Neighborhood Tours

Chip Brian may look like he's all business, but he's a builder and a Californian with an inclination for all things sustainable. The founder of Design Development NYC (DD), Best & Co. and a new and experimental venture called Neue Atelier, Chip has managed to build a creative empire that, luckily for his busy clients, is a one-stop design/build shop that brings architecture, renovation and furnishings under one roof. We recently stopped by his Long Island City space where he gave us the grand tour of the studio.
Inside the studio here

November 11, 2014

2,000 More Bioswales Will Help NYC Absorb Stormwater

What's a bioswale? (We know that's what you're saying to yourself.) It's a curbside garden built to absorb stormwater. The city currently has about 255 of them, but will be installing an additional 2,000 throughout Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx to prepare for the possibility of more intense storms in the future. Not only will the bioswales absorb an estimated 200 million gallons of stormwater each year, but they'll therefore mitigate pollution in the Bronx River, Flushing Bay, Gowanus Canal, Jamaica Bay and Newtown Creek.
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November 10, 2014

Ingenious Vello Bike Folds Up for Easy Commuting

Admit it; we've all rolled our eyes at the person taking up four spots on a rush hour subway car with their bulky bicycle. And while we applaud their eco-friendly commuting habits, we admit it can be a little frustrating when we're running late for work. Enter the Vello Bike to save the day. The lightweight, handmade folding bike’s 20-inch wheels (as opposed to traditional 26- or 28-inch wheels) are perfect for gaining speed, but also save space on crowded public transportation or when packed away in luggage. The bicycle features high-performance, top-end features not typically found in folding bikes, and it’s built to sustain various terrains (think cobblestone streets in the Meatpacking District or rocky hills during an upstate weekend camping adventure). Another detail that has us smitten with Vello? The bikes come equipped with unique QR codes that link to riders’ online profiles and help locate them if stolen.
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November 5, 2014

Easily Outfit Your Home in Greenery with Plant Wall Design’s Vertical Garden

Urban gardeners rejoice! Your chance to truly flex your green thumb has come with Plant Wall Design's Live Vertical Garden. This lovely design comes in mahogany wood with an oil or painted finish and is ready to enliven the most elegant to the most industrial of homes. Plants can be even be grown on both sides of the wall, so if you've been looking for a colorful and creative room partition—or if you're just looking for a new centerpiece—this garden wall is the way to go.
See some of the modular designs waiting for you here

November 4, 2014

Bates Masi’s Northwest Harbor Residence Rises on 16 Piles above a Floodplain Terrain

In a post-Sandy world, waterfront residents are faced with the choice of whether or not to raise their homes. Some may worry about the esthetics of this type of renovation, but Bates Masi + Architects' Northwest Harbor residence shows that raised homes can be strikingly beautiful. The green-minded firm works with the environment and not against it. Instead of modifying this East Hampton terrain, they allowed the natural landscape to take the lead. The stunning result is supported by 16 sturdy stilts that raise this wooden dwelling right above an unsettling floodplain terrain while improving the overall environmental quality of the unique wooden home.
Learn more about this stunning high up home

November 3, 2014

Copper-Clad Writer’s Cabin by Andrew Berman Changes Color with the Sun

Some people need a tranquil, secluded space to create, and this stunning writing studio by Andrew Berman Architect is the perfect place to fulfill that need. Located in Bellport, New York, on Long Island's South Shore, this unique shelter is certainly eye-catching as it's entirely clad in copper. In addition to boasting a large central window that overlooks the green landscape, this charming abode also changes color depending on the light. Talk about an ideal spot for daydreaming and curing writer's block...
More on the house here

October 28, 2014

I-Beam Design’s Pixelated Chelsea Renovation is Made From 20,000 LEGO Bricks

We all love and played with LEGO when we were kids, and this New York loft apartment is just another great example of how versatile the colorful Danish bricks are. The story begins when the son of Melissa Marks and Vicente Caride got too old not to have a door on his bedroom, so his parents decided to renovate their Chelsea loft in an innovative and playful way. I-Beam Design was called to do the job, and together with LEGO artist Sean Kenney they created an amazing pixelated new stair railing and wall using 20,000 LEGO bricks.
Learn more about this pixelated home

Photo © Field Condition

October 27, 2014

Has the Failed B2 Tower Ruined Large-Scale Prefab Housing for the City?

Prefab housing has taken the world by storm in the last years, lauded for its low cost and flexibility, with buildings ranging from single-family homes to art schools popping up across the globe. But not until Forest City Ratner's plan for B2 BKLYN have we seen an attempt to build a large-scale module tower topping out at 32-stories—the world's tallest prefab tower. It's well known that the project has been a big flop; construction was far slower than originally projected and was halted in August amidst disputes between the builder, Skansa USA, and the developer, Forest City Ratner. In September lawsuits went flying, both pointing fingers as to why the whole thing failed. Forest City blamed the execution of the plan, while Skanska said the design was flawed. Fast-forward to today, and the work on the tower has been shut down with only 10 stories erected. A recent WSJ article looks at where the whole thing went awry, and more importantly: Is pre-fab construction even feasible at such a scale?
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October 27, 2014

Steven Holl’s ‘Writing With Light House’ Plays with the Light That Filters through Its Wooden Skin

American architect and watercolorist Steven Holl was inspired by Jackson Pollock's 1949 'Seven in Eight' paintings when designing this stunning property. Called the 'Writing With Light House', it stands near the former abstract expressionist painter's studio on Long Island and features wide-open interiors brightened with natural light. Boasting a striking linear wooden skin that lets the elements filter through, the power of this design can be best appreciated when the light lines inside play with the spaces throughout the day.
Learn more about this playful wooden house

Watermill Residence is Topped With Wildflowers and Powered by Geothermal Energy

Andrew Berman Architect PLLC is a New York-based practice focused on the realization of unique and finely executed spaces, and the stunning Watermill Residence is not an exception. Created for a family of three generations, it features lovely, light-filled interiors and plenty of outdoors space for enjoying nature. It's made from an elegant combination of wood and polished concrete, is topped by a green roof made from local wildflowers and grasses, and is powered by geothermal energy.
Learn more about this stunning green-roofed residence

October 23, 2014

2.5³ is a Multifunctional Living Cube for Contemporary Nomadism

2.5³ is Maciej Chmara and Ania Rosinke's proposal for living minimally. The multifunctional space reduces life’s material needs down to the bare essentials and follows ideas of utopian thinking from the 60s and 70s, when many architects and designers were working on modular and mobile living structures. Perfect for small homes or as a functional island within a large loft or warehouse space, this cubic wooden structure will let you sleep, eat, relax and work within its reduced design.
Find out more about this multifunctional space

October 21, 2014

Canadiano is a Minimal Pour Over Coffee Maker Made from a Simple Wooden Block

Meet Canadiano, a smart little wooden block designed for making a delicious cup of jo. Crafted for picky coffee connoisseurs, this minimalistic cube by Toronto-based Fishtnk Design Factory is a pour-over coffee maker made from carved wood and a stainless-steel filter. Simple, natural and low-tech, it takes only 2-4 minutes to brew a cup once the hot water is poured.
Find out more about this sweet coffee maker

October 20, 2014

REVEALED: Renderings of Greenpoint Landing’s Waterfront Park Designed by James Corner

By Rebecca Paul

Renderings for the waterfront park to be built alongside the massive housing development Greenpoint Landing have been released. Flooding from Hurricane Sandy ravaged the area only a few years back, so it comes as no surprise that the local community was concerned with how the developers were going to address the possibility of damaging storm swells in the future. Despite their concerns the park's designer James Corner Field Operations has used intelligent design and beautiful landscaping to enhance the structural integrity and aesthetic appeal of the existing riverfront.
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October 20, 2014

NYC’s First Certified “Passive House” by FABRICA 718 is Lean, Mean and Incredibly Green

By Stephanie Hoina

When this Park Slope brownstone was first built in 1899 we’re pretty sure energy efficient design wasn’t a guiding factor in its construction. But over 100 years later an award-winning Passive House retrofit by FABRICA 718 has turned this classic residence into one that consumes approximately 90% less heat energy than the average home and 75% less energy overall.
See what consuming 90% less heat energy looks like

October 16, 2014

New Proposal Could Pave the Way for a Harlem High Line Park

The success of the High Line Park continues to inspire all corners of the world—including Queens—and now the latest neighborhood to jump on the elevated park bandwagon is Harlem. DNA Info reports a nonprofit called the Housing Partnership has proposed a plan to bring 2,000 affordable housing units and $170 million dedicated to public projects in Hamilton Heights. The new park encompassed within the nonprofit's 'Harlem Promenade' plan would run alongside the West Side Highway atop a portion of Amtrak rail lines.
More on the proposed harlem high line project here

October 16, 2014

Bates Masi + Architects Roughly Cut Cypress Home Feels Like a Tree House

New York-based Bates Masi + Architects designed this beautiful family residence referred by its owners as their 'Tree House'. Located on Fire Island, this two-level wooden dwelling is surrounded by a dense grove of pines and hollies and overlooks the bay from its upper level. Built from roughly cut vertical cypress louvers, it blends naturally with its luscious environment.
Learn more about this stunning tree house home

October 16, 2014

GKilo and ClogG: Thin-gk’s Minimal Med-Tech Kitchen Devices

The Italian designer-dreamers at Thin-gk developed two minimal med-tech objects for the kitchen. Featuring wooden geometrical shapes and rows of LED lights, they interact with the user from a simple human touch. While GKilo is both a clock and a scale, ClogG is a modern version of a clock that brings a med-tech touch to the daily act of cooking.
Find out more about this med-tech cooking designs

October 15, 2014

Babilus: Organically Textured Vases Designed to Resemble Ancient City Skylines

By Rebecca Paul

Babilus is a collection of vases made by Tel Aviv designer Nir Meiri. The shapes of the vases were designed to resemble architecture found in ancient cities such as alters and temples, and the name Babilus is used in reference to the age-old city of Babylon. Each form is made from several layers of materials staked in various combinations. When viewed together, the collection simulates an antique city skyline, however each vase was also designed to stand alone with the intent of igniting the imagination.
More on the vases here

October 14, 2014

Robert Kolenik’s Stylish Aquarium is Actually a Kitchen Island

If you like keeping aquariums filled with fish in your home, you might as well turn the tank into a stylish and useful feature. Designed by Robert Kolenik, this eye-catching kitchen island doubles as a stunning bluish aquarium. The crazy idea comes from the Netherlands and is called Ocean Kitchen.
Learn more about this fishy design

October 14, 2014

Study Says QueensWay Will Cost $120 Million and Help Local Economy

A new feasibility study, which is set to be released today by the Trust for Public Land, maps out the plan for the QueensWay--the High Line-esque linear park and cultural greenway proposed for a 3.5-mile stretch of abandoned railway in central Queens. The study points to the likely $120 million price tag and the park's benefit to the local economy. Through new renderings it also shows access points, exercise stations, food concessions, outdoor nature classrooms, bike paths, and an "adventure park," among other amenities.
More on the study here

October 13, 2014

Studio Swine Makes Extraordinary Objects from Human Hair

Anglo-Japanese designer Studio Swine makes luxurious objects and furniture that sit at the intersection of culture and the future of resources. Their latest project is a collection of extraordinary objects inspired by the 1930s Shanghai-deco style translated into all sorts of objects, including boxes, vases, mirrors, screens and hair combs. But there's something in particular that makes them stand out. Called Hair Highway, their weirdly enchanting aesthetic can be attributed to the use of resin and human hair!
Learn more about these hairy designs

October 10, 2014

Brooklyn Courtyard House by DXA Studio Is Arranged Around a Central Atrium