Neighborhood Tours

May 14, 2014

Bonsai-Inspired Solar Charger Also Lights Up at Night

The design of this compact solar charging lantern, called Electree Mini, was influenced by bonsai trees and fractal patterns found in nature. Created by French designer Vivien Muller, it "provides solar-derived power to environments typically void of renewable energy." On the movable branches are small solar panels which capture sunlight — a play on photosynthesis. The solar energy is then stored in small batteries that can directly power up your gadgets. Electree Mini has the capability to charge AA and AAA batteries and comes with a USB port that will charge smartphones. At dusk, the tree automatically lights up, and when rotated the LED light sensors change colors.
More design details this way

May 14, 2014

Studio Gang’s Razor-Edged Glass Tower for the High Line Gets the Green Light

By Diane Pham

Studio Gang's bold move to open an office in NYC couldn't have come at a better time. The much admired studio led by Jeanne Gang just got the green light for their stunning angular glass structure, which will be sited right along the High Line on 10th Avenue between 13th and 14th streets. Dubbed the 'Solar Carve', the new construction will be designated for office and retail use, housing 10 stories behind a glassy serrated edge and asymmetrical curves. The design, in true Studio Gang fashion, keeps sustainability in mind, and the building's geometric form does follow function. The unique shape mitigates solar gain while taking advantage of the views between the High Line and the Hudson. A planted roof will also help cool the Solar Carve on hot days.
More renderings of Gang's first NYC project here

May 13, 2014

5 Architecture Firms Envision an Ideal Atlantic Yards

By Aisha Carter

The creative mind is so spectacular. There’s nothing more fun for designers than to be given a project where they can allow their imaginations to run rampant. Never was this more evident than with The Warehouse Gallery’s new exhibit opening next month. Five architecture firms were asked to design an idealistic plan of Atlantic Yards, conforming to the same dimensions as the actual project headed up by developer Forest City Ratner. These proportions include 4,278,000 square feet of housing and 156,00 square feet of retail space.
Find out more about the project here

May 8, 2014

Matthew Blesso’s Green Noho Penthouse Sells for $7.35 Million

By Aisha Carter

It may not be easy being green but it sure is pretty. The new owner of Matthew Blesso’s famously renovated Noho Penthouse at 684 Broadway would likely agree. Blesso purchased the penthouse apartment back in 2006 from architect Hugh Hardy, then he proceeded to gut renovate the entire thing with the help of Joel Sanders Architect. Ow. Blesso’s vision was to create a pad sustainable enough to draw Thoreau himself to the concrete jungle. The apartment, listed by the Corcoran Group, is definitely in tune with mother nature with FSC-certified wood throughout, including its hardwood floors. Floor-to-ceiling windows keep it connected to the outside world, and just looking at the place makes you want to do a sun salutation. Well, if tables made from fallen trees and an original mural by artist Doze Green isn’t enough to convince you of the commitment of this apartment to green living, the roof deck definitely will.
Check out more photos of this urban oasis here

May 2, 2014

Amoeba-Shaped Transportation Hub Proposed for Queens

By Dana Schulz

Amoeba, organ, extraterrestrial creature — take your pick; this transportation hub dubbed the Urban Alloy Towers is quite interestingly shaped. The creation of Chad Kellogg and Matt Bowles of AMLGM, the structure is proposed for the area around where the LIRR station in Woodside, Queens links to the 7 train. The idea came from the notion that large-scale housing development is most successful when located near transportation. So, Kellog and Bowles figured they'd put their development "directly on the intersections between surface and elevated train lines," utilizing the remnant spaces surrounding the train infrastructure. Included in this multi-use structure would be live/work spaces, retail, small offices, both market-rate and luxury residential units, SROs, and a central atrium.
Read more about the design here

April 17, 2014

LOT-EK’s DUNE CO-HABITAT Will Protect Far Rockaway from Future Storm Surges

By Ben Wolinsky

Say goodbye to the old wooden bungalows, and hello to a new, much more sustainable community. Ever since Hurricane Sandy devastated Far Rockaway, there have been plans to either rebuild it magnificently or leave it alone. The new design from LOT-EK (famous for their shipping container houses) makes it a beautiful community to rival to those in Manhattan. Aptly dubbed DUNE CO-HABITAT, the 80+ acre plan involves building a community of houses on raised platforms, and using planted dunes as a natural flood defense.
More details on the distaster-proof design here

April 7, 2014

Barclays Center is Getting a Green Roof!

By Susan Cohen

There is one more thing to cheer about at Barclays Center. The sports and entertainment venue in Brooklyn is about to get a little greener thanks to a collaboration between Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC) and the Shanghai-based Greenland Group Co. Barclays will soon be topped off with small plants and a soil-like cover to create an expansive 130,000-square-foot green roof!
Going green

April 4, 2014

NYC EVENT: Cities by Water – Solutions from Copenhagen and New York

By Annie Doge

How can we create sustainable and livable cities in the face of climate change? On April 8, 2014, the AIA New York Chapter is joining forces with the Consulate General of Denmark in New York to host a panel discussion on the water-related challenges faced by New York City and Copenhagen, and the wide array of approaches and solutions that have already been deployed or will be implemented.
attend the event

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