New York

Today the building known as One World Trade Center, formerly the Freedom Tower, will achieve a major milestone, reaching 105 stories to become the tallest building in NYC.  The announcement was what New York Post reporter Josh Margolin called “an all out business war against its Midtown cousin” the 102 story Empire State Building.  The fanfare generated by the announcement is intended to draw new tenants to the building, including poaching some from the Empire State building, by promoting the building’s new observation decks and winning back broadcasters with its massive antenna.   “We’re looking to maximize revenue and maximize the reputation of 1 World Trade Center”, said Douglas Durst, who is building the tower in partnership with the Port Authority.  The New York Post estimates that the antenna alone could easily generate $10 million in revenue.  While estimates of how much income the building’s amenities will generate – like the gift shop, observation decks and concessions- are yet unknown, they will certainly be an improvement over those at the Empire State Building.  One World Trade Center will open in early 2015.

Amanda Burden Receives President's Award

The Architectural League of New York announced today that it has awarded the 2012 President’s Medal to Amanda Burden, Chair of the New York Planning Commission.  The award recognizes extraordinary contribution to the Built Environment of New York City, which in Burden’s case is an exemplary body of work that has raised the bar for design quality in public and private development.   In a press release on the announcement, the League noted that Burden “has championed design excellence for all New Yorkers; shown design to be crucial to economic development; fostered and vigilantly protected New York’s vibrant street life; and helped shepherd some of New York’s most important public spaces, including the High Line, the revitalization of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the East River Waterfront Esplanade, IKEA Erie Basin Park, and the National 911 Memorial.   On a personal note, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Burden for making the city more livable and for putting a capital “D” in design.  

The first impression of a city is often formed in the cab ride in, a point that is not lost on New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  Under his leadership, the city will be getting a new fleet of taxis.   Unveiled last Tuesday, the “Taxi of Tomorrow”, is a new Nissan NV200 van, which won a competition to replace the yellow cabs.  It has been ‘pimped out’ with the latest digital technologies for web surfacing and charging devices and features has a moon roof, overhead lamps, and antibacterial upholstery.   The new vehicle is not hybrid, although electric vehicles are expected to be phased in later.   The City’s contract with Nissan, which is estimated at more than $1 billion, will last 10 years.  The new cabs will on the streets starting next year and will fully replace the existing yellow cabs by 2018.

Architectural Research Office (ARO)

If you’re like me, you’re a big fan of Open House New York (OHNY), that must do event that happens in the fall that is an all-access pass to many noteworthy buildings that are not open to the public, such as last year’s big surprise, a rare tour of the Eero Saarinen’s TWA Terminal at JFK International Airport.   OHNY has happily extended its reach and is now hosting openstudios programs, self-guided tours of different neighborhoods in the city that include visits to architects’ offices.   After a resounding success with the first openstudios event, which took place last month in Dumbo, OHNY will be hosting openstudios Hudson Square on March 31, 2012 from 1:00-5:00pm.  Participating design firms include Alexander Gorlin Architects, Andre Kikoski Architect, Architectural Research Office (ARO) (pictured here), Frederic SCHWARTZ Architects (FSA), Gluckman Mayner Architects, Kevin Kennon Architects, Michael Sorkin Studio, Pompei AD, Sarah Jeffreys Design, Superstructures Engineers and Architects, Thomas Phifer and Partners, and West 8.   This is a great opportunity to network, to see how other people run their shops, and to talk to the architects behind many great projects, the later being of great interest to me who is always on the hunt for great projects to publish.    Tickets are $30 in advance/$25 at the door and $20 for students.  Tickets can be purchased at http://openstudioshudsonsquare.eventbrite.com/

Brooklyn based SO-IL architects has been selected to design the temporary space that will house Frieze New York 2012, one of London’s leading arts fairs which is coming to New York for the first time this spring on May 4-7.  To be located on the East River waterfront on Randall’s Island, the fair is host to over 180 of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries.   SO-IL’s design acknowledges its waterfront setting while also being mindful of its temporary nature.   “The first challenge was to establish the structure as an icon, beyond being a very large tent”, said Floiran Indenburg and Jing Liu, Principals of Solid Objectives-Indenberg Liu (SO-IL).  “With the ambition to relax and open up what would otherwise be a rigorous system, we devised a slightly mutated pie-shaped tent section, using “wedges’ which we inserted into the structure at five locations”.   The wedges allow the tent to be manipulated into a snakelike configuration.

The selection of SO-IL continues Frieze’s approach of mining young cutting edge architects to design the temporary exhibition space for its art fairs.  Past Frieze Art Fair designers include Camody Groarke (2011), Caruso St John (2008-2010), Jamie Fobert (2006-2007), and David Adjaye (2003-2005).

In 2007, the Brooklyn, New York-based multidisciplinary practice dlandstudio, was approached by the Gowanus Canal Conservancy to look into managing storm water on the Gowanus.  Tapping into her network to gain grants for the project and enlisting the interest of a bunch of agencies at the local, state, regional and federal level, dlandstudio Principal, Susannah C. Drake was able to grow the project into a comprehensive master plan of the area and its resources, from which Sponge Park™ evolved.    Sponge Park™ works on the principal of using plants to clean water.  Surface run off is diverted and filtered through a series of planted cells that remediate the water.   Funding has been secured to build the first pilot, where both quantity and quality will be tested, and for an education program.   In addition to Sponge Park™,  dlandstudio is engaged in many game-changing projects, most notably the capping of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway to create a continuous greenbelt that would support parks and recreational activities.     

Courtesy dlandstudio

Two years after New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg established a Green Codes Task Force that made 111 recommendations for reducing New York’s carbon footprint by greening building codes, the city has issued a progress report and the news is good.  The newly adopted green building codes are putting the City on track to meet PlanNYC’s goal to lower carbon emission, energy consumption and to become the greenest city in America.

According to the report released last week,  29 of the 111 recommendations have been adopted.  While seemingly a small fraction of the total, the 29 recommendations have had a dramatic impact thus far, diverting 100,000 tons of asphalt from landfills each year; reducing greenhouse gas emissions citywide by 5 percent; lowering the costs of lighting energy by 10 percent; and providing $400 million in savings by 2030.

”When we launched PlaNYC five years ago, we put forward a bold vision to make our City more sustainable, and meeting those goals is now a part of how our city develops,” said Mayor Bloomberg.  “The forward-thinking proposals enacted in the last two years will benefit buildings that make up this City and the people who inhabit them.  Echoing the Mayor’s enthusiam, City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said, “We are well on our way to making New York the greenest City in America. “

Seattle-based architect Tom Kundig, of Olson Kundig Architects was in New York last week to talk with Town and Country Editor, Mark Rosso, about “the role of place, nature, materials and craft” in his signature, award-winning designs.  Over 100 people attended the event, which was held at the New York Public Library.  Afterwards, Kundig signed copies of his new book, Tom Kundig: Houses 2, for an eager and patient crowd.   Published by Princeton Architectural Press (PA Press), Tom Kundig: Houses 2 is a sequel to the architect’s first and monograph, Tom Kundig: Houses.   It features 17 stunning houses ranging from a 500 square foot cabin in the woods to a house built out of solid rock.  I tried to get my hands on a copy of the book but it was sold out at the event.  PA Press representatives assured me that it will be restocked soon.  The popularity of the event and the book suggests that the public continues to be fascinated with the work of this architect.   Tom will be sitting on the jury panel for WAN’s House of the Year Award 2011 and was a past winner of the award himself with The Pierre, which graces the cover of Tom Kundig: Houses 2.

courtesy princeton architectural press