Brooklyn design house Bellboy New York recently turned reclaimed wood from a historic water tower into a beautifully sculpted chair for the 12 x 12 Project, and we're loving the result. The project challenged 12 designers to create new works from some of New York’s most historic structures. Bellboy’s task was to transform wood from a torn-down Park Avenue water tower into an innovative piece of modern furniture, and by the looks of their sexy new wooden chair, we'd say they succeeded.

 

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The Spectra Pipeline, which will bring natural gas to new areas around New York and New Jersey, has been given the green light. Also called the NJ-NY Expansion Project, it was finally approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and received with a mixed response.  The pipeline was approved as part of Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030 report to divert reliance upon coal energy, but the construction of the pipeline could be invasive for some residents.

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Artist Justin Gignac is turning trash into treasure. The New Yorker has been collecting trash off of Manhattan’s streets over the past ten years, and transforming it into sellable art works. Gignac jams a handful of colorful trash into a plastic cube, pricing buyers $50 for each sculptural piece.

 

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The long awaited One World Trade Center set a record today, becoming the tallest building in New York. The in-progress tower surpassed New York City’s current highest building, the Empire State Building, which soars to 1,250 feet. The original Twin Towers held the title of NYC’s tallest buildings until they were destroyed in the September 11 attacks. Once complete, One World Trade Center will reach 1,776 feet with its antenna spire, a height chosen to commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

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Last fall, the MTA started a somewhat counter-intuitive pilot program to help reduce trash in the subways – they removed the trash cans. The bins were taken out of two test subway stations, and surprisingly, it worked. The program was so successful that New York City Transit President Tom Prendergast plans to expand the program- and remove even more trash cans from other subway stops this summer.

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©Colros

If you haven’t gotten around to getting that garage sale together to sell your old junk, it could end up as part of something even greater –  MoMA’s next art exhibition! The museum has put out a plea for people’s old stuff, specifically “strange items” that of course don’t include weapons, liquids or hazardous materials. The collective junk will become part of a new performance piece by Martha Rosler, that will take place this fall at the modern art museum. Called Meta-Monumental Garage Sale, the installation will transform The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium into an epic flea market full of the carefully collected junk from local New Yorkers. Rosler, who hails from Brooklyn, will then create the ultimate garage sale, pricing all of the donated items and selling them to visitors.

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Mayor Bloomberg has been on a roll supporting green design lately and last week, he announced a new bill that would allow buildings to construct sun-control devices on their roofs with no zoning issues. The devices can add up to two and a half feet to a building’s height without worry of violating the current zoning for each property. The new legislation is in keeping with Zone Green, a program that has been improving green building in NYC by easing up zoning restrictions for sun-shading, green roofs and other sustainability-boosting projects.

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If you love the vertical farms you see on Inhabitat but have never experienced one in real life, head on over to Long Island City’s Socrates Sculpture Park as soon as possible! The park is known for its innovative outdoor art installations and its newest one, “Farmacy” by artist Natalie Jeremijenko, infuses the park with edible crops hung to create a portable vertical garden.

 

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What do you do when you’ve been lobbying for a neighborhood park for years to no avail? How about creating your own pop-up park in protest? That’s what a group called Friends of 20th Street Park is planning to do at an area in Chelsea on West 20th Street that has been home to an unused Department of Sanitation lot for years. The organization, which has been advocating to transform the unused space into a park for years, says they are are going to make a pop-up renegade park in protest of the city’s inaction. The peaceful protest will gather hundreds of green-wearing locals this Sunday on the vacant lot at 136 West 20th Street.

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The troubled Second Avenue Subway line might be taking forever to complete, but at least we know that when it’s finally done, it’ll be done in style. MTA’s Arts for Transit will be calling in some heavy art world hitters to adorn the line’s stations – Chuck Close will be creating a giant work of mosaics, and sculptor Sarah Sze will build a massive installation of ceramic tiles.  Four stations in total will be getting the arty treatment, with a budget of $5 million.

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Last week, One World Trade Center was finally crowned the tallest building in New York City, beating out the reigning tallest, the Empire State Building. To document and honor the construction of the long-awaited tower, EarthCam has released a time-lapse movie which documents construction from 2004 to 2012. The poignant film is the result of Earthcam’s live-streaming internet cameras, which captured the rise of New York’s most symbolic building. Watch the video after the jump.

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Yuki Agematsu's miniature archives of discarded objects look more like carefully curated displays than collections of New York City's garbage. Agematsu finds beauty in the grotesque as he transforms plastic bags into colorful sculptural pieces. The series forms Agematsu's most recent collection of works, which were a stand out show at this past weekend's NADA Art Fair.

 

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The new green-grass-roofed Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Visitor Center will officially open on May 16th, but Inhabitat has already gotten a sneak preview of the gorgeous space. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, the new structure rests in harmony with the surrounding gardens, both in architectural design and environmental footprint. Rising from a Gingko tree-lined hill, the glass visitor center is both welcoming and unimposing, providing an area of respite and superior views of the serene gardens.

 

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The streets of the tourist-heavy tip of Lower Manhattan become crowded and unnavigable during the summer months (as we’re sure you know all too well if you work in the area), so the Department of Transportation has come up with a proposal that it hopes will ease up some of that pedestrian congestion. The DOT’s plan calls for widening the sidewalks around the Bowling Green area, and could make for a more friendly commute for visitors and New Yorkers alike. We think the idea makes perfect sense and fits in well with the city’s other initiatives to make itself into even more of a pedestrian-friendly town.

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Chelsea’s Tanya Bonakdar Gallery is inviting visitors to come walk, jump and play on Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto’s giant rainbow-colored spiderwebs made of rope. The colorful nets hang as suspended winding tunnels throughout the gallery, giving adults and kids alike the opportunity to test their sense of balance. The show, entitled “Slow iis goood,” transforms multi-colored spools of rope into a floating organic landscape inside the gallery’s rooms.

 

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This summer, children of all ages can delight in riding two of New York’s historic carousels! Both the rides at Forest Park and Flushing Meadows-Corona Park are slated to be reinstated by Memorial Day in all their original glory. The vintage amusement rides will likely be operated by New York Carousel Entertainment, and this will be the first time the historic Forest Park Carousel has been open to the public in almost four years.

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Since the word got out that New York’s recycling rate has plummeted to embarrassing numbers, the Department of Sanitation has brought in a new leader with the hope of doubling the city’s rate by 2017. Ron Gonen will take on the dauting task of transforming New York’s recycling and sustainability programs — and its subsequent reputation. Gonen himself is no stranger to recycling programs, having founded the incredibly successful Recyclebank program that rewards consumers with incentives for reducing their waste.

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Yesterday, Inhabitat took the fair-sanctioned ferry across the East River to Randall’s Island for the first ever Frieze New York Art Fair. With a sprawling temporary pavilion designed by SO-IL, the fair brings 180 of the world’s finest art galleries to New York. The fair invaded the western shore of the island, hugging the East River and offering visitors views of the New York skyline.

 

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Building green in New York City just got a whole lot easier. The New York City Council has updated some archaic zoning laws, enabling energy efficient and solar-powered buildings to be constructed with ease. Citywide zoning regulations, called Zone Green, will now allow for both rooftop solar systems, as well as wind turbines to be more easily installed by cutting permit costs and eliminating bureaucratic red tape. The new ordinances are expected to save $15 billion in energy costs.

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This summer, photography lovers will be treated to a unique experience: United Photo Industries‘ pop-up Photoville, which lands in Brooklyn Bridge Park on June 22. The innovative photography experience will transform 30 shipping containers into a village of photography galleries, showing some of New York’s best and brightest photographers. Located on the Pier 3 Uplands, the photo park will introduce the public to area artists — and it’s completely free!

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In preparation for the New York Food Book Fair, the Garden Gather Dinner invites local foodies to experience a private dinner of local fare at the new Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. This Friday, guests can partake in a unique dinner honoring co-founder of the New York Mycological Society, John Cage, and benefitting GrowNYC’s New Farmer Development Project. Guests will enjoy a freshly gardened and foraged dinner by Chef-Artist Leif Hedendal and Mark Andrew Gravel.

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Coinciding with the recent reports that New York City’s recycling rate is dwindling, beverage company Honest Tea is bringing awareness to Times Square. In collaboration with GrowNYC, RecycleBank, Coca-Cola Live Positively, Global Inheritance, and Five-Boro Green Services, a 30-foot-tall recycling bin stood ground in the middle of the heavily trafficked tourist center. Yesterday, the giant recycle bin collected more than 15,000 beverage containers from citizens that will be recycled into elements for a community garden.

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The gorgeous Renaissance landmark in the Bronx, the Andrew Freedman Home, has been nabbing a bevy of media attention lately, with its art exhibition by non-profit No Longer Empty. But when the exhibition, "The Side of Paradise," ends in June, a section of the once abandoned luxurious home for the elderly will be converted into a bed and breakfast. Inhabitat was treated to a sneak peak of the new guest rooms, bar, and common areas on the historic grounds. Coupled with a community program to train residents in the hospitality and culinary fields, the mansion will serve as an overnight retreat for tourists and Yankees' fans.

 

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The ongoing City Point project is transforming the Fulton Street Mall in Downtown Brooklyn. The first phase, a four story retail complex is already complete, and now the second phase – two residential towers – is in the works. Designed by Cook+Fox with Lee Weintraub Landscape Architecture, the LEED-seeking towers will cap an enormous retail podium, creating a new mixed-use center.

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Artists E.V. Day and Kembra Pfahler have transformed the Bowery’s Hole Gallery into a lush indoor park, complete with fresh grass, fragrant flowers, and even a pond! Inspired by the French gardens Claude Monet immortalized in his paintings, the exhibition features photographs taken in the gardens of Giverny, hung amidst the lilypads, vines, hyacinths, and willow trees planted within the gallery. The collaborative exhibition welcomes guests to experiences a taste of the French countryside right in the East Village.

 

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