Architecture And Design

On Wednesday, Bjarke Ingels' famous rental tetrahedron Via 57 West wrapped up construction, and now that the cranes are down and the shimmering facade panels are all set in place, we can see the building in its true glory. Architectural photographer Iwan Baan wasted no time, releasing a captivating set of images that showcase the half-block-long development from just about every angle, including some incredible aerial shots. First shared by designboom, the photographs provide never-before-seen vantages of the building's central courtyard, as well as views of how the 32-story building fits in with the skyline.
Ogle all the photos

Architecture And Design

September 9, 2016

$1.3M mid-century-modern home in NJ has Eichler lines and Manhattan skyline views

Eichler homes are rare on the East Coast, and why be a brand snob? This mid-20th-century gem in West Orange, NJ has plenty of modernist style and views of the NYC skyline. On a private gated road in Essex County, on the southeastern ridge of the Watchung Mountain (known for their many scenic vistas overlooking the New York City and New Jersey skylines and for their rare ecosystems of endangered wildlife, plants and rich minerals) this dramatic crescent-shaped home could be the answer to your modern house dreams. "Restored, not renovated," the three-bedroom residence has contemporary comforts and mid-century charm, along with a well-engineered floor plan and plenty of outdoor space.
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September 9, 2016

Back to school with C.B.J. Snyder: A look at the architect’s educational design

Now that school is back in session, 6sqft decided to take a look at the public school buildings of C.B.J. Snyder. An architect and mechanical engineer, he served as Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education between 1891 and 1923. It was this work that Snyder is known for, having transformed the construction process, design, and quality of the city's school buildings. He oversaw the creation of more than 140 elementary schools, ten junior high schools, and 20 high schools, incorporating his innovative H-shaped layout, three-tiered windows, and mid-block locations. Working mainly in the styles of Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts, Snyder created structures that not only revolutionized the way school design was approached, but that were beautiful works of design.
Take a look at some of our favorite C.B.J. Snyder schools and see how they're being used today

September 9, 2016

Revised Museum of Natural History Expansion files with LPC, preserves more park land

After first revealing its controversial $325 million expansion almost a year ago, the American Museum of Natural History has now filed plans with the Landmarks Preservation Commission to move ahead with the Jeanne Gang-designed project. Though, as the Wall Street Journal reports, there's been some changes, mainly those responding to the community's concerns over how much of the new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation will encroach on Theodore Roosevelt Park, a city-owned space near the back of the museum at 79th Street. The new curving Center will occupy one-quarter of an acre of the park, and two historic trees--a 125-year-old English elm and a 75-year-old pin oak tree-- will be preserved. Therefore, the public space leading into the museum will have better circulation and more gathering spaces.
More details this way

September 9, 2016

Bandleader Cab Calloway once lived in this historic Fieldston Tudor now listed for $2.1M

The well-tended Fieldston Historic District–one of New York City’s only privately owned neighborhoods–in the Bronx neighborhood of Riverdale is considered one of the city’s best-preserved early 20th century suburbs, unique for its collection of revival-style Tudor, Mediterranean, and Colonial homes. One of those homes, an unassuming but charming Tudor at 4746 Iselin Avenue, is now on the market for $2.1 million. In addition to suburban tranquility with a New York City address, the home comes with a jazzy footnote of fame: It was once home to legendary jazz singer, bandleader and Cotton Club regular Cab Calloway, who died in 1994 at the age of 86. Built in around 1932, the house offers five bedrooms, original details, lovely restorations and lots of modern comforts–all just twenty minutes from Lincoln Center. The home consists of two stories for living and entertaining and some particularly magical outdoor spaces for gardening and relaxing.
Tour this Bronx historic gem

September 8, 2016

REVEALED: World Trade Center Performing Arts Center will be a translucent marble cube

After stalling for years, the $243 million World Trade Center Performing Arts Center started to make headway in recent months, first with a decision to go with REX as the designers and then with a $75 million gift from Billionaire businessman and philanthropist Ronald O. Perelman (who is gaining naming rights). And finally, the official renderings have been revealed, and they showcase a nearly 90,000-square-foot, translucent veined marble cube that both stands out as an impressive piece of cultural architecture and co-exists with the other structures on the WTC complex such as the 9/11 Museum and transportation hub. According to a press release from developer Silverstein Properties, "The Perelman Center is inspired by the Center’s mission to defy experiential expectations. Its design cues were taken from [an] aim to foster artistic risk, incubate original productions, provide unparalleled flexibility, and deliver the most technologically advanced and digitally connected spaces for creative performance."
See all the renderings

September 8, 2016

Pier55 prevails in court, construction to continue on Barry Diller-funded offshore park

By Diane Pham

All systems are go for the Barry Diller-funded Pier55 park, as a State Appellate court ruled today that work can continue on the 2.75-acre project sited along the Hudson River. As 6sqft previously reported, the main opponent of the park—better known as The City Club of New York—has been aiming to thwart the project under the claim that those involved, namely the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) and Pier55 Inc. (the nonprofit manager established by Diller), failed to go through adequate environmental impact evaluations. City Club served the pair with a lawsuit that eventually led to a stop work order in June. However, an appeals court lifted the stop work order shortly after, and by the end of August, the first nine piles were installed. Today's ruling upholds a lower court's decision that HRPT and Pier55 Inc. did in fact do a proper environmental review, and moreover, that HRPT was not required to put out an RFP to solicit other ideas for the site from other developers—another major point of contention. The court also decided that the park reserves the right to use the space for non-public events like ticketed concerts, although it is noted that "the lease requires that 51 percent of the performances be free or low-cost."
find out more here

Architecture And Design

September 8, 2016

Opulent private West Chelsea mansion takes shape in Karim Rashid’s former neon-filled pad

The "unbridled luxury" promised for a townhouse at 357 West 17th street is taking shape. Architect Andres Escobar was tapped by Wonder Works Construction Corp., developer of Williamsburg's pricey Oosten condominium complex, to turn the five-floor, 25-foot-wide building into a 12,000-square-foot mansion with five bedrooms, eight (!) baths, a glass elevator, a swimming pool and a two-car garage. Wonder Works purchased the West Chelsea property for $9.35 million in 2014 from designer/developer Karim Rashid, who had lived in–and occasionally rented out–a candy-colored, neon-furnished loft in the existing townhouse. Now, CityRealty.com reveals new renderings from Wonder Works showing a rooftop deck, a chandelier-graced library, a sleek two-car garage and more.
Check out the mansion-to-be

September 8, 2016

Live in ODA’s stacked Long Island City rental for $850/month, lottery opens for 35 units

For those who think affordable housing and creative design don't go together, this Long Island City rental from ODA Architects could very well change their minds. Known as 2222 Jackson Avenue, the 175-unit, 11-story building features the firm's signature stacked cube shape and an exposed concrete facade that "maintains the structure’s seeming ability to change shape as natural light plays with the unique silhouette of the structure," according to the teaser site. As of tomorrow, 35 apartments here will be up for grabs through the city's affordable housing lottery. Units will range from $850/month studios to $1,274/month three-bedrooms, quite the deal considering residents will be living right across from MoMA PS1 in one of the city's trendiest 'hoods.
Find out if you qualify

Uniqlo’s NYC subway-inspired t-shirt collection hits stores

The New York City subway map is an icon of our modern urban culture, and it was only a matter of time before the popular graphics made their way on to a t-shirt in some trendy way. Uniqlo just released a new line of SPRZ NY tees featuring designs pulled from the The New York City Transit Authority Graphics Standards Manual, a graphic system designed by Massimo Vignelli and Bob Noorda in the late 1970s. The new line of tees were produced in collaboration with the MoMA and appropriately named, "The Subway and the City."
see more designs here

September 7, 2016

POLL: Are you in favor of the Pier 55 offshore park moving ahead?

As of late last month, summer construction work on the Barry Diller-funded Pier 55 was complete, with the first nine piles propping up the offshore park having been installed. It seemed as though all systems were a go at the $130 million futuristic park, but yesterday 6sqft reported that The City Club of New York, the civic group who was behind an earlier lawsuit and stop work order, may have a backer in none other than Douglas Durst. And today the Wall Street Journal shares that opponents had their first day in front a panel of state appellate-court judges to express environmental concerns and frustrations that the initial planning between billionaire Diller and the Hudson River Park Trust was done behind closed doors. What are your thoughts on the issue?
More details on the hearing, and tell us if you're in favor of Pier 55 moving ahead

Architecture And Design

September 6, 2016

Turn any image into a custom template for wallpaper and more with Morpholio’s ‘Stencil’ app

It's no secret that stencils are all the rage these days, and here in New York City we've been enjoying sites adorned with stencil-inspired graffiti for decades. Like many trends that start in the streets, the art of stencils have made their way into the design language of everything from t-shirts to pillows, magazines and most definitely interior design. As a response to these trends, Morpholio has just released Stencil, a new app that allows you transform any image you come across into a custom digital stencil to use with any of your designs.
find out more here

Dorm architecture: Admiring avant-garde student housing designs in New York

Image courtesy of SOM by James Ewing

September 6, 2016

Dorm architecture: Admiring avant-garde student housing designs in New York

By Cait Etherington

Historically, college dorms have been characterized by anything but great architecture. While many older institutions rent out rooms (“cells” may be a more apt description) in neo-gothic structures, newer institutions tend to house students in some of the world’s least inspiring modernist buildings (for an example, head over to the I.M. Pei towers that dominate NYU’s University Village). More recently, however, at least some colleges and universities have begun to acknowledge that where students live may have an impact on their performance. Financially savvy institutions have also started to link student housing options to student retention rates. As a result, on many campuses, drab gray concrete structures with prison-size windows are finally giving way to light, glass and wood and to an entirely new range of built-in amenities. This means that whether or not all students know it, a growing number of them are now living in buildings on the cutting edge of contemporary design.
Ahead, we highlight some of the best and most innovative in the new york area

Architecture And Design

September 6, 2016

Mogul vs. mogul: Is Douglas Durst trying to stop Barry Diller’s offshore park?

Once again in the news is media mogul Barry Diller's futuristic offshore cultural pier development at Pier 55 on the Hudson River. The proposed park project, known informally as Diller Park after its main backer, who is chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp and is married to fashion designer Diane Von Furstenburg, is helmed by the Hudson River Park Trust. The New York Times reports that the project’s main opponent, a civic group called The City Club of New York, may have an equally powerful backer. According to Diller, there is a deep-pocketed "hidden hand” funding the legal actions against the park. In a recent interview, Diller said, “The backer of all this is one Douglas Durst.”
Find out more

September 4, 2016

Upstate home built in 1730 by a Revolutionary War captain asks $1.25M

By Emily Nonko

$1.25 million won't just buy you this home at 100 Old Lake Street in West Harrison, New York, it'll buy you a piece of history (h/t CIRCA). According to the listing, the oldest portion of this pre-Revolutionary War home is said to have been originally built in 1730 by Captain William Shelley and his brothers--they fought at Merritt Hill, the site of the Battle of White Plains, during the Revolutionary War. The house has since been expanded and modernized, although the building still has its original structural details.
Take a look at the historic interior

September 2, 2016

Developer proposes floating glass restaurant for Hudson River’s Glenwood Power Plant

Glenwood Power Plant was built in 1906 in Yonkers atop of 6,000 piles in the Hudson River for the electrification of the New York Central Railroad from Grand Central. After sitting vacant since the 1960s, the complex began a new incarnation in 2013 when developer Lela Goren embarked on a project to transform it into The Plant, a one million+ square foot conference, event, retreat, and performance venue, preserving its Romanesque Revival architecture and cultural history. Another local developer, however, has a vision of their own--to suspend a glass cube from Glenwood's two smoke stacks and have it function as a floating restaurant. First shared by ArchDaily, the conceptual plan from Big Foot Developers "aims to blend architecture and nature while having a minimal impact on the view of the site."
More details this way

Architecture And Design

August 31, 2016

FXFowle’s NOMA condo rises in ‘neo-Bauhaus’ style at the crossroads of Manhattan

By Ondel Hylton

Earlier this year, sales launched at The NOMA, a 55-unit ground-up condominium developed by Alchemy Properties and designed by Daniel Kaplan of FXFowle Architects. The 24-story building is distinguished by a gray-brick skin and ribbons of gridded windows that pay homage the area's industrious roots. The "neo-Bauhaus" exterior references the older loft buildings from the early 19th century, the clean lines of the Bauhaus movement, and the massing of the parade of newer residential towers that have cropped up along Sixth Avenue in Nomad.
Get the full scoop on the building

August 31, 2016

Superhero bookshelves transform your living room into a secret urban lair

Technically we all have to grow up, but that doesn't mean we can't always be kids at heart. Turkish product designer Burak Doğan helps us integrate this sense of play into our often serious adult lives with his series of superhero bookshelves. Now you can transform your dull living room into your very own superhero lair.
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August 31, 2016

Kate Spade founder’s boho East Village townhouse returns as a $40,000/month rental

We'll take any opportunity to admire the four-story townhouse at 215 East 12th Street in the East Village, just south of the bustle of Union Square, and its appearance on the rental market for $40,000 a month is as good an excuse as any. Just a few months ago, the townhouse owned by Pamela Bell, one of the founders of fashion brand Kate Spade, popped up for sale at $16 million accompanied by many pretty pictures of its gently renovated historic-chic interiors and beautifully-preserved 1800s origins. Bell bought the house in 2007 for $4.3 million, so there's a tidy sum to be made if it snags a buyer; in the meantime, renters get a chance to experience nine-bedroom garden-filled townhouse living in a vibrant, 24-hour neighborhood.
Take the tour

August 29, 2016

Bono: A stylish aluminum composter perfectly sized for your countertop

Composting in New York City can be challenging to say the least. Not only are you dealing with the constant changing of the seasons, but space in this densely packed town is also sparse. However, with every challenge is also an opportunity, and much like many of the other problems associated with these limitations we look to design to keep us moving in the right direction. On the composting front Polish designer Ala Sieradzka's as made for us Bono, a compact countertop composter spun from powder-coated aluminum that comes with an equally stylish cork lid and base.
learn more here

August 29, 2016

Interview: Architect Cary Tamarkin on being his own developer

By Jillian Blume

Cary Tamarkin is the founder and president of Tamarkin Co., an architecture and real estate development company established in 1994 and based in New York City. He worked as an architect exclusively for many years before deciding to go into development. As it turned out, he was able to combine his passion for both architecture and […]

August 28, 2016

Fashion Stylist Scott Newkirk Goes Unplugged in His 14×14 Rough-Hewn Cabin

By Ana Lisa Alperovich

For many city dwellers bogged down by the hustle and bustle of everyday life, vacations are spent offline in far-away places, disconnected from technology and reconnected to nature. But fashion and interior stylist Scott Newkirk proves you don't have to go that far to have your own unplugged woodland dream. Located in Yulan, New York, just 90 miles northwest of NYC, Newkirk's charming wooden cabin is a mere 14x14 feet and is made entirely from salvaged and reclaimed pieces of wood.
Learn more about this rough and ready cabin

August 26, 2016

Where I Work: Inside Thompson Square Studios, Soho’s members-only co-working space