Winners of the Grand Central Terminal Centennial Sketch Competition Announced!

Winners of the Grand Central Terminal Centennial Sketch Competition Announced!

To celebrate its upcoming centennial, Grand Central Terminal recently teamed up with the Architectural League of New York to challenge designers to create art inspired by the iconic building. The winners of the sketch competition were recently announced, and each will be included in a limited edition Moleskine sketchbook dedicated to the historical legacy of the terminal. Flip through our gallery to see a selection of the winning drawings, renders and sketches!
 

Read More >

Advertisement

Queens High Line Gets $467,000 Grant and Pushes Closer to Becoming a Reality

Queens High Line Gets $467,000 Grant and Pushes Closer to Becoming a Reality

A group called Friends of the Queensway is rallying support to transform a disused Long Island Rail Road track in Kew Gardens into a High Line-style park – and now a sizable grant has pushed them a step closer to their goal. Yesterday, Gov. Cuomo gave the

Read More >

Advertisement

Discarded Christmas Trees Hung Under BQE as Life-Size Pine Air Fresheners

Discarded Christmas Trees Hung Under BQE as Life-Size Pine Air Fresheners

Now that Christmas is over, the streets of New York are littered with sad, dried out Christmas trees. Wanting to do an installation with dead evergreens for some time, artist Michael Neff took inspiration from the stacks of trees on the streets of North Brooklyn and created a swaying, pine-scented public installation under the BQE at the highly trafficked intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and North 6th Street.
 

Read More >

New Yorker Creates Giant Holiday Card by Biking Across Manhattan

New Yorker Creates Giant Holiday Card by Biking Across Manhattan

People spend hours making their own DIY cards for the holidays but we think we can say pretty confidently that New Yorker Erik Trinidad’s is the most labor-intensive one we’ve ever seen. In order to create the giant virtual greeting, which spans almost the

Read More >

Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Campus Gets Green Light from Community Board

Roosevelt Island Cornell Tech Campus Gets Green Light from Community Board

One year after the city announced that Cornell University would be getting a science and engineering outpost, Manhattan’s Community Board 8 has approved the plans. With designs by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Thom Mayne of Morphosis, the exciting campus will inhabit Roosevelt Island, giving future students inspiring views of the Manhattan skyline. The 12.5 acre complex will also be the home of one of the largest energy-neutral buildings in the United States.
 

Read More >

New York State to Pour 50,000 Gallons of Beet Juice All Over Roads to Melt Ice

New York State to Pour 50,000 Gallons of Beet Juice All Over Roads to Melt Ice

New Yorkers are used to having beets in their salads, pastas and fresh juices, but we could soon have them on our roads as well. The idea is part of New York State’s pilot program to test out more environmentally-friendly ways to prevent icy roads, and will

Read More >

“Solar Journey” Photovoltaic Array-on-Wheels Provided Power to Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy

“Solar Journey” Photovoltaic Array-on-Wheels Provided Power to Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy

Garrett Fitzgerald and Rob van Haaren aren’t on a typical road trip. The Columbia University engineering students have embarked on what they're calling Solar Journey USA, a mission to bring their portable solar array to different communities across the nation. The most recent stop on their expedition was hurricane-ravaged Rockaway Beach, where they brought their renewable energy source on wheels to power-deprived residents in the area.
 

Read More >

Advertisement

10 Awesome Gifts That Aid Hurricane Sandy Relief

10 Awesome Gifts That Aid Hurricane Sandy Relief

This holiday season, why not give back to the city you love by buying gifts that help aid those affected by Hurricane Sandy? A bevy of retailers and designers are offering New York-centric goodies that directly support victims of the superstorm that ripped through the boroughs just over a month ago. Not only do these awesome wares help make a positive impact on the lives of fellow New Yorkers, they're also unique things that your friends and family will love.
 

Read More >

New York’s Next Top Makers Competition Could Get Your Idea or Product Funded and Prototyped

New York’s Next Top Makers Competition Could Get Your Idea or Product Funded and Prototyped

We wrote about the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s “New York’s Next Top Makers” competition back in October, and we’re excited to say that the contest is now open to submissions. The call challenges NYC designers and inventors to enter their product designs for a chance to win cash prizes and an opportunity to prototype their products. If you have a great idea but aren’t sure where to begin or how to raise money to produce it, this could be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.


Read More >

Foster + Partners Reveals Plans for New York Public Library Renovation with Bryant Park Views

Foster + Partners Reveals Plans for New York Public Library Renovation with Bryant Park Views

The iconic New York Public Library’s long-awaited redesign by Lord Norman Foster may finally be underway. The designs for the library renovation, four years in the making, were released today, and propose a modernization that will still respect the historic

Read More >

Advertisement

B2: World’s Tallest Modular Tower and First Residential Atlantic Yards Building to Break Ground Today

B2: World’s Tallest Modular Tower and First Residential Atlantic Yards Building to Break Ground Today

We recently wrote about how Brooklyn's upcoming Atlantic Yards development will boast the world's largest prefab tower, and now we're excited to report that the new building is set to break ground this morning. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Forest City Enterprises President and Chief Executive Officer David LaRue, Forest City Ratner Companies Chairman and CEO Bruce Ratner, Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York President Gary LaBarbera, Skanska USA Building CEO William Flemming, and Bertha Lewis will be kicking off construction for the 32-story tower in just a few hours at 461 Dean St. in Brooklyn. Designed by SHoP Architects, the building will be made up of prefab pieces that will be made right in a Brooklyn Navy Yard factory. We're hoping that once it's up, this new modular technology will spread across New York and become the cheaper, easier, and more sustainable future of city construction.
 

Read More >

PHOTOS: The Event of a Thread Invites New Yorkers to Play on 42 Dangling Swings

PHOTOS: The Event of a Thread Invites New Yorkers to Play on 42 Dangling Swings

Swings have taken over the historic Park Avenue Armory! A new installation by artist Ann Hamilton has transformed the cavernous space into a beautiful interactive piece called “The Event of a Thread” where visitors are invited to play on forty-two dangling swings throughout the space which manipulate an enormous hanging piece of fabric. The effect is a majestic ripple that flows through the curtain like a wave.
 

Read More >

Tiny 330 sq. ft. Studio Feels Open and Airy Thanks to Glass Doors and Design Touches

Tiny 330 sq. ft. Studio Feels Open and Airy Thanks to Glass Doors and Design Touches

Graphic designer and Etsy shop owner Michelle Konar’s creative spirit is evident in her tiny Upper West Side apartment. At just 330 square feet, the space feels open and airy thanks to glass doors and ethereal design touches. Read on to see how Konar transformed the cozy abode into a livable space using accent colors, strategic storage and her own artwork.
 

Read More >

Advertisement

Governor Cuomo Surprises Hurricane Sandy Victims with Free Christmas Trees

Governor Cuomo Surprises Hurricane Sandy Victims with Free Christmas Trees

Image ©donnierayjones

Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo brought some much needed holiday cheer to families affected by Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island this year. With help from some very generous New York State tree farmers, the governor had 400 fresh evergreen

Read More >

See How This Tiny West Village Apartment Uses Double Duty Furniture to Maximize Its Small Space

See How This Tiny West Village Apartment Uses Double Duty Furniture to Maximize Its Small Space

Believe it or not, product photographer Michelle James’ tiny West Village apartment was a welcome downsize from her 1,500 square foot condo in Los Angeles. Feeling like a slave to her LA space, she chose the 311 square foot mini-one bedroom so she wouldn’t have to spend weekends cleaning. By filling the apartment with bold colors and innovative storage solutions, James was able to create a modern and comfortable home in the heart of one of New York’s most expensive neighborhoods.
 

Read More >

Vine Line: Architect Wants to Blanket West Side Highway in Leafy Trellises and Waterfalls

Vine Line: Architect Wants to Blanket West Side Highway in Leafy Trellises and Waterfalls

Laurence Tamaccio's tale is one that many New Yorkers will be able to relate to. The architect lives near Riverside Park South, which he feels is a generally aesthetically pleasing area except for the unsightly figure of the West Side Highway slicing between the neighborhood and the Hudson River. Tamaccio, whose firm, Design Destinations, specializes in facade renovations and aesthetic revamps, has come up with a novel solution that he feels would turn the eyesore into a source of pride for the whole community. Called the Vine Line, the proposal entails blanketing the side of the highway with leafy vertical ivy gardens and waterfalls to unite it with the adjacent park. Read on to see a video sent in by Shannon Ayala about how others in the community feel about the possibility of creating the Vine Line.
 

Read More >

Advertisement

325 sq. ft. Micro Apartment Coming to Museum of the City of New York as Part of Small Living Exhibit

325 sq. ft. Micro Apartment Coming to Museum of the City of New York as Part of Small Living Exhibit

An example of the kind of transforming furniture that might be included in the exhibit. Photo: Resource Furniture

With life expectancy at an all-time high for New Yorkers and the loss of hundreds of homes after Hurricane Sandy, there have been some serious concerns about where and how we're all supposed to keep living here together. Interest in smaller dwellings as a solution had already been growing since before the storm, and now the Museum of the City of New York has announced an exhibition exploring the possibilities of tiny apartments entitled Making Room: New Models for Housing New Yorkers. In addition to offering insights into New York City’s changing demographics (especially the growth of single adult households), the exhibit will allow visitors to step into “LaunchPad”, a 325 sq. ft., fully-furnished apartment outfitted with transforming, space-saving furniture by Clei and Resource Furniture.

 

Read More >

Atlantic Avenue BID to Turn Ugly Underpass into Pedestrian-Friendly “Funderpass”

Atlantic Avenue BID to Turn Ugly Underpass into Pedestrian-Friendly “Funderpass”

The Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) has big plans to transform the garbage-strewn Atlantic Avenue underpass into an aesthetically-pleasing community destination. Nicknamed “Funderpass,” the new plan for the currently sketchy route will

Read More >

PHOTOS: Woman Bakes Entire Block of Brooklyn Brownstone Homes Out of Gingerbread

PHOTOS: Woman Bakes Entire Block of Brooklyn Brownstone Homes Out of Gingerbread

NYC may have run out of brownstone but that doesn't mean we can't substitute it with something more abundant and certainly more delicious - gingerbread! Meticulously crafted to have all the charm of the real thing, "Gingerbread Brooklyn" is an entire block of edible brownstone and other kinds of homes baked up by chef Renee Baumann and friends to be auctioned off to benefit City Harvest. We recently had the pleasure of visiting this miniature architectural wonder at 61 Local and were enchanted by its details - from sugar-glass windows that really light up to tiny fire escapes made of spicy cookie. Click through our gallery to see them all for yourself.
 

Read More >

New Renderings of Jean Nouvel’s Controversial Torre Verre MoMA Tower Reveal a Faceted Facade

New Renderings of Jean Nouvel’s Controversial Torre Verre MoMA Tower Reveal a Faceted Facade

Jean Nouvel’s impending MoMATorre Verre/Death Spire has already been met with a lot of criticism, but the architect recently unveiled new renderings that may quell some of the naysaying. The drawings show a shorter-than-before, mixed-used building with a faceted facade. If it moves forward, the Torre Verre is expected to rise to 1,050 feet above the Museum of Modern Art, and boast 100 hotel rooms, 480,000 square feet of residential space, and a MoMA expansion of 52,000 square feet.
 

Read More >

Citibike Bike Share Program Officially Delayed Again Due to Hurricane Sandy Damage

Citibike Bike Share Program Officially Delayed Again Due to Hurricane Sandy Damage

It looks like NYC cyclers will have to wait a bit longer for the Citi Bike bike share program – and this time, Hurricane Sandy is to blame. Just as we speculated last month, the New York City Department of Transportation announced today that the bike share

Read More >

Have You Seen This Gingerbread Version of the Infamous 57th St. Dangling Hurri-Crane?

Have You Seen This Gingerbread Version of the Infamous 57th St. Dangling Hurri-Crane?

Rather than going with the more traditional gingerbread house, Norma, the bakery at Le Parker Meridien hotel, decided to create a spectacle specific to NYC for City Harvest’s Gingerbread Extravaganza. The pastry chefs looked to their immediate memories and decided to pay tribute to the infamous giant construction crane that dangled precariously over 57th St. during Hurricane Sandy. Complete with a street scene of concerned gingerbread men and women, the candy Hurri-Crane could nab the winning vote in this year's contest.
 

Read More >

Evergreen Uprooted by Hurricane Sandy Reborn as Long Beach’s Holiday Christmas Tree

Evergreen Uprooted by Hurricane Sandy Reborn as Long Beach’s Holiday Christmas Tree

Image: Skip Van Wert

Perhaps symbolic of how many New Yorkers are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Sandy, a spruce tree that was also toppled by the storm has been given new life as a beautiful holiday tree for Long Beach Township. Raised by the Van

Read More >

LowLine Underground Park Launches Line of NYC-Centric Holiday Gifts to Raise Funds

LowLine Underground Park Launches Line of NYC-Centric Holiday Gifts to Raise Funds

If you’re rooting for the LowLine underground park to come to fruition, now you can lend your support while getting some pretty sweet Christmas gifts to boot! Just in time for the holidays, the creators of the Delancey Underground have launched a line of

Read More >

7 Line Subway Extension Will Have Awesome Willy Wonka Style Incline Elevator

7 Line Subway Extension Will Have Awesome Willy Wonka Style Incline Elevator

Unlike other NYC projects that continue to face more and more delays, the 7 Line extension is making great time, and is expected to open in just another 12-18 months. The line's state-of-the-art station on 11th Avenue will not only be a new hub for the NYC subway system, it will also feature New York’s very first inclined elevator. Along with a gorgeous blue skylight, the station will boast other innovative design details and be a retail and transportation center on the West Side for about 35,000 commuters daily. Read on to see a full video of the strides being made on this exciting new line's construction.
 

Read More >

browse our archives...