iconic and beautiful townhouse

February 3, 2017

Designing One Vanderbilt: The architects of KPF discuss the incredible 1401-foot undertaking

By Diane Pham & Ondel Hylton

There are a number of towers on the rise poised to change the New York City skyline, but few are anticipated to have an impact as significant as One Vanderbilt. Developed by SL Green and designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the glassy supertall will extend an incredible 1,401 feet into the clouds to become the city's third tallest tower (following One World Trade Center and the in-progress Central Park Tower) while also bringing a staggering 1.7 million square feet of office space to Midtown Manhattan. But beyond its height and girth, this massive development is expected to elevate its surroundings a profound way. Indeed, the enshadowed "iconic but aging" district surrounding Grand Central, long-deprived of public space and life beyond weary commuters, will be turned into a verdant block dedicated to all New Yorkers.
6sqft's interview with the architects this way

Construction update: Tishman Speyer’s trio of Long Island City rental towers

View of residential towers from Queens Plaza as of last week, via CityRealty

February 2, 2017

Construction update: Tishman Speyer’s trio of Long Island City rental towers

By Dana Schulz

Of the 30+ under-construction and proposed projects in Long Island City, many of the tallest and bulkiest are located near Queens Plaza, including this trio of slab-glass rental towers from Tishman Speyer and H&R Real Estate Investment Trust that will bring nearly 1,800 new apartments to the area. The residential buildings--located at 28-34 Jackson Avenue, 28-10 Jackson Avenue and 30-02 Queens Boulevard--are directly adjacent to Tishman's two-towered commercial venture that will be home to WeWork, Macy's, and a food hall. CityRealty recently stopped by the construction to see how things are shaping up at the rentals, which from the looks of it are well on their way to welcoming in LIC's newest batch of residents.
Find out more this way

February 2, 2017

Mixed-use affordable housing complex in the Bronx will feature Hunts Point Brewery and LightBox film studio

By Dana Schulz

A few months ago, 6sqft shared the first rendering of the Peninsula, a $300 million mixed-use complex slated to replace the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx. We learned that the five-acre site will hold 740 affordable apartments, open and recreational areas, light industrial space, community facilities like health care providers and artist workspace, and retail/commercial space. In addition to new conceptual renderings from WXY Architecture + Urban Design, the development team has now revealed details on who the borough-based commercial tenants will be, and they include Hunts Point Brewing Company, Il Forno Bakery, and LightBox-NY film studio.
More details and renderings

February 2, 2017

Design proposal for the Statue of Liberty Museum ‘points’ to social injustice in real time

By Dana Schulz

Though plans were approved in November for the $70 million FXFOWLE-designed Statue of Liberty Museum, Archasm recently launched a speculative design competition for the site. Titled "LIBERTY MUSEUM NEW YORK: Freedom to the people," the timely contest sought proposals that focused on civil and social justice, and ArchDaily now brings us the winning design from EUS+ Architects' Jungwoo Ji, Folio's Bosuk Hur, and Iowa State University student Suk Lee. The Korean designers were inspired by candlelight marches against social injustice in their home country and created an architectural landscape of water droplet-shaped modules that respond to global issues in real time. When a tweet about "dire events" is sent to the museum, the modules receive an electronic signal and moves to point toward the geographic location mentioned.
More looks and details on the design ahead

Architecture And Design

February 2, 2017

Historic Calvert Vaux-designed co-op that was once a refuge for girls, now asks $1.35M as a cozy duplex

By Michelle Cohen

Time hasn’t erased the historic feel of this unusual one-bedroom-plus-sleeping loft co-op, diminutive as it is elegant. It has the look of a renovated townhouse in one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods. At $1.35 million this petite pad may be an expensive refuge, but in its earliest days it was a refuge of a different sort with a history as interesting as its architecture–especially at a time when the ability to offer shelter to those in need is firmly in the spotlight. Landmarked in 2008, the subtly ornate red-brick facade of 307 East 12th Street was designed in 1892 by the firm of Calvert Vaux, who co-designed Central and Prospect Park among other enduring landmarks. Built for the Children’s Aid Society, the building was known as the Elizabeth Home for Girls; the New York Times tells us that it housed "several dozen young women rescued from abusive homes, offering them safe lodging, job training and healthy communal activities.”
Find out more about the building's early residents

February 1, 2017

This ‘car-lover’s dream retreat’ was expertly designed in the woods of Hudson Valley

By Emily Nonko

Nestled in the woods of the Hudson Valley is this stunning home designed around a unique focal point: the generously sized garage. Architect Marcia McKeel, of Studio MM Architect, explained in ArchDaily that the garage "is the locus of the design, generating space for car storage and maintenance as well as a spacious wine cellar and a furniture workshop." The rectangular home, partially embedded in the hilly landscape of the Hudson Valley, juts out from the lower-level garage. Inside, a striking open plan living space was designed for everything from entertaining to relaxing by the fire.
Take the tour

Extell reveals renderings of new Central Park West condo tower

Rendering of 36 West 66th Street via Extell (L); Approved zoning diagram via NYC DOB (R)

February 1, 2017

Extell reveals renderings of new Central Park West condo tower

By Dana Schulz

Though Extell is best known for sky-high mega-developments like One57, the Central Park Tower, and One Manhattan Square, they've also been taking on some slightly smaller residential projects, gobbling up swaths of real estate in the upper Midtown area. Their latest venture is a partnership with Megalith Capital Management to build a new condo tower near Central Park West. Located at 36 West 66th Street, the 292-foot, mid-block building will replace three small office buildings and the synagogue of Congregation Habonim. The latter will be incorporated into the new design, for which CityRealty has uncovered the first rendering and updated details.
READ MORE

12 unique wallpaper ideas for renters and homeowners at every budget

By Elizabeth Finkelstein

6sqft’s series Apartment Living 101 is aimed at helping New Yorkers navigate the challenges of creating a happy home in the big city. This week we get tips from historic interiors expert Elizabeth Finkelstein, founder of CIRCA, a curated historic house marketplace showcasing the most beautiful old homes for sale all across the country, and columnist at Country Living Magazine. She's rounded up some fun, beautiful, and modern wall treatments for renters and homeowners at every budget. If comparing paint samples makes you blue in the face (yes, there are indeed over fifty shades of grey), why not opt for wallpaper instead? It's fun, it's an instant conversation-starter, and we promise it'll look the same in every light. Grandma's favorite decorating staple is undergoing a fresh, modern renaissance–and thanks to some innovative artists designing with the renter in mind, it's easier than ever to install. From peel-and-stick options to those you can roll on with a brush, we've rounded up our favorite wall treatments for every budget!
See our top 12 picks here

January 30, 2017

Hidden tunnel connecting New Yorker Hotel to Penn Station unearthed

By Hannah Frishberg

Under the New Yorker Hotel, a former guest convenience has been rendered an Art Deco artifact by the times. While not built to be a secret, a tunnel connecting the Midtown hotel's lobby to Penn Station was sealed on the station's side sometime in the 1960s and subsequently forgotten, according to Atlas Obscura.
See what the tunnel looks like today, almost a century later

January 30, 2017

$349K for a kooky studio co-op in Prospect Heights

By Emily Nonko

The space may be modest, but the owner of this Prospect Heights co-op at 125 Eastern Parkway has managed to pack a lot inside. Decorations abound at the studio apartment, which is now on the market asking $349,000. It's a decent deal for an apartment right off Prospect Park, and it certainly does boast some of its own prewar charm.
Even the bathroom's decked out

January 30, 2017

Pier 55 offshore park may be flatter than originally proposed

By Dana Schulz

Despite the fact that the 535 concrete piles that will support the planned undulating base of the Pier 55 offshore park have already been erected, the Hudson River Park Trust is now looking towards a flatter design. The Architect's Newspaper obtained a copy of a permit modification request that the group submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers that reduces the park's overall size slightly from 2.7 to 2.4 acres and replaces many of the hollow pentagonal pots that would have sat on top of the columns with "a flat structural base sandwiches between the piles and the landscaping."
Find out the reason for the major change

Architecture And Design

Karim Rashid’s East Harlem HAP Five gets its bright pink trim

Final rendering of HAP FIVE (l), Construction progress as of January 27; CityRealty

January 30, 2017

Karim Rashid’s East Harlem HAP Five gets its bright pink trim

By Michelle Cohen

Construction is progressing at the very Karim Rashid-esque HAP Five residential project at 329 Pleasant Avenue in East Harlem, CityRealty reports. The building's frame has been enclosed in glass and its balconies are getting the hot-pink trim chosen by neighborhood residents after a bolder color scheme was nixed. HAP Investment Developers has specified that the project will be rental apartments instead of condos; the 21,500-square-foot, eight-story new project will offer 20 apartments including studios and one- and two-bedroom units created by the award-winning designer, all of which will have open kitchens and offer access to either a balcony, terrace or backyard.
New construction photos, this way

January 27, 2017

SL Green says One Vanderbilt will bring in $200M a year

By Michelle Cohen

SL Green Realty CEO Marc Holliday said Thursday that the midtown office tower One Vanderbilt is expected to pull in as much as $198 million a year in net operating income when complete in 2020 and fully leased, The Real Deal reports. That figure, in 2028 dollars, likely includes $42 million in admission fees for the building's planned observation deck and is based on the assumption that the tower will be leased out at an average of $155 per square foot. If realized, that figure would put the 1.7-million-square-foot, 1,401-foot-tall tower in a league with some of the the city's significantly larger trophy properties.
Find out more

January 27, 2017

Built for an aviation pioneer, this 1940 International Style mansion asks $40M

By Michelle Cohen

Known as the Sherman Fairchild Mansion, the extraordinary modern-fronted townhouse at 17 East 65th Street is one of those New York City sights that might stop you in your tracks in the middle of an otherwise sedate Upper East Side sidewalk. The current façade of this five-story home was designed by William Hamby and George Nelson in 1940 for brilliant and prolific aviation pioneer/inventor Sherman Fairchild (well-known architect Michael Graves was commissioned to design yet another facade for the home in 1979, but that version was never built). The 25-foot-wide, 9,440 square-foot modern townhouse has been on and off the market since 2014; it's currently asking $40,000. While the home's exterior is provocative and unique–especially given the Upper East Side location a block from Central Park–the interiors, which have undergone a thorough renovation by the current owner, noted Renaissance art dealer Martin Zimet of French & Company, are yet another surprise.
Take a look inside

January 26, 2017

Rem Koolhaas’ Gramercy condo reveals interior renderings, launches sales

By Dana Schulz

Right before the new year, the highly anticipated condo from Toll Brothers City Living at 121 East 22nd Street in Gramercy reached its full height, providing the first real views of its glassy facade and chiseled corner that resembles a giant crystal. And what makes the structure even more special is the fact that it's the first NYC project from Pritzker Prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas's firm the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA).CityRealty now tells us that sales have officially begun, currently ranging from $1.5 million, 761-square-foot one-bedrooms to $4.7 million,2,402-square-foot three-bedrooms, and along with the launch comes the first set of interior renderings and some fresh looks at the exterior and amenity spaces.
More details and all the renderings

January 26, 2017

Bjarke Ingels’ ‘bold yet graceful’ High Line towers get new website and flashy signage

By Michelle Cohen

When HFZ Capital Group chairman Ziel Feldman needed a bold design for what will be Chelsea's largest development in more than a decade, he knew the very-visible, block-long site wanted nothing short of an architectural icon to house the future 950,000-square-foot mix of parking, retail and office space, a 137-room Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spa and 240 condominium apartments. So it should come as no surprise that Bjarke Ingels' BIG was chosen to design what would be the firm's second Hudson River-front tower (after Via 57 West). Straddling the High Line and offering sunset river views, the two towers penned by the Danish wunderkind sit atop a four-floor base at 76 Eleventh Avenue, rising to 28 and 38 floors, respectively. CityRealty now brings us a collection of new views and a concept development slideshow of the $1.9 billion project recently published by BIG on their website.
See new images from the slideshow and some scintillating site prep

January 25, 2017

7 easy ways to feng shui your apartment

By Hannah Frishberg

As intangible a concept as feng shui may seem, it all comes down to the basic idea of having a space you're happy to come home to because its energy is positive. "Feng shui is an ancient philosophy about how you can improve your life and create a space that supports and nurtures you," explained Anjie Cho, a New York-based architect, author, and founder of online mindfulness design blog and shop Holistic Spaces. Indeed, adjusting your apartment in just a few small and informed ways can make all the difference in the look and feel of your unit and, resultantly, your own wellbeing. Ahead are some ideas you can apply to your space, straight from a pro.
First off, take that mattress off the floor

January 24, 2017

Slow cooking evolves with a sleek new design, better food and an app called Oliver

By Tracy A. Marciano

If you don't have your nonna cooking for you, good news is here. Slow cooking, which first appeared kitchens in the 1950s, has been redesigned for a new generation of chefs. The updated crock pot, or "Oliver" as it's been named, uses a new setup that releases ingredients slowly and churns out better results than the brown mush we've all come to expect from the gadgets.
Read more about Oliver

Construction update: Google’s Pier 57 expansion gets glassed

Pier 57 now showing some skin; Photo: CityRealty

January 24, 2017

Construction update: Google’s Pier 57 expansion gets glassed

By Michelle Cohen

Work is moving along at the waterfront development that is rehabilitating and revitalizing Pier 57, Manhattan's new "SuperPier;" newly-installed, canted glass panels can be seen along the pier’s rows of exterior columns, CityRealty reports. The $350 million transformation of the former freight terminal, a joint venture by Young Woo & Associates and RXR will include 250,000 square feet of offices for Google, a 170,000-square-foot food market curated by Anthony Bourdain and provide an elevated two-acre park with a rooftop movie and performance amphitheater. The project's design is being handled by Handel Architects and !Melk Landscape Architecture and Urban Design.
Check out new construction photos

January 23, 2017

There are more skyscrapers in NYC than in the next 10 cities combined

By Michelle Cohen

Given our growing obsession with skyscrapers–and our growing collection of them–we're pleased to find that New York City has more skyscrapers than the next 10 skyscraper-boasting cities–combined. The infographic from highrises.com (h/t TRD) shows that NYC has 6,229 high-rise buildings, while Chicago has just 1,180, and second-most-populous Los Angeles a mere 518.
See how the cities stack up

Architecture And Design

January 22, 2017

SPACE T2: A 1959 hunting shack transformed into an off-grid studio by Steven Holl

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

Space T2 is a minimal artist studio located in Rhinebeck, NY. Steven Holl Architects built the off-grid cabin using what remained of a 1959 hunting shack, dressing the exterior in a sleek black wood skin while keeping the interior core a cool and contrasting white. The tiny abode rests on a handful of stilts that have been embedded in the sloping earth below.
Learn more about this former shack

January 20, 2017

‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ screenwriter lists Chelsea townhouse with a private yoga studio for $7.1M

By Michelle Cohen

Built in the 1830s when this quiet, tree-lined residential block was home to well-to-do families, the four-story, 3,600 square-foot Greek Revival townhouse at 240 West 21st Street has seen a lot of change through the years. From its beginnings as an impressive residence for a successful engraver (h/t Daytonian), the home has been a boarding house, apartments and, in more recent years, the well-designed and thoroughly updated home of screenwriter/directors Leora Barish and Henry Bean (Barish wrote the screenplay for the cult favorite Madonna film "Desperately Seeking Susan" and the more recent "Basic Instinct 2;" Bean wrote and directed the award-winning film "The Believer"). The Chelsea townhouse, on the market for $7.1 million, is once again a comfortable single-family home boasting several terraces and a big, bright garden-facing yoga studio.
Come on in, there's plenty of room

Architecture And Design

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