TRANSported Transforms Shipping Containers into Green-Walled Artist Habitats in NYC [PHOTOS]

TRANSported Transforms Shipping Containers into Green-Walled Artist Habitats in NYC [PHOTOS]

If you could hardly "contain" yourself (sorry) when you saw the shipping container food hall and beer garden that recently popped up at Southstreet Seaport, you'll love TRANSported, an art installation that graced Brookfield Place Plaza last month. Commissioned by Arts Brookfield, the riverfront public exhibition parked two 20-ft-long shipping containers right outside the former World Financial Center and filled them with thought-provoking art based on the theme of “Untapped Capital.” Inhabitat explored the containers and all that they had to offer including a vertical garden, solar energy harvesting, a coin-minting station and interactive crafts. Click through our gallery to see what we discovered.
 

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Brooklyn Bridge Park Unveils 10 Designs to Turn Dilapidated Warehouses into Greenery-Filled Destinations

Brooklyn Bridge Park Unveils 10 Designs to Turn Dilapidated Warehouses into Greenery-Filled Destinations

Brooklyn Bridge Park has plans to turn seven crumbling brick warehouses that once housed coffee, spices and other dry goods into a mixed-use development consisting of office and commercial space as well as rooftop farms and terraces. Ten prominent developers from around the world are vying for the opportunity to push their proposed projects to fruition and Brooklyn Bridge Park recently released beautiful renderings of each one. Click through the gallery to see the competing designs and let us know in the comments which one is your fave!
 

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Could This Massive “Seaport City” Save NYC from Future Storms?

Could This Massive “Seaport City” Save NYC from Future Storms?

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg revealed a detailed plan to protect NYC from the effects of climate change, and we're still trying to digest the whole thing (it's 397 pages long). One of the initiatives that stood out to us right away, however, was "Seaport City", a proposal for what would essentially be a new neighborhood along the eastern edge of Lower Manhattan. The idea is that the city would (subject to funding) build a multi-purpose levee to guard against future storm surges and then erect residential buildings atop that newly created land to subsidize some of the costs of the levee.
 

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Benjamin Jones’ Technicolor TreeHouse Returns to Governors Island [PHOTOS]

Benjamin Jones’ Technicolor TreeHouse Returns to Governors Island [PHOTOS]

Having a treehouse in your backyard (or even a backyard, for that matter) is a treat that most of us who grew up here in New York City never got to experience, but Benjamin Jones wants to change that. The artist and set designer recently brought his TreeHouse made of recycled materials back to the FIGMENT festival on Governors Island for the third year in a row, and it's bigger and brighter than ever! Click through our gallery to take a mini tour of the TreeHouse's new features, which include a gazebo made of old desks and three specially-commissioned artwork installations.
 

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Giant “Cloud” Made of Recycled Plastic Bottles Pops Up on Governors Island

Giant “Cloud” Made of Recycled Plastic Bottles Pops Up on Governors Island

The organizers of this year's FIGMENT festival were hoping for clear skies this past weekend, but there was one cloud they welcomed with open arms. After months of hard work, STUDIOKCA's “Head in the Clouds” pavilion made of 53,780 reclaimed plastic water bottles finally popped up on Governors Island for the participatory art fair, and invited festival-goers to enter the pillowy structure to experience it from within. Click through our gallery to take your own tour through this dreamy, eco-art installation.
 

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100,000 sq. ft. Duggal Greenhouse Opens at Brooklyn Navy Yard!

100,000 sq. ft. Duggal Greenhouse Opens at Brooklyn Navy Yard!

The long-awaited Duggal Greenhouse finally opened its doors last month after being transformed from a massive asbestos-laden Brooklyn Navy Yard building into a new eco-space. The $10 million, 100,000-square-foot project was spearheaded by green entrepreneur Baldev Duggal and designed by Studios GO architect Gregory Okshteyn. Boasting energy-saving Lumpi lamps and rooftop solar panels, the state-of-the-art venue opens up to a riverside terrace with Manhattan views and has already hosted a launch party for Heineken and been a rehearsal space for Beyonce.
 

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Sweet Greenhouse Made of Real Sugar Glass Comes to Storm King

Sweet Greenhouse Made of Real Sugar Glass Comes to Storm King

We think it's safe to say that the Solarium is the sweetest little greenhouse ever made - because it's literally made from sugar. Designed by installation and performance artist William Lamson, the saccharine greenhouse is made of steel, glass and sugar and was built last summer for Storm King's Light and Landscape show. Caramelized sugar panes in varying shades of amber were sandwiched in between real glass panes in order to keep it from disintegrating in the rain. The open air greenhouse contains three miniature citrus trees and serves as a place for meditation in Hudson Valley.
 

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Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center “Oculus” Transportation Hub Begins to Take Flight

Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center “Oculus” Transportation Hub Begins to Take Flight

Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center Transportation Hub was nothing more than a series of beams and cranes until recently, but now the essence of the structure is finally beginning to emerge. The Port Authority released new images this week of the interior

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AN.ONYMOUS Proposes Elevating the Rockaways 10 to 15 Meters Above Sea Level

AN.ONYMOUS Proposes Elevating the Rockaways 10 to 15 Meters Above Sea Level

When Hurricane Sandy landed in New York last October, the Rockaways were among the hardest hit areas. In order to source ideas on how to rebuild resiliently on the peninsula, MoMA PS1 and the museum's Department of Architecture and Design initiated a call to the artistic, architectural, and design communities to create a sustainable waterfront recovery plan. "ex.terra" by AN.ONYMOUS was recently chosen as one of the twenty-five winning proposals. It calls for the creation of new ground elevated ten to fifteen meters above sea level, and the structural system is able to resist - and at the same time - capture the energy of the wind and the water.
 

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New Documentary Sheds Light on Philip Johnson’s Forgotten 1964 World’s Fair New York State Pavilion

New Documentary Sheds Light on Philip Johnson’s Forgotten 1964 World’s Fair New York State Pavilion

Have you ever noticed those big, spaceship-looking towers hovering over Flushing Meadow Park in Queens, and wondered what they were? Or maybe you remember them from their little cameo in the movie Men in Black, but didn’t know they were real, and standing

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Kickstarter’s New Brooklyn Headquarters Gets Trees on Its Green Roof

Kickstarter’s New Brooklyn Headquarters Gets Trees on Its Green Roof

Inhabitat has been following the construction of Kickstarter's Greenpoint, Brooklyn headquarters closely, and the other day we got our first glimpse of their green roof and courtyard taking shape. From the architects' renderings, we were able to see that the crowdfunding startup's new offices would boast a light-filled courtyard and landscaped rooftop garden but last week, we finally began seeing the vision become a reality. Click through our photo gallery to get your own sneak peek!
 

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Frank Gehry Set to Design Facebook’s New NYC Campus

Frank Gehry Set to Design Facebook’s New NYC Campus

Facebook has tapped renowned architect Frank Gehry to design the interior of its newly leased New York office, a 100,000-square-foot space set on two floors at 770 Broadway (a LEED Silver-certified building with ultra-efficient lighting and water systems).

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First House Made of Mushrooms in New York is Being Grown Now

First House Made of Mushrooms in New York is Being Grown Now

According to Green Island, NY-based Ecovative, your favorite fungus might also be the building material of the future. The material science company is currently growing NY's first house made of mushrooms, and they expect their "Mushroom Tiny House" to be complete in a few weeks. Already known for its award-winning mycelium packaging, which protects the wares of clients like Dell and Crate & Barrel during shipping, Ecovative hopes to take their business to the next level by showing what else can be done using 'shrooms.
 

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Shipping Container Beer Garden and SmorgasBar Now Open for Business at South Street Seaport

Shipping Container Beer Garden and SmorgasBar Now Open for Business at South Street Seaport

If you've been meaning to cross "drinking and shopping inside shipping containers" off of your bucket list (because that's clearly a common entry), don't miss your chance to do just that at South Street Seaport this summer. We caught up with SHoP Architects yesterday as they were putting some finishing touches on the three-story shipping container beer garden/mini-mall/food court they're building on Fulton St. for Howard Hughes Corp, and designer Sam Pepper told us that many of the units are already open for business. The repurposed container stalls are part of the seaport's SEE/CHANGE summer program, which will include concerts, happy hours, delicious artisanal foods and special events to help bring people back to the waterside area after Hurricane Sandy.
 

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NYC Beaches Are Now Open After Post-Hurricane Sandy Restoration and Improvements

NYC Beaches Are Now Open After Post-Hurricane Sandy Restoration and Improvements

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg and New York City Parks Commissioner Veronica M. White visited Coney Island to announce the opening of all New York City beaches for the 2013 season. The kick-off was even more special than in past years because it also included

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Garrison Architects’ Flood-Proof, Modular Beach Buildings Are Now Open at NYC Beaches

Garrison Architects’ Flood-Proof, Modular Beach Buildings Are Now Open at NYC Beaches

On Memorial Day, some of the NYC beaches hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy got a new start with the opening of 37 flood-proof, prefab lifeguard stations, comfort stations and offices designed by Garrison Architects. After the superstorm, Rockaway Beach, Coney Island, Midland Beach, Wolfe's Pond Park and Cedar Grove were left with just the tattered shambles of what used to be their restrooms and other beach structures. The city knew that it had to rebuild in order to open these popular beaches back to their communities for summer 2013, but fast-tracking the design and construction of these buildings to a matter of months proved to be a challenge. Architect Jim Garrison and his firm were called in to tackle the task, and we're happy to say that many of the structures are now open.
 

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SOM Reimagines Penn Station & Madison Square Garden as Super-Futuristic, Park-Topped Transportation Hub

SOM Reimagines Penn Station & Madison Square Garden as Super-Futuristic, Park-Topped Transportation Hub

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill just unveiled their incredible re-conceptualized vision for Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. The sweeping and airy design reimagines Midtown West as a new civic heart and welcome center for travel throughout New York City. Featuring two public rooftop parks and a grand glass-domed ticketing hall, SOM's concept is a vision for the future of urban design. The new transportation hub will accommodate high speed trains, buses, local transit, retail and even have direct train connections to all of the regional airports. Finally, the plan also creates a new home for Madison Square Garden.
 

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Studio Garneau’s Transformer is an NYC Apartment That Morphs to Meet Your Needs

Studio Garneau’s Transformer is an NYC Apartment That Morphs to Meet Your Needs

Forget transforming cars - what if your apartment could morph into different configurations to suit your daily needs? NYC-based architecture firm Studio Garneau recently completed the Transformer, a nifty renovation of a dilapidated, multi-room prewar apartment into a spacious, sunny loft that adapts throughout the day to meet its occupant's needs. The centerpiece of the space is a large, track-mounted sliding wall that separates the bedroom from the living and dining areas. When the wall is positioned to enclose the bedroom, it exposes a floor-to-ceiling library wall of filing cabinets and adjustable shelves. And when it's slid back, covering the library, visual clutter is reduced to create a serene minimalist look.
 

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Incredible Inflatable Spacebuster Pavilion Pops Up on the Lower East Side

Incredible Inflatable Spacebuster Pavilion Pops Up on the Lower East Side

The incredible inflatable Spacebuster Pavilion recently popped up at the Sara D. Roosevelt Park for the New Museum’s Ideas City Festival. Designed by Raumlabor for the Storefront for Art and Architecture, the pop-up structure created an experimental and semi-private forum right in the middle of the park. Guests got to walk through a Spacebusters truck, and into a transparent plastic bubble, which was filled with balloons of all sizes.
 

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Massive + Pool in East River Could Swim with Proper Funding

Massive + Pool in East River Could Swim with Proper Funding

Taking a dip in the East River may not be on your list of summer to-dos yet, but it could be soon if three entrepreneurs can finance plans to bring a massive +-shaped pool to the famous waterbody. The initiative to build a floating, water-filtering + Pool

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Clever 425 sq. ft. Manhattan Micro-Loft Stacks Upwards for More Space

Clever 425 sq. ft. Manhattan Micro-Loft Stacks Upwards for More Space

When it first started off, this unusually tiny NYC apartment had high ceilings but only 425 sq. ft. of space. Specht Harpman Architects came in and saw the potential to turn the awkward Upper West Side pad into a spacious, light-filled micro loft by taking advantage of the 25-foot ceilings and rooftop deck access. By installing four "living platforms", Specht Harpman turned what was essentially dead space into a really cool multi-level home that hides plenty of great storage. Read on for a tour!
 

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The Night Heron: Illegal Speakeasy Pops Up Inside a Chelsea Water Tower

The Night Heron: Illegal Speakeasy Pops Up Inside a Chelsea Water Tower

Looking up at this nondescript Chelsea water tower, you'd never guess there was a party going on inside! Called "The Night Heron", the illegal speakeasy popped up for just a short time this spring. The private, invite-only fête was dreamed up by Wanderlust Projects, which curates unique experiences that take place at unlikely locations. Click through the gallery below to see more photos of this swinging example of adaptive reuse.
 

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School of Visual Arts Offering Co-Working Desks to Work from This Summer

School of Visual Arts Offering Co-Working Desks to Work from This Summer

If you're in need of temporary NYC office space for the summer, look no further than The School of Visual Arts! SVA is offering up co-working space in their Products of Design studio in Chelsea, which is conveniently located near several subway stops. Intended for designers, architects, consultants and freelancers, the SVA Co-Working space is a light-filled, architect-designed office with all the amenities you need to accomplish some real work during the warmer months.
 

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NY Senate Approves Bill That Offers Big Tax Breaks on Environmentally Friendly Homes

NY Senate Approves Bill That Offers Big Tax Breaks on Environmentally Friendly Homes

Yesterday, the New York State Senate approved a bill encouraging the building of more green homes in the state. Initially ntroduced by Senator Mark Grisianti in 2012, the bill would allow local municipalities to authorize a 35 percent tax exemption on

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Can Mayor Bloomberg’s Steel Panels Save New York From Flooding During the Next Super Storm?

Can Mayor Bloomberg’s Steel Panels Save New York From Flooding During the Next Super Storm?

With only seven months before he makes his final departure from his post as mayor, there is speculation that Mayor Bloomberg wants to end his term by building barriers along they NYC waterfront to protect against future storms. A number of sources say that

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