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Post tags: bubble chandelier, eco design, eco lighting, green design, green lighting, helping the homeless, ICFF, nyc design, product design, recycled bottle lamp, recycled lighting, souda, sure we can, sustainable design

Looking for something fun to do this summer in NYC? How about a free ferry ride that also supports a neighborhood that was knocked off its feet after Hurricane Sandy? Mayor Bloomberg joined other city officials this week to announce the launch of a free Red Hook Summer Ferry that will operate on weekends throughout the summer season. The newly expanded service spells good news for Red Hook businesses hoping to see an increase in foot traffic, and it provides a way for them to continue recovering after last October’s superstorm. The ferry will kick off Memorial Day weekend at Pier 11 in Manhattan and will give people another reason (besides just going to IKEA) to visit Red Hook.

Read the rest of Expanded Free Ferry Service to Red Hook Kicks Off Memorial Day Weekend! testing

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Post tags: east river, East River Ferry, ferry service nyc, Hurricane Sandy, ikea, ikea brooklyn, labor day, mayor bloomberg, memorial day, nyc ferry, pier 11, Red Hook, van brunt street

Image via Shutterstock

It’s not the sounds of the city or early morning trash removal that forces some Greenpoint, Brooklyn residents out of bed in the morning. Instead, a neighborhood rooster has become a local town favorite by bringing a bit of the countryside to the Kingsborough. Though it may be rather odd for a rooster to be lurking about, most residents don’t seem to be bothered by its crows. We’re curious to know, would you want to trade in your alarm clock for a daily cockle-doodle-doo?

Read the rest of Greenpoint, Brooklyn Residents Surprisingly Don’t Hate Mysterious Crowing Rooster testing

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Post tags: Brooklyn, Brooklyn chicken coops, Brooklyn chicken farms, Brooklyn farms, Greenpoint, New York Restoration Project, nyc chicken coops, nyc chickens, NYC farming, Schenectady Avenue Community Garden, urban agriculture, urban farming

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Post tags: black eyed peas, coca cola, eco fashion, ecocycle, Ekocycle, green NYC, recycling nyc, recycling south bronx, south bronx recycling, sustainable south bronx, will.i.am, will.i.am green

You might have known him as MCA of the Beastie Boys, but before he was a rapper Adam Yauch was just a happy Brooklyn kid playing at his favorite park. The late musician was honored last week when Palmetto Playground in Brooklyn Heights was renamed Adam Yauch Park in celebration of his popularity and influence as a rapper, filmmaker and activist. Yauch grew up hanging out at the Columbia Street playground, in the neighborhood that inspired one of the group’s most famous songs, “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn.”

Read the rest of Adam Yauch Park Opens in Brooklyn Heights, Honoring Late Beastie Boys Member testing

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Post tags: Adam Yauch Park, Beastie Boys, beastie boys park, brooklyn Heights Park, brooklyn parks, eco design, green design, green parks nyc, MCA, nyc parks, parks nyc, sustainable design

The New Museum’s Ideas City Festival has hit the Bowery again, with a slew of art and culture events lined up for this weekend. This year’s festivities include artistic projections onto the museum’s façade, panel discussions on subjects like innovative technology, waste management and untapped capital, community recycling events, artist workshops and of course the street festival that takes place all day on Saturday. Pop down to the Bowery on Saturday and experience sustainable installations and booths by GrowNYC, #ArtsTech, Fieldwork, and a bunch of other great New York organizations.

Read the rest of Ideas City Festival and StreetFest Returns to the Bowery This Weekend! testing

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Post tags: art nyc, bowery, Change of State, Davidson Rafailidis, eco design, green art nyc, green design, ideas city, Ideas City Festival, ideas city streetfest, Kim Holleman, New Museum, sustainable design

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, Creative Time, domino, domino brooklyn, Domino Sugar, Domino Sugar Refinery, domino williamsburg, eco design, green design, SHOP architects, sustainable design, Two Trees management

The High Line made a name for itself by turning land atop an elevated rail line into a flourishing park, but can the same be done for spaces underneath these kinds of structures? The Design Trust for Public Space is embarking on a plan to transform areas under New York City’s plentiful bridges, elevated highways, subways and rail lines into places for community engagement and artistic inspiration. Their project, Under the Elevated: Reclaiming Space, Connecting Communities, will bring together local community leaders, planners, architects, artists, and cultural organizations to develop strategies to maximize the functionality and use of these often-abandoned and sometimes downright scary areas.

Read the rest of “Under the Elevated” Seeks to Transform Space Beneath NYC Bridges and Subways into Usable, Non-Scary Areas testing

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Post tags: department of transportation nyc, Design Trust for Public Space, friends of highline, high line, new york city elevated spaces, new york city infrastructure, nyc bridges, reclaiming the highline, under the elevated, urban design, urban design and art at department of transportation, urbanism fellowship, wendy feuer

Image via NYC Mayor’s Office Flickr

Rockaway Courthouse has sat empty for decades, but plans are now in the works to give it new life as a much-needed hospital in a community that faced the 2012 closure of a major health center, not to mention the blows of Hurricane Sandy. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corporation recently announced that developer Harmony Group will resurrect the abandoned 24,000-square-foot historic building and use the structure to establish a multi-specialty ambulatory center. The rehabilitated building is expected to house medical tenants and outpatient surgical services that will include ophthalmology, urology, obstetrics, gynecology, and orthopedics.

Read the rest of Abandoned Rockaway Courthouse to Be Resurrected into State-of-the-Art Hospital testing

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Post tags: Hurricane Sandy, mayor bloomberg, New York City Economic Development Corporation, nyc hospital, nyc medical center, peninsula hospital, rockaway courthouse, rockaways, The harmony group

The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) recently announced an exciting new design competition asking architects for ideas on how to rebuild the Hurricane Sandy-stricken Rockaways. Called “For a Resilient Rockaway” (FAR ROC), and organized by L+M Development Partners, The Bluestone Organization, Triangle Equities, Enterprise Community Partners, and AIA, the initiative is asking for proposals on how to redevelop the 80 acre Averne East site that was hit by the hurricane last October. The design contest is specifically seeking sustainable development plans for coastal and flood-prone areas that incorporate mixed-use, mixed-income communities.

Read the rest of “For a Resilient Rockaway” Competition Seeks Sustainable Plans to Rebuild Sandy-Ravaged Queens testing

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Post tags: AIA New York Center for Architecture, Bluestone Organization, Department of Housing Preservation and Development, eco design, for a resilient rockaway, green design, L+M Development Partners, Mathew M Wambua, rebuilding Rockaway, rockaways, sustainable design, Triangle Equitiies

This morning, Mayor Bloomberg announced plans to transform the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest indoor ice facility. The design calls for the historic landmark, which has been vacant since 1996, to be redeveloped into the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), a 750,000-square-foot ice facility boasting nine year-round indoor regulation size ice rinks. When complete, the center is expected to attract more than 2 million visitors a year.

Read the rest of Mayor Bloomberg Announces Kingsbridge Armory to Be Transformed into World’s Largest Indoor Ice Facility testing

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, eco design, green design, ice rink, ice skating rink nyc, Kingsbridge Armory, kingsbridge armory ice rink, kingsbridge ice rink, kingsbridge national ice center, new ice rink bronx, sustainable design, worlds largest ice rink

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Post tags: audubon center, central park, earth day, earth day 2013, earth day nyc, eileen fisher, family earth day events, grand central, greenhouse, high line, Hurricane Sandy, jacob javitz center, jetblue, New York Restoration Project, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, prospect park, Union Square, urban green energy, what to do for earth day

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Post tags: 2013, bklyn designs, Brooklyn, Dumbo, found materials, furniture, mark Jupiter, new york, rare timber, reclaimed materials, recycled materials, redwood, water tower

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Post tags: battery urban farm, earth day, earth day nyc, earth fest, green events nyc

Though we thought some naysayers of the controversial Domino Sugar affordable housing complex may have been assuaged by Two Trees’ plan to create a temporary urban farm and bike courses at the site, it seems a new issue has now arisen. According to resident “AL”, who lives next door to the site, neighbors have been noticing what appears to be illegal open air asbestos abatement happening on the roof without proper containment. As a result, members of the community are asking locals to report any similar activity to 311 to keep their homes and schools safe from potential contamination.

Read the rest of Neighbors Report That Domino Sugar Complex Workers Are Removing Asbestos Illegally (VIDEO) testing

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Post tags: Affordable housing New York, domino affordable housing complex, domino asbestos, domino sugar asbestos, domino sugar factory, domino sugar farm, Domino Sugar Refinery Brooklyn, domino sugar site, eco design, green design, SHOP architects, sustainable design, Two Trees Management Company, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Bridge, williamsburg brooklyn, williamsburg waterfront

During his final State of the Borough speech, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced plans to revive Coney Island’s historic Childs restaurant building — a protected city landmark that once housed a thriving business in the early twentieth century. After years of community resistance from local synagogues and residents afraid of the potential increase in traffic and noise to the area, Markowitz and city officials have come to a deal to transform a portion of the building and adjoining space into a $58 million, 5,000-seat music hall, amphitheater and eatery. The new space will support future community cultural events, including summer concert series, graduations and festivals.

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Post tags: Brooklyn, childs brooklyn, childs coney island, childs restaurant, coney island, dick zigun, Hurricane Sandy, luna park, marty markowitz, occupy sandy, state of the borough

Image ©Michal Nowicki

For the past decade or so, most Greenpoint locals regarded Keramos Hall as just another dingy corner building. Now, thanks to Kamen Tall Architects P.C., the historic building’s façade has been restored to its original splendor, nabbing it a Lucy G. Moses award for preservation of New York heritage. Although now occupied by a rather contemporary CVS pharmacy, the building has been transported back to its original 1887 splendor, and sustainably preserved to continue its historic legacy for years to come.

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Post tags: eco design, green design, Greenpoint, greenpoint historic district, Kamen Tall Architects, keramos hall, Keramos Hall renovation, Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award, sustainable design

Image via DNAInfo/Leslie Albrecht

Residents of Park Slope are expressing their concern over an empty grey lot that was supposed to be a new neighborhood garden. The Baltic Street Community Garden, which the School Construction Authority had promised to update, was instead fenced-in and paved with concrete when the new P.S. 133 on Fourth Avenue was built. Needless to say, locals are less than thrilled about the new concrete garden and have been contacting City Councilman Stephen Levin to express their discontent.

Read the rest of Park Slope Residents Promised New Community Garden But Get Concrete Instead testing

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Post tags: baltic street community garden, community garden, environment impact statement, marge feinberg, MS ps133 brooklyn, nyc public schools, School Construction Authority, stephen levin

Green roofs are becoming a growing staple in New York City architecture. These green spaces help to reduce the “urban island heat effect” by covering buildings in grass and plants that will take in carbon dioxide, convert it into oxygen and help to cool temperatures in some of the hottest months of the year. Columbia University has embraced this method of supporting the environmental health of NYC, and now boast seven green roofs totaling 18,180 square-feet in and around the college’s Morningside Heights campus. The roofs—which were installed between 2007 and 2008 using the Xero Flor Green Roof System—prevent as much as 420,000 gallons of stormwater runoff annually. This helps to alleviate pressure on New York City’s sewer system, which tends to flood and discharge toxic waste into the city’s waterways.

Read the rest of Columbia University Now Boasts 18,180 Square Feet of On-Campus Green Roofs testing

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Post tags: columbia university, con edison, cooling costs, energy conservation, green roofs, green roofs nyc, joe lenuso, Morningside Heights, moss vegetation, nyc sewage system, nyc sewer system, sedum, Storm Water, wastewater

MoMA PS1’s VW Dome 2 – the temporary cultural center created after Hurricane Sandy left Rockaway Beach severely damaged – opened last Friday with a performance by singer and Rockaways resident Patti Smith. The geodesic dome structure will be up for the next month and is located in a parking lot between Beach 94th and 95th Streets. The opening kicked off a full series of exhibits, lectures and performances centered around rebuilding the storm-ravaged neighborhood.

Read the rest of MOMA PS1 Erects Temporary Geodesic Dome in Rockaways to Discuss Rebuilding After Hurricane Sandy testing

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Post tags: expo 1 new york, Hurricane Sandy, kevin boyle, MoMA, moma call for artists, moma geodesic dome, moma rockaways, open camera sessions, patti smith, rebuilding the rockaways, rick horan, Rockaway Beach, the wave, VW Dome

Read the rest of NYC AIDS Memorial Loses Plants But Gains Community Support testing

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Post tags: a+i architecture studio, aids education, aids memorial nyc, Greenwich Village, james stewart polshek, otoole building, Public Design Commission, Scott M Stringer

Jeff Koons may want to hang a train over the High Line, but the park’s creators, Friends of the High Line, have decided to put a train back on the High Line in order to keep up with the park’s extreme popularity. Because of the park’s growing crowds every summer, which are anticipated to double when the final section is complete, the architects and engineers have decided it is time to put a people-mover style tram on the High Line to help pedestrians get from one side of the High Line to the other. While the original rails will still be daintily planted with wildflowers and grasses, a high-speed levitating train line will be built alongside the park to transport tired and crowd-weary tourists the 1.3-miles, end to end.

Read the rest of NYC’s High Line Park So Popular That Creators Plan a High-Speed Tram to Move Pedestrians testing

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Post tags: april fools, april fools high line, high line, high line park, High Line Park People Mover, high line train, high line tram, nyc transportation, public transportation

Last week, many Gowanus residents were outraged to find out that the city has approved the first stage of a plan to turn the Gowanus Canal into a Venice-like tourist area. The hope is that the new mini neighborhood, dubbed “Little Gowanice”, will generate enough revenue to offset the millions needed to clean up the heavily-polluted superfund site. According to Chinese architecture firm Duplitect, Little Gowanice would feature a main canal (which would be a restored and renovated version of the current waterway) as well as several smaller offshoot canals leading right into the heart of the neighborhood. Tourist attractions would include gondola rides, Venice-themed eateries and a “Tunnel of Love” ride.

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Post tags: april fool's inhabitat, april fools, canals in brooklyn, flooding brooklyn, flooding new york, gowanus canal, Hurricane Sandy, little gowanice, venice

Get your hands dirty with JetBlue Airlines and the New York Restoration Project as they host the sixth annual One Thing That’s Green day on Saturday, April 20th in Highland Park on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. The weekend tree-planting project will bring together 500 community volunteers to plant over 2,400 trees and will be the first major event to help restore some of the 30,000 trees the city lost during Hurricane Sandy.

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Post tags: earth day, earth day 2013, highland park, Hurricane Sandy, jetblue, jetblue airlines, Long Island City, New York Restoration Project, nyc tree planting, one thing that’s green, tree planting, tree planting nyc, volunteering

Students at South Street Elementary School in Newark, New Jersey are both artists and conservationists. After collecting over 5,000 bottle caps in their local community, the students arranged the caps into an eco-friendly 8-foot by 12-foot rendition of Vincent van Gogh’s famed Starry Night. The project, currently at The Newark Museum, was officially completed in June 2012 and was designed by South Street’s teachers as a way for students to get hands-on knowledge about conservation and to encourage them to become responsible global citizens.

Read the rest of Newark Students Recreate Van Gogh’s Starry Night Using 5,000 Bottle Caps testing

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Post tags: art exhibit, bottle cap art, bottle caps, eco friendly art, newark museum, recycled art, south street elementary school, student art, student art project, tatiana benus, vincent van gogh