Archinect - News

Bjarke Ingels and Robert de Niro preview Wildflower Studios project in Queens

2024-09-26T11:11:00-04:00

“Cinema is probably the art form most similar to architecture,” [Ingels] says, in that both require “armies of people” to bring singular visions to life.

BIG’s 765,000-square-foot design is equipped with 11 sound stages is one of a pair the firm has designed in the New York area. De Niro is one of several celebrity clients to have worked with the mainstream media darling, including fellow Dane Lars von Trier.

Adam Gordon is the developer behind the Wildflower Studios project. He says: "Some of the most talented creative artists have been spending large parts of their career working in completely dehumanizing spaces. And I thought, 'van Gogh painted in Arles, right? Picasso lived in the South of France.' And that’s the spirit of the creative process [...] It’s having beautiful circumstances that make you feel like making art."

Archtober 2024: Check out these Buildings of the Day with architect-led tours in NYC next month

2024-09-25T11:34:00-04:00

Archtober is back for its 13th edition in New York City. The month-long event, organized each year by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with partner organizations, includes the always-popular Building of the Day spotlight, offering architects a unique close-up inspection of superlative new projects in the region with tours led by architects and other design professionals.

You can view the complete list of this year's sites below and use the Archtober Map to New York as your handy mobile guide.

Domino Sugar Refinery by Practice for Architecture (PAU). Photo by Max Touhey

Wednesday, October 2: 520 Fifth Avenue
Architect: Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF)

Thursday, October 3: Sportime Randall’s Island/John McEnroe Tennis Academy
Architect: Ricardo Zurita Architecture and Planning P.C.

Friday, October 4: Inwood Library
Architect: Andrew Berman Architect

Saturday, October 5: Bronx River Greenway/Starlight Park
Architect: NV5

Sunday, October 6: Brick House
Architect: Philip Johnson; Restorati...

Archtober, NYC’s Architecture and Design Festival, Launches 14th Year

2024-08-21T13:48:00-04:00

Archinect has been a proud sponsor of Archtober since 2011

Archtober, a New York City-based platform that promotes the discovery of architecture and design through experiences and content, will celebrate the next installment of its annual festival from October 1–31, 2024. In collaboration with over 100 partners and sponsors across the city, the 2024 festival will gather events, exhibitions, resources, and activities across the five boroughs to raise awareness of the importance of architecture and design in New York City.

In recent years, Archtober has continued to grow and deepen its impact with the addition of an annual festival theme, which we launched in 2023. Our first theme, Bridging Divides, reflected a profound commitment to fostering inclusivity, innovation, and a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness between individuals, communities, and the spaces they inhabit. This year’s theme, Tracing the Future, delves into the evolving landscape of NYC through affordable hous...

Snøhetta’s Far Rockaway Library shines as a new literary beacon in Queens

2024-08-20T19:12:00-04:00

This past month saw the opening of Snøhetta’s Far Rockaway Library in Queens, New York. The $39 million project contributes towards the continued revitalization of the community that was heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy, adding an 18,000-square-foot facility that doubles the size of its 56-year-old predecessor.

Image: Jeff Goldberg/Snøhetta

Artist José Parlá’s Style Writing (2022) mural design wraps the glass facade of the building, giving credence to the firm’s intentions of establishing a space dedicated to writers away from the city’s traditional literary strongholds in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Image: Jeff Goldberg/Snøhetta

Inside, users are immersed in a lively “ephemeral” library experience suffused with natural light and augmented with different occupancy sensors that work to reduce energy usage in unison with its building management system.

Image: Jeff Goldberg/Snøhetta

Pointing to the project's ability to support "j...

NYC announces $7 billion design and construction contracts for two borough-based jails

2024-05-21T15:54:00-04:00

The New York City Department of Design and Construction has issued two new contracts for what will become the first two facilities in the city's progressive borough-based jails system. The bids from Leon D. DeMatteis Construction Corp. for the $3.9 billion new Queens jail and Transformative Reform Group for the $2.9 billion Bronx project were announced along with an intention to use a design-build approach to "speed up" construction along an accelerated track.

The completion of the jails is expected in 2031. In the Bronx, the jail is scheduled for delivery at 745 E. 141st St. in Mott Haven. In Queens, where activists have led a local fight that mirrors the effort to halt the new 'superjail' in Chinatown/Lower Manhattan, the new facility will take shape at 26-02 82nd Avenue in Kew Gardens, requiring a preliminary demolition. The total cost of replacing Rikers Island, which has turned into a human rights eyesore, is estimated at under $15.5 billion. Its mandated shutdown still looms f...

WXY opens beachfront community center for Rockaway, Queens

2024-04-30T17:28:00-04:00

WXY Architecture + Urban Design has opened its new Arverne East Nature Preserve and Welcome Center in the Rockaway neighborhood of Queens.

The project forms the first phase of New York City’s first net-zero residential community with 1,650 new units. It was realized at 6,000 square feet and includes a community meeting room and space for the Parks and Recreation Department's Urban Park Rangers program and The Campaign Against Hunger.

Image: courtesy of WXY, Ⓒ Albert Vecerka/Esto

WXY Founding Principal Claire Weisz describes: "Arverne East represents a unique and innovative path forward for the Rockaways — one rooted in honoring local knowledge, collective power, and an ongoing practice of community stewardship. The sustainable and resilient architecture creates an inviting, accessible space to connect with nature — a promontory for everyone from beachgoers to community organizers to Parks Department staff."

Image: courtesy of WXY, Ⓒ Albert Vecerka/Esto

Image: courtesy of WXY, Ⓒ Albe...

New HOK-designed NYCFC soccer stadium wins planning approval as part of Willets Point redevelopment

2024-04-15T15:37:00-04:00

HOK has won approvals for its proposed new stadium design at Willets Point, Queens, for the New York City Football Club (NYCFC) MLS franchise.

The go-ahead was granted by City Councilors last week as the future anchor to the larger mixed-use Willets Point Phase II Redevelopment Plan development that includes a new public school and 2,500-unit affordable housing component, along with 150,000 square feet of public spaces adjacent to Citi Field at a site formerly known as the 'Valley of Ashes.'

Rendering courtesy HOK

At a cost of $780 million, HOK will deliver a two-tiered, 25,000-seat design (the city’s first purpose-built soccer stadium) built using local materials and featuring green design strategies like PV panels and stormwater retention. According to the architects, this will allow for its operation to be all-electric and net-zero, with annual emissions reductions equal to 12% within a year of the project's inauguration.

Rendering courtesy HOK

Construction of the Willets Point Re...

Proposal to bring New York City its first dedicated professional soccer stadium is approaching approval

2024-03-23T08:00:00-04:00

New York City’s first dedicated soccer stadium is becoming closer to a reality. As reported by Gothamist, the City Council is expected to approve the final phase of an ambitious project to revitalize the long-neglected Willets Point neighborhood in Queens through a mixed-use redevelopment.

In addition to the stadium, the scheme promises to deliver 2,500 units of affordable housing, including 133 homes for homeless New Yorkers, a 250-room hotel, a public school, retail, space, and public space. Designed by HOK, the $780 million, 25,000-seat stadium will host the MLS’ New York City Football Club. It is also expected to be the first-ever fully electric soccer stadium in the MLS.

Rendering courtesy of New York City Football Club

Phase I of the project, which includes 1,100 residential units, has been approved, with construction commencing in December of last year. Approval of Phase II, which includes the stadium and more housing units, is expected to follow through the support of city ...

NYC will convert JFK Hilton hotel into supportive housing

2023-12-28T13:44:00-05:00

A plan to transform the former Hilton Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City into supportive housing has been announced as the inaugural effort of the important new Housing Our Neighbors with Dignity Act (HONDA) program by Mayor Eric Adams.

Aufgang Architects will be in charge of overhauling the 350-room hotel into the renamed Baisley Pond Park Residences, a 318-unit residential development aimed at low-income and formerly homeless individuals with rents ranging between $784 per month for studios to $1,493 for two-bedroom apartments. They say their work will be completed in just 21 months thanks to the hotel’s compatible layout, which allows for a minimally invasive slate of amendments to its internal wall structures.

The result will be a life-changing space for residents, complete with all-electric heating and cooling systems, multiple community/computer rooms, space for the RiseBoro Community Partnership’s on-site support staff, a kitchen serviced by the ...

Noguchi Museum appoints long-time staffer Amy Hau as its next director

2023-12-15T12:56:00-05:00

The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum has announced the appointment of Amy Hau as its next Director.

The appointment continues a more than thirty-year working relationship that first began in 1986 when Hau was hired as an assistant at the then one-year-old Long Island City, Queens institution.

Hau left the museum in 2015 to serve as the Managing Principal of New York’s WXY Architecture + Urban Design. Before that time, she had been credited with overseeing a restorative $23 million capital campaign and the development of a new master plan for the campus. Hau has held titles including Administrative Director, Assistant to the Executive Director, and Assistant to Isamu Noguchi during her first tenure and will lean on additional experience on Queens' Community Board 1 and several other local cultural groups in the execution of her new duties.

“Amy represents not only the profound legacy of the Museum but also embodies its dynamic, polyvocal future,” Spencer Bailey, the museum...

HOK's $780 Million NYCFC Stadium plan pushes professional sports toward an all-electric future

2023-11-22T11:54:00-05:00

The proposed new stadium venue for the New York City Football Club (NYCFC) by HOK will be all-electric in addition to incorporating a number of sustainability strategies included in a press announcement that was made last week by the team.

The 25,000-seat stadium forms the center of a larger mixed-use redevelopment set for an area of the Willets Points neighborhood of Queens that is also being targeted for a proposed $8 billion new casino development and would be the MLS franchise's first dedicated facility after ten years in operation.

HOK intends to install a solar PV array on the stadium's roof and says they plan for a net-zero construction to match the franchise's 2040 commitment, achieving annual reductions of at least 12% after year one of the project's operation.

Image courtesy HOK

Other considerations include enacting a stormwater retention system and a zero-waste strategy. The stadium's green credentials are likely to inform the rest of the plan, which calls for a 250-room...

SHoP, Field Operations behind proposed $8 billion ‘Metropolitan Park’ mixed-use/casino development in Queens

2023-11-09T19:46:00-05:00

A group affiliated with New York Mets franchise owner Steve Cohen has revealed a proposal for a new mixed-use entertainment district and casino that would occupy a transforming portion of the Willets Point, Queens neighborhood if approved.

The $8 billion proposal covers 50 acres (20 of which will be dedicated open space) and will include designs from SHoP Architects, Fields Operations, and Jeffrey Beers International. The site is located adjacent to another development that was announced in May and is being master planned by HOK to create the first-ever dedicated professional soccer facility in New York City. The plan calls for a hotel, multiple restaurants or bars, a conference space, gardens and athletic facilities, a music venue, and a food hall for local vendors.

Speaking in a press release, Cohen said: “When I bought this team, fans and the community kept saying we needed to do better. Metropolitan Park delivers on the promise of a shared space that people will not only want t...

Archtober 2023: NYC's Building of the Day series is back with architect-led tours

2023-09-26T18:58:00-04:00

Archtober, New York City's annual month-long festival of Architecture and Design, is about to commence once again, featuring a packed calendar of exciting events and activities across the five boroughs.

Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with a host of partners, Archtober is returning its popular Building of the Day initiative, which offers unique opportunities to explore nearly 30 outstanding buildings and sites through tours led by architects and other design professionals.

Check out the list of this year's sites below and use the Archtober Map to New York as your handy mobile guide.

Monday, Oct 2: Powerhouse Arts. Photo: PBDW Architects.

Monday, Oct 2: Powerhouse Arts
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron; PBDW Architects

Tuesday, Oct 3: High Line - Moynihan Connector
Design: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); Field Operations

Tuesday, Oct 3: High Line - Moynihan Connector. Photo: Lucas Blair Simpson © SOM.

Wednesday, Oct, 4: One South First
Architect: COOKFOX

Thursday,...

17 years in the making, Caples Jefferson's Louis Armstrong Center finally debuts in Queens

2023-07-07T18:09:00-04:00

July 6th marked the long-awaited public opening of New York City’s new Louis Armstrong Center in Queens, culminating a 17-year journey to properly honor the legacy of the man called 'Satchmo' in the neighborhood he proudly made his home from 1943 until the music finally ended in 1971.

The small, 14,000-square-foot design from Caples Jefferson is located the directly across 107th Street street from the storied musician’s landmarked former residence (now the Louis Armstrong House Museum) in the still heavily working-class section of Corona, Queens.

Image courtesy of Albert Vercerka/Esto

The project was thus conceived to be an interpretive welcoming center to the museum’s visitors, with a documentary archive, exhibition area, and live jazz room all tucked into its eye-catching bronze-colored faceted flat glass façade envelope.

Image courtesy of Albert Vercerka/Esto

The architects explain: "In order to expand the capacity of this relatively modest hou...

New York City sues Steven Holl Architects over inaccessible Hunters Point Library design

2023-05-19T19:04:00-04:00

New York City is suing the architects behind the Hunters Point Library for tens of millions of dollars over portions of the structure not being accessible to people with handicaps, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. [...] The city’s lawsuit was filed May 17 in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. The defendants are Steven Holl Architect, PC, aka Steven Holl Architects, and the individuals Steven Holl and Christopher McVoy.

The original lawsuit was brought to Federal court in November 2019 by a local disability advocate named Tanya Jackson. The project debuted just two months prior and drew the immediate ire of critics who were quick to point out the flaws in its $41.5 million non-universal design. Steven Holl Architects senior partner McVoy has defended the project as "incredibly successful" since that time and now faces a total of $10 million in potential damages alongside Holl. Another $20 million could be assessed against the firm depending on the lawsuit’s outcome.

Previously on Archinect: Class action lawsuit filed in Hunters Point Library accessibility dispute

According to the complaint: "As designed and built, the Library failed in multiple ways to comply with the design requirements set forth in the requirements contract and Task Order 1. The areas of noncompliance included several primary design elements of the building, as well as ADA standards for bathroom layout, door clearances, and the li...

HOK reveals Willets Point Revitalization Plan and NYCFC stadium design

2023-05-11T18:25:00-04:00

HOK’s plans for a new mixed-used development and soccer stadium in Willets Points, Queens, have been released following the project’s announcement last month.

The 25,000-seat new home of New York City FC will come with 2,500 units of “100% affordable” housing plus a public school, hotel, retail component, and over 40,000 square feet of open public space. Plans call for a “future-foward” stadium design that will become a model for sustainability. The overall project also ties in with Mayor Eric Adams' comments about his administration’s intentions to create a “City of Yes.”

Image courtesy HOK

“The design of NYCFC’s new stadium celebrates diversity, community, and the love of the sport, creating a hospitality-driven experience unique to its location in Queens, the world’s borough,” HOK principal and senior project designer Rashed Singaby said in a statement. “Our design team has created a sustainable, technology-driven experience and integrated the stadium into the context of a future ...

New York City Football Club selects HOK to design $780 million new soccer stadium in Queens

2023-04-21T14:12:00-04:00

The first dedicated soccer stadium for New York City FC will be designed by HOK, the team announced this week as it previewed its plans for a new mixed-use district in Willets Point, Queens.

The ten-year-old MLS franchise has been playing its home matches at Yankee Stadium since 2015 and will soon move into its new privately-financed 25,000-seat home that forms the centerpiece of a development that will include 2,500 units of affordable housing, a hotel, and a 650-seat public school.

"The stadium will embody New York’s dynamism and cultural diversity and become a vibrant example of urban placemaking," said HOK principal Rashed Singaby. "Our design will embrace the multi-faceted identity of Queens, Flushing Meadows, and the site’s industrial heritage, offering fans an unprecedented, hospitality-driven game-day experience while integrating into the local community as an everyday asset."

Conceptual rendering for Willets Point. Credit: S9 Architecture

Turner Construction will join the fi...

New York officially cancels LaGuardia AirTrain project

2023-03-13T15:55:00-04:00

State officials in New York have finally slammed the door on the proposed $2.4 billion AirTrain project at LaGuardia Airport over cost concerns.

The New York Times is reporting that the project was formally called off by Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday in favor of a less expensive plan that would offer additional Q70 bus service between the airport and subway stations in northern Queens.

The AirTrain was halted in October 2021 over costs and the potential impact on vulnerable Queens neighborhoods standing in the path of what some considered to be former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s personal obsession. Calls for its cancellation began almost immediately following his resignation in the face of a sexual harassment scandal just two months prior.

Previously on Archinect: Port Authority releases 14 alternatives to the LaGuardia AirTrain project

As the Times reported, the two recently-completed Terminal C and Terminal B projects included infrastructure to accommodate the AirTrain. The plan had...

BIG's Wildflower Studios project tops out in Queens

2023-02-28T18:06:00-05:00

Last week marked the topping out ceremony for BIG’s new $600 million Wildflower Studios venture in Astoria, Queens.

Backed by actor Robert De Niro, the project transformed the famous site of the former five-acre Steinway Pianos warehouse into a seven-story and 760,000-square-foot comprehensive multimedia production facility clad in two-toned pre-cast concrete.

It is the first of two film studios now planned for BIG in the New York area, preceding a newly-announced $400 million “vertical village” design to be constructed in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Image credit: SYNOSIS

“The vertical media production village will be home to storytellers working across all mediums — a three-dimensional hub of collaboration, creativity, and innovation,” Ingels said at the project’s announcement last year. “While New York City is no stranger to being the star of many visual stories — the city effectively a character in itself — this first ground-up vertical production stage complex marks a new chapter in the ...

Testbeds is giving discarded architectural mock-ups new life in New York's community gardens

2022-12-08T12:13:00-05:00

A new project from New York-based duo New Affiliates is making headlines in the Queens neighborhood of Edgemere, where architects Ivi Diamantopoulou and Jaffer Kolb have invented a radical new way of reusing one of the design processes’ most wasteful customs – discarded architectural mock-ups.

With the help of Columbia GSAPP doctoral candidate Samuel Stewart-Halevy, the pair have begun a pilot program called Testbeds that takes the temporary structures and repurposes them as toolsheds for community gardens around the city.

Previously on Archinect: The Founders of NY-based New Affiliates Discuss How Their Love for Arguing Betters Their Work

Beginning with the generally underserved neighborhood located on the Rockaway peninsula, Testbeds has been experimenting with a new way of adapting the notion of a “circular economy” into the built environment. The program got off the ground in 2018 with the blessing of officials from the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation's GreenThumb program, u...

Archtober 2022: Explore NYC's Buildings of the Day with architect-led tours

2022-10-04T14:11:00-04:00

It's that time of the year again: Archtober, New York City's Architecture and Design Month, is back. Now in its 12th year, the annual festival has returned with another packed calendar featuring lectures, tours, workshops, screenings, and other exciting live special events across the five boroughs.

Organized by the Center for Architecture in collaboration with numerous partners, Archtober is once again presenting its popular Building of the Day series, inviting New Yorkers and visitors to explore significant buildings and sites through tours led by architects and other design professionals.

Take a look at the full list of featured sites below and use the Archtober Guide to NYC as your handy mobile guide.

Saturday, Oct 1: New York Public Library Van Cortlandt Branch. Photo: Michael Moran.

Saturday, Oct 1: New York Public Library Van Cortlandt Branch
Architect: Andrew Berman Architect

Monday, Oct 3: Battery Maritime Building
Architect: Marvel

Monday, Oct 3: Battery Maritime Building. Pho...

One year after Hurricane Ida, NYC updates its water infrastructure in the hopes of preventing another tragedy

2022-09-02T14:50:00-04:00

New York City is beefing up the effort to prevent a similar tragedy to Hurricane Ida a year removed from the historic storm’s wake of destruction, which left 13 residents dead and hundreds of others permanently displaced.

Mayor Eric Adams was on hand yesterday to showcase newly-installed stormwater infrastructure in the heavily-affected neighborhood of Ozone Park, Queens, in unison with Governor Kathy Hochul and the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The city is investing some $2.5 billion there in the form of sewer upgrades which will be joined by a similar $454 million initiative targeting historically-flood-prone areas in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and other parts of Central and Southeastern Queens.

That money will all go towards replacing the antiquated, century-old existing system that, combined with the abundance of illegal basement dwellings in the neighborhood, created an untenable situation in September 2021, unable to handle the seven inches of rain that fell i...

$4.5 million will open Isamu Noguchi’s private studio for the first time

2022-08-23T13:04:00-04:00

A recent $4.5 million capital grant from New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs will open the former studio of legendary sculptor and designer Isamu Noguchi to the public for the first time, according to The Art Newspaper.

The 3,200-square-foot, 60-year-old warehouse space is located across the street from the eponymous museum in Long Island City, Queens, and served as his private workshop and pied-à-terre for many years following a move from Manhattan’s Greenwich Village in 1961.

The Museum’s Director, Brett Littman, says it was “the center of his artistic practice in New York for nearly three decades.” The space was eventually retrofitted by Noguchi collaborator Yukio Madokoro to include a living room, sleeping area, and kitchen space separated by concrete blocks and fiberglass Shoji screens. Noguchi used the studio until his death in 1988.

Previously on Archinec...

Some of NYC’s biggest high-rollers want a casino in Coney Island, but local residents aren’t buying in

2022-08-04T10:00:00-04:00

If real estate developers get their way, Coney Island may soon be losing its seasonal vibe. The New York Post is reporting that several of the city's leading corporate entities, including Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross' Related Companies, Vornado, and S.L. Green, have expressed interest in two of the state's three new available casino licenses as part of an expansion endorsed by Governor Kathy Hochul.

Looking to Atlantic City as a model, Thor Equities owner Joe Sitt is pitching a gaming destination in his native Coney Island as a potential commercial booster. Hudson Yards, Times Square, and Queens’ Willets Point neighborhood have also been floated. In total, the projects could bring in at least $1.5 billion in license revenue for the state. The year-round operation of the casinos could engender even greater profits dependent on an agreed-upon tax rate between the state and potential developers.

Other than money, the subway system seems to be the main determining factor in the m...

Port Authority releases 14 alternatives to the LaGuardia AirTrain project

2022-03-04T12:47:00-05:00

One of Governor Kathy Hochul’s first moves in office was to pause her predecessor’s plans for a $2 billion AirTrain at LaGuardia Airport and ask the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to come up with other options. On Wednesday, the Port Authority released sketches for 14 alternatives, including light rail, bus routes and subway extensions. It’s now seeking community input before moving forward.

A questionnaire detailing the options and the factors being considered in evaluating the proposals was sent to more than 70 key stakeholders, including elected officials and community organizations. The alternatives include two potential subway extensions, five potential routes for fixed guideways for light rail connections, five potential bus routes, ferry service, and “emerging technologies.” At the end of their document, the Port Authority lists further potential options, such as “narrow tunnels with electric vehicles” and autonomous shuttles or buses.

Previously on Archinect: Port Authority officially halts the LaGuardian AirTrain project

There currently aren’t any listed costs for the proposals. In mid-March, two in-person public workshops will be held to gather input from the community.

BIG designs $600M film studio with Robert De Niro in Queens, New York

2022-02-15T12:24:00-05:00

Bjarke Ingels Group’s Wildflower Studios has been given the green light for construction in Queens, New York. Designed for the Robert De Niro-led Wildflower Development Group, the new seven-story building will contain a vertical commercial film, television, and creative studio.

Located in Astoria, Queens adjacent to the manufacturing warehouse of the highly-prized Steinway Pianos, the 775,000-square-foot complex will contain 11 main stages, supported by production areas, open and private offices, a fitness room, cafes, and lounges. Externally, the five-acre former industrial plot will contain 310 off-street parking spaces and a waterfront public realm.

Image credit: SYNOSIS

The stages within the building measure 18,000 square feet, with dimensions 150 feet long, 120 feet wide, and 60 feet high. Due to the site’s limited area but generous height allowances, the internal program has been arranged as a vertical film studio with two levels of sound stages, which the team believes to ...

Manhattan rents approach pre-pandemic levels

2022-02-11T14:40:00-05:00

Rents in New York City approached all-time records last month as inventory grew increasingly scarce. The median rental in Manhattan cost $3,467 last month, according to the New York Post, which cited the latest report by appraisal firm Miller Samuel. That was up a little over 2 percent from $3,392 in December, but it represented a 23 percent spike from January 2021 — falling just $5 short of the January record set in 2020, when the median rental was $3,472 per month.

The median rental in Manhattan in January was just shy of the $3,540 peak in April 2020. Prices in Northwest Queens and Brooklyn also rose last month, up 28 percent and 11.1 percent year-over-year respectively. The Real Deal notes that the major force behind price growth in the housing market is the persistent shortage of listings, which has been seen in the city’s rental market. The number of rental listings in Manhattan has dipped 83.3 percent year-over-year in January.

The drive in housing demand can be attributed to decreases in Covid-19 cases, leading to workers returning to their offices. The return of in-person schooling is also a culprit.

Governor Kathy Hochul announces Interborough Express rail line to connect Brooklyn and Queens

2022-01-06T20:07:00-05:00

A long sought train connection between Brooklyn and Queens may finally become a reality, as New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced she wants to "take an old, unused, 14-mile-long right-of-way and create what we're calling the Inter-Borough Express" during her State of the State address Wednesday.

The project would repurpose an existing freight rail line that runs through Brooklyn and Queens, starting in Bay Ridge and stretching to Astoria. The route would run through neighborhoods currently not served by rail transit, including Sunset Park, Borough Park, Kensington, Midwood, Flatbush, Flatlands, New Lots, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick, Ridgewood, Middle Village, Maspeth, Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights.

According to the MTA, this project will serve approximately one million riders daily and provide job access to underserved communities. Hochul has directed the MTA to conduct an environmental review immediately.

The first phase of New York City's first net zero community has been set in motion

2022-01-03T12:55:00-05:00

In December, developers closed on $30.3 million in financing for the first phase of Arverne East, a master-planned community and revitalization project within a 116-acre oceanfront site in the Arverne and Edgemere neighborhoods in Queens’ Rockaway Peninsula. Led by real estate firms L+M Development Partners, the Bluestone Organization, and Triangle Equities, the project will be New York City’s first net zero community.

Funding for the first phase was provided by the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). This stage will see the development of a 35-acre nature preserve between Beach 44th Street and Beach 56th Place, aiming to restore and promote native ecology. It will include a 6,000-square-foot, fossil-free building featuring a welcome center, park ranger office, comfort station, and a community center owned and operated by RISE, a non-profit organization that provides civic engagement and youth development programs for the greater Rockaway communit...

Two New York design studios provoke post-pandemic connections with their new installation in Long Island City

2021-11-29T18:26:00-05:00

As New York City continues to emerge from the dark days of the pandemic that sent it reeling well into the early spring of this year, a new effort has been put forth led by local artists and design studios to help the city’s eight million residents reconnect via a series of public installations spread throughout the five boroughs.

The latest in this series will help turn a usually overlooked park in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City into an eye-catching space for community engagement thanks to a temporary installation from Hive Public Spaces and The Urban Conga.

Activated by the park’s mostly unwitting users, Ribbon attempts to intervene in their day-to-day pedestrian activity, offering play as an intervention through a network of malleable magenta “units” made of mirrored boxes which reveal the surrounding built environment while at the same time serving as guideposts that challenge the way in which space itself is perceived....