How the city is sneaking cool buildings into unexpected places

Rescue Company 3 in the Bronx

NY Mag article about the DDC program and how the city subsidizes cool building once in a with

For the full article:

http://nymag.com/arts/architecture/features/61724/
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ddc/html/home/home.shtml

Olmstead & Parks in NYC

I love Fort Green Park
30 acres
1867
It was Olmsteads first park

“Olmsted didn’t think a park should reveal itself in totality from any given place,” Mr. Twombly said. “He thought the park should unfold itself constantly as you walk through it. So there’s always a surprise, there’s always something new.”

Thanks NYT

http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/author-sheds-light-on-fort-greene-park-designer/

Sports Parks!!!

sport parks are great - promotes social well being and fitness and heath and can occupy spaces that leisure parks or housing may nit be suitable for.  McCarren Park is hugely sucessful.  oppotunities for sports parks near infrastructure ie BQE try that open lot near vanderbilt in Clinton Hill would be a great place to start

Stair Treatments

  

Circulation spaces are fleeting spaces.  These stair treatment are inspired by motion.  Stairwell and entrances are temporary occupied spaces.  Occupation of the transit spaces is not a permanent. These fleeting temporary spaces have the opportunity for a more daring design.  Landings serve as opportunities for modern design..   Sample designs (above) for landings include full wall graphics printed on 3M Control-Tac Vinyl, about $10/SF to a lighting installation using fluorescent tube lights, colored sleeves and baffles.

What if NYC had Piazzas?

 What if New York City had piazzas?   The funny part is we already have a network of beautiful old Italianate Churches that can make Rome jealous. And for some reason we put high traffic roads in front of their doorsteps. Whoops. We are ignoring our treasured spaces.  The hard part is already built.  why don't we have public space in front of them?    The hierarchy of roads, open spaces and Church facades in America favors personal mobility at the cost of cultural spaces.  Brooklyn we should do better.

Examples of Piazzas:

Placa Virreina, Barcelona with cafes.   Trees and small low-traffic roads run at opposite sides of the piazza  as Church maximizes open space in front of the beautiful old church.

Santa Croche, Florence - Famous Piazza with street vendors and cafes

Brooklyn flea as an example of the Brooklyn Piazza.

Beautiful old church in Fort Greene with road directly in front of entrance.

Three underlying design princples

Three underlying design principles:
1 - Shape
2 - Size / Scale
3 - Color














Who knew design could be so easy?

Cool Infill Architecture in NYC

Quintesential Question of Architecture

I always find myself thinking about Brownsville. Years ago our studio at Columbia that used brownsville to address a quintessential question about architecture.  It asked to plan 2 residential blocks in New York City -which already has the perfect fundamental brownstone building block template. An almost impossible model to improve on. Not to mention the architectural detail is gorgeous.

Brownstone Building Block Template / Perimeter Block Layout

Generations of Architects, including Courbusier tried to solve the dilemma of how to layout out residential buildings.

The Atlantic Commons project in Fort Greene has modernizes an already existing solution to the dilemma.   It does three things well-
1 - Scale - Relates to neighborhood
2 - Establish the Perimeters - leave the correct amount of public space
3 - Brickwork & Good Masonry - Adds to already established character in the neighborhood

Atlantic Commons in Fort Greene