Green Design | Inhabitat New York City

Another Storm is Heading for Hurricane Sandy-Ravaged New York

Image © gt8073a

Buckle up, New York, because another storm is on its way. Forecasts are predicting that a Nor’easter is threatening to hit the area this Wednesday, and while it won’t be a superstorm like Hurricane Sandy, it may still put a major damper

New York Runs out of…Brownstone?

The next time you walk by one of the city’s beautiful brownstones, you may want to take an extra moment to appreciate it. The New York Times recently reported that the last local brownstone quarry in Portland, Connecticut would be using up its final pieces

NYC Mayor Bloomberg Announces He Will Back President Obama for Reelection, Cites Climate Change

In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Mayor Bloomberg has emerged an Obama supporter. In a press conference earlier today concerning the clean up of hurricane damage, the mayor announced that he will be backing President Obama for reelection. Bloomberg went

See Which NYC Subway Lines Are Running Today

New York City is still a long way off from full recovery post-Hurricane Sandy, but at least some of our subway lines will be running today. They MTA has restored service on some trains and released this map of limited service last night, so if you’re about

Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Cuomo Admit to Relationship Between Sandy and Climate Change

©NYCMayorsOffice

After the wreckage that Hurricane Sandy brought to the New York City area on Monday, both Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo are admitting that the storm was directly related to climate change. On Tuesday, the two discussed the

DIY: How to Make an Iconic Chrysler Building Halloween Costume

New York City may have just been battered by one of the worst storms in East Coast history, but the Big Apple continues to prove its resilience even in the face of disaster. This year celebrate the spirit of New York City and crown yourself

How to Prepare for Hurricane Sandy

Unless you've been living under a rock with those Geico guys, we probably don't have to tell you that a big storm's a-brewin'. Hurricane Sandy is charging our way, and experts are predicting that she's going to be a doozy. We still have a few days to either evacuate or prepare for the worst but if you're not sure where to begin, here are six smart tips to keep you safe and dry long enough to see the vendors on Canal Street start selling "I survived Hurricane Sandy" t shirts.

PHOTOS: Ray Villafane Unleashes an Insane Army of Ghastly Zombie Pumpkins at the New York Botanical Garden

This weekend, pumpkin sculptor extraordinaire Ray Villafane returned to the New York Botanical Garden to bring a creeptastic new carving to life before our very eyes. The Food Network star and his team spent Saturday and Sunday whittling and shaping an army of living dead from some of the area’s biggest Halloween gourds. We were on hand to watch as Villafane's scary scene - a disemboweled pumpkin zombie dredging up a pumpkin-headed crew of ghouls - took shape.

See Inside Manhattan’s First LEED Gold Townhouse by BW Architects

BW Architects has just finished renovating an 1840s West Village home into Manhattan's first ever LEED Gold-certified townhouse. The new design is a historic and modern blend with an eco-friendly twist, and the 4,000 square foot homestead features gorgeous new furnishings and windows set against its prewar moldings and baseboards. From reclaimed flooring to locally-sourced counters, this home is jam-packed with green features that make it worthy of its new certification.

Woman Turns Her Tiny 200 Square Foot Brooklyn Apartment into a Cozy and Classy Home

Brooklynite Suzy West knows how to live the luxe life in an impossibly small space. Her 200 square foot Brooklyn apartment may be small but it's packed with antiques and retro flair, proving that downsized living doesn’t have to be stark. Plus it's the perfect size for her toy schnoodle dog. SPACEStv recently spent a day with West to see just how she created a calm and cozy life in such a small space. Read on for some of their photos of this miniature but stylish home.

Piezoelectric Energy-Generating “Scene Sensor” Wins the 2012 Land Art Generator Initiative Competition for Freshkills Park

We've been closely following the 2012 Land Art Generator Initiative design competition to create a new public art installation on the site of Freshkills Park for several months now, and are excited to announce that the winner was announced just moments ago in New York City. "Scene Sensor", designed by artists James Murray and Shota Vashakmadze, is a striking piezoelectric energy-generating art project designed to be installed above and below the surface of the Staten Island park. The duo from Atlanta will walk away with the $15,000 grand prize, while the $4,000 second place goes to Matthew Rosenberg, Matt Melnyk, Emmy Maruta, and Robbie Eleazer for their design "Fresh Hills".

HURRICANE SANDY ALERT: Frankenstorm May Ruin Halloween

Trick or treaters in the New York area may have to figure out how to fit their Halloween costumes over snowsuits this year. Hurricane Sandy is heading out of the Caribbean and is expected to hit NYC this coming Monday but could last until Wednesday. Reports

New York Man Donates a Whopping $100 Million to Central Park

It’s no secret that we New Yorkers adore Central Park, but one man loves it so much he donated a whopping $100 million to its endowment, marking the largest amount ever gifted to a public park. Hedge fund heavyweight John A. Paulson and the Paulson Family

PHOTOS: Manolo Valdés’ Dramatic Metal Head Sculptures Take Over the New York Botanical Garden

Artist Manolo Valdés has transformed the green grounds of the Bronx's New York Botanical Garden into an open-air sculpture park. His sweeping and dramatic over-sized metal heads give the garden’s serene landscape a surreal counterpoint and echo the flowery forms of nearby plants and trees. The collection, called Monumental Sculpture, is made up of seven giant sculptures in total, which will be on view through next May.

Louis I. Kahn’s FDR Four Freedoms Park Opens to the Public Today

Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park © Paul Warchol

After 40 long years of waiting, New Yorkers will finally see legendary architect Louis I. Kahn's vision for the FDR Four Freedoms Park come to life on Roosevelt Island. The monument and new green space is set to open to the public this morning. If you can't make it today to see this powerful memorial to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, fear not. We snapped some sneak peek photos to tide you over, so read on!

Big Apple Crunch!: Grab a Free Apple at Your Nearest Greenmarket Tomorrow

Image ©Eden Pictures

Tomorrow, GrowNYC and New York’s Greenmarkets will be celebrating National Food Day in a LOUD way with their citywide Big Apple Crunch event. Starting at noon, New Yorkers will be able to visit their nearest Greenmarkets and pick

Gamine & Gallery is a Gorgeous Green Williamsburg Shoppe Decked Out with Reclaimed Wood Furnishings

Bored in Brooklyn? Then you probably haven't heard about Gamine & Gallery - a one-stop shop where you can find local designers and awesome art made from recycled materials or even just stop in and read a book. The multi-use Williamsburg space features gorgeous reclaimed wood furnishings, and the shop also houses a co-working site in the basement. If you stop in today, you can view Aaron Shraeter’s beautiful reclaimed wood paintings, get a 3D-printed ring, or attend one of their many readings and events.

NYC Woman Will Attempt to Set New Guinness World Record by Hitting All 468 Subway Stations in 22 Hours

The MTA is planning to increase subway fares yet again in 2013, but Stefanie Gray isn’t taking it lying down. In protest of the fourth fare hike in five years, the NYC straphanger is going to attempt to break the current Guinness record for fastest subway

Foster + Partners Unveils Proposal for Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover of Grand Central Station

Grand Central Station is arguably one of the most crowded places in New York. Built to accommodate 75,000 people a day, the famous landmark sees more than 10 times that many on any given day. Foster and Partners have unveiled their latest plans to revamp Grand Central Terminal into a smoother, more streamlined travel hub for both commuters and the millions of pedestrians that walk through and around the historic concourse. Foster and Partners' new design updates the iconic landmark with wider indoor pathways and tons of new outdoor public plazas and mini-parks.

Union Avenue Could be Turned into More Green Space for McCarren Park

The city street that separates Williamsburg’s McCarren Park may soon become a piece of green space itself. A new city plan hopes to transform the stretch of Union Avenue that runs between the park’s dog park and sports field into a

Mayor Bloomberg Announces New York’s Next Top Makers 3D-Printing Competition to Find Promising NYC Designers and Inventors

This morning, Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corporation launched a new 3D-printing competition called “New York’s Next Top Makers” to invite promising NYC designers and inventors to submit their designs for a chance to win cash prizes and an opportunity to prototype their products. The announcement was made at the ribbon-cutting of the new 25,000-square-foot Shapeways 3D-printing “Factory of the Future” in Long Island City, Queens, which when complete, will have the potential to be the biggest consumer-facing 3D-printing manufacturing facility in the world. The mayor and the city are hoping that the contest will act as a catalyst for NYC entrepreneurs and makers and boost creativity and small business in the city. The cash prizes have still not been announced but the top six makers will win studio space from NYDesigns, a chance to bring their designs to life, and mentorships from Shapeways, Adafruit Industries, and Honeybee Robotics.

PHOTOS: New Green City Brings Solar Cooking, Poo Power, a Recyclarium and More to Union Square Park

Last week, GrowNYC celebrated all that is sustainable in New York with the return of the New Green City festival in Union Square Park. The fair showcased eco-friendly organizations around the city with demonstrations on composting, recycling, sustainable foods, solar energy, poo power and rainwater harvesting. Special events such as a solar cook-off, guest speakers and endless kids activities made for a fun and sustainable day. Read on to see all of our photos.

Head to the High Line for a Haunted Halloween Scavenger Hunt on October 27th

Halloween is fast approaching, and the Haunted High Line is back again this year and ready for your little witches and ghouls! NYC’s favorite elevated park is inviting families and friends to visit on Saturday, October 27th for a day of scavenger hunts, costumes,

Cornell Tech Releases New Renderings of Net-Zero Campus on Roosevelt Island

Prospective students hoping to attend Cornell Tech can now get even more pumped up looking at new renderings of the school's future campus on Roosevelt Island in NYC. The prestigious school just released the new images of their 12.5 acre campus, which will include one of the largest energy-neutral buildings in the U.S. The campus masterplan is being designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP, and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne and Morphosis Architects are working on the first academic building .

PHOTOS: Super Tiny Whittled-Down Wagon Home Comes with a Cat Observation Deck

We saw an array of amazing home-made things at this year's Maker Faire NYC, but one of the most impressive by far was the Whittled Down Caravan, a super tiny home on wheels. Built from scratch on top of a 4' x 8' utility trailer by Libby Reinish and Tristan Chambers, the diminutive dwelling features a kitchen, a living area and a bed, and even incorporates solar power. We were lucky enough to take a full tour of this miniature but effective abode (as you can imagine, it only took about 2 minutes), so click through our gallery to see everything from the neat hidden storage to a dutch-door to an observation deck for the couple's cat, Lionshead.