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“The city is better for the starchitect phenomenon,” said Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel, “because it enhanced the mystique of New York’s residential housing market. But during the frenzy, those buildings were marketed as if they had inherent greater value, and the jury is still out on that.” — NYT
Vivian S Toy examines how in this current, post recession residential marketplace, starchitect buildings are providing an opporunity to test the value of a name. View full entry
In February 2003, Daniel Libeskind was named the winning designer of the international contest to rebuild the World Trade Center. After eight years of collaboration, controversy, and the typical cast of characters in any real estate nightmare, the final product that will tower over Lower Manhattan is not, in fact, the design that won the hearts of New Yorkers. — Inhabitat
This morning a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook the East Coast. The quake was felt from Virginia to Boston, even prompting the evacuation of the Pentagon and Capitol Building in Washington, and New York City Hall. Seismologists at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have stated that once every 100 years, an earthquake of at least a magnitude of 5.0 rocks NYC. — Inhabitat NYC
This report [by David Giles with Cristina Maldonado] details the powerful economic impact of New York's architecture and design sectors. It shows that New York has far more designers than any other U.S. city, but concludes that far more could be done to harness the sector's growth potential. — David Giles - Center for an Urban Future
This report (available as a PDF via the link) by the non-profit public policy think tank Center for an Urban Future paints a rosy picture of the current state of design professions in NYC. While employment in architecture and related design professions may not be booming, it has been on the... View full entry
From April 11-30, we're gathering up your ideas: from improving local parks and streets all the way up to rethinking whole systems, like transit and trash disposal. You can explore, discuss, and debate everyone's ideas right here. — urbandesignweek.org
Brendan Crain of the Institute for Urban Design says: "We're going to use the public's suggestions as the basis for an international design competition this May, and would love to gather ideas from some of the folks who may participate in that next phase.... Final push for site nominations this... View full entry
Most buildings in New York will undergo renovation over the next twenty years. A number will also get demolished. As well, many building enclosures will soon need replacement, particularly post-WW2 curtain wall buildings. Gut renovations of office spaces take place on a regular basis. There is great opportunity to re-imagine and reduce energy consumption in all these buildings. — huffingtonpost.com
Our friend Jacob Slevin talks to Ed Mazria, sustainable architecture activist and founder of Architecture 2030, about changes he envisions for NYC and beyond. View full entry