Archinect - News

For the first time, you can buy shares in a building in New York City

2022-04-08T09:00:00-04:00

An office building in Harlem has become the first building in New York City, and one of the first in the country, to be listed on the stock market in its own right. Located at 286 Lenox Avenue, the 18,759-square-foot building holds four floors of office and retail, with three tenants including Wells Fargo.

As of last week, any investor can buy shares in the building, which trades under the stock ticker TESLU. Since going public last Wednesday, the share price has fluctuated from its initial $250 per share, with a high of $255 and a low of $241.

The shares are being sold by the building’s owners Regal Capital Acquisitions, who are selling 8,600 shares (49% of the building’s equity), which they hope will raise $2.15 million. Regal paid $10.2 million in March 2020 to purchase the property, which sits on the site of the now-demolished Lenox Lounge jazz bar that once hosted stars such as Billie Holiday and Miles Davis.

Related on Archinect: Paul Rudolph's Edersheim Residence liste...

A first look at Nabr, Bjarke Ingels’ disruptor housing company

2021-12-14T11:55:00-05:00

Nabr has offered the first clues of what their homes of the future may look like. The “people-first housing company” was co-founded by Bjarke Ingels with the ambition of “putting more people on a path to owning a high-quality, environmentally friendly home in the city.”

Nabr’s first building is set to be launched at 415 South 3rd Street, San Jose, California in 2023. Designed in collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group, and named SoFA One, the project will consist of more than 100 homes personalized by each owner. Prices are expected to start in the high $700Ks, with interested parties able to join a waitlist for the homes from 2022.

Image by The Boundary for Nabr

The waitlist for Nabr Homes will be open to everyone, with applicants able to fill out specific details on the units they are seeking. When the service matches the applicant’s preferences to an available unit in their area, the applicant will be invited to Nabr’s Design Studio to select and customize the home, including l...

A new housing type is coming to Chicago

2019-07-17T14:21:00-04:00

A new housing typology will be coming to the Chicago neighborhoods of West Humboldt Park and Bronzeville, where Perkins + Will architect Greg Tamborino will bring his independently-produced, competition-winning affordable housing designs to a pair of vacant lots.

Tamborino was recently announced as the winner of the Disruptive Design competition, a contest looking to "address the challenges associated with designing and building affordable, owner-occupied housing," according to competition organizers.

The homes feature accessible ramps leading to the first floor level, which has been designed to accommodate ADA guidelines. Image courtesy of Disruptive Design.

Tamborino's designs were selected from among 133 international competition entries, and bested proposals by competition finalists Joel Huffman and teammates Georgi Todorov and Petya Petrova.

Tamborino's designs stand out because of the home's adaptable qualities and thoughtfully composed organization, according to competition ...

BIG designs first prototype for affordable vacation home company Klein

2018-08-15T15:12:00-04:00

Behold the first prototype of the Brooklyn-based Klein, a new company that wants to make the process of building small houses more affordable all over the world. A45 is a 13-foot-long wood and glass cabin for one, two, or three people (if one of them is tiny) designed by the Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group [...] meant to be the first of many designs [that will fulfill the fantasy] of having a home outside the city...

Founder Soren Rose started Klein after leading the firm Søren Rose Studio based in New York and Copenhagen. By providing small, cheap, prefab houses the company aims to make vacation home ownership more affordable to a wider audience.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

While there are currently no set prices, homes are projected to range from $50,000 to $300,000.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

The first prototype, designed by BIG, is the start of several options which will be fully customizable and ready within 6 months of placing an order.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

Klein is currently taking preorders on a case by case basis.

Klein prototype A45 by BIG. Image: Matthew Carbone.

How a mobile home community created a co-op and bought its own land

2016-12-28T13:47:00-05:00

Park Plaza is a mobile home park, or what industry calls a manufactured housing community. Five years ago, the residents banded together, formed a nonprofit co-op and bought their entire neighborhood from the company that owned it. Today, these residents exert democratic control over almost 9 acres of prime suburbs, with 80 manufactured houses sited on them.

"There are no precise figures, but the U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are more than 8 million manufactured houses across the country. Housing specialists say they're an important source of affordable housing."

Even the wealthy are having trouble buying homes in Silicon Valley, so lenders are offering "zero-down loans"

2016-07-29T14:01:00-04:00

Lenders often give special treatment to the wealthy, of course, but the tech industry has created a particularly ripe crop of clients who are rich or on their way. [...] “Lenders get so caught up trying to stay competitive and finding a market edge, they basically allow greed to overcome common sense ... Easy money does fuel and accelerate the inevitable bubble.”

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Co-living + 'nomadism': Roam wants you to sign a lease to live around the world

2016-05-05T12:58:00-04:00

If you can afford the airfare, it's getting easier to be a digital nomad. Roam, a new network of co-living spaces, offers a lease that lets you continually move: After a couple of weeks or months in Madrid, you can head to Miami, or Ubud, Bali. By 2017, the startup plans to have 8-10 locations around the world. These aren't designed as places for vacations. Instead, it's an alternative way to think about home for "location-independent" people who can work remotely.

"Residents each have their own private bedroom and bathroom, but they also have access to a coworking space and shared communal areas. The point is to meet as many people as possible."

Their website includes copy like, "A new way of living: Sign one lease. Live around the world," and, "Show up and find community everywhere." And high-speed wifi is guaranteed!

No place like home, eh? For more on the changing landscape of domesticity today, check out some related Archinect coverage: