As social distancing becomes the new norm in the fight against COVID-19, people are finding it harder to keep up with the six-foot rule in dense cities. Urban Planner Meli Harvey developed a map of New York that shows the width of sidewalks in the city, aiming to highlight public areas where social distancing can be maintained.
As New York is facing unprecedented circumstances and as the numbers of infected people with the coronavirus are reaching new highs, officials are seeking fast and efficient solutions to generate useful spaces for patients. With a timeline of a few weeks, the city is looking into ways of altering the existing structures.
In 2012, Hurricane Sandy struck the eastern coastline of the United States and caused a level of flooding and destruction that was unprecedented for a major, densely populated city like New York. Storm surges brought a terrifying amount of water to the city streets, tunnels and subways; the National Ocean Service reported a 9.4-foot surge over Battery Park. Essential infrastructure was damaged in many areas, homes were flooded and people were trapped.
Human-centered design places people at the center of our cities. Using this philosophy to rethink traditional approaches to planning, the architectural and urban designer Zarith Pineda founded Territorial Empathy. Pineda's research lab specializes in mitigating urban conflict through architectural interventions. Over the last few years, her team has been working to create a deeper understanding of equity and empathy.
Framlab, an innovation studio based in Bergen and New York City has created Glasir, a community-based system for urban farming. The proposed modular structure relies on aeroponic growth systems to provide local products.
New York City Council and the Van Alen Institute have announced a new design competition to reimagine the Brooklyn Bridge. The international competition seeks creative, unconventional designs that respect and enhance the bridge’s landmark status, think inclusively about mobility and access, and accommodate commuters, visitors, and vendors.
Architecture practice LOT-EK's Triangle Stack #2 project is now open at Domino Park in Brooklyn. Designed for the Brooklyn Museum to support an urban-scale mural by the artist JR, and create an instant public space, the 60-foot tall triangular courtyard opens to the city and the sky. These "STACKS" are temporary large-scale installations that aim at creating sudden and powerful experiences in public space.
The New York City Planning Commission approved unanimously the design for 550 Madison Garden created by Snøhetta. The project that re-imagines the privately-owned public space will move forward, after also having received, earlier on, the approval from Manhattan Community Board.
New York City Council passed legislation that will now mandate all new construction use bird-safe glass on facades below 75 feet. New York City Audubon estimates that up to 230,000 birds crash into glass building surfaces across the five boroughs annually. The new legislation aims to address migratory patterns as birds pass through New York on the Atlantic Flyway.
Minoru Yamasaki (December 1, 1912 – February 7, 1986) has the uncommon distinction of being most well known for how his buildings were destroyed. His twin towers at the World Trade Center in New York collapsed in the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, and his Pruitt-Igoe complex in St. Louis, Missouri, demolished less than 20 years after its completion, came to symbolize the failure of public housing and urban renewal in the United States. But beyond those infamous cases, Yamasaki enjoyed a long and prolific career, and was considered one of the masters of “New Formalism,” infusing modern buildings with classical proportions and sumptuous materials.
MoMA PS1 has announced that the Young Architects Program will be placed on a one-year hiatus. MoMA PS1, formerly P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, is one of the oldest and largest nonprofit arts centers in the United States devoted to contemporary art. The Young Architects Program founded by MoMA and MoMA PS1 was made to offer emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design a temporary, outdoor installation in New York.
The Cooper Union’s Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture has created a new digital archive of student work in a comprehensive online database. As one of the few online collections of a school of architecture's student work, the database represents over eight decades of work, dating from the 1930’s through the present.
The highest outdoor observation deck in the western hemisphere is set to open in March of 2020 in New York City. Designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), the Edge cantilevers 80 feet from the 100th floor of 30 Hudson Yards. At a record-setting height of 1,131 feet, Edge will reveal never-before-seen views of The City, Western New Jersey and New York State spanning up to 80 miles.
The Times Square Alliance has announced that Heart Squared by MODU and Eric Forman Studio is the winner of the 2020 Times Square Valentine Heart Competition. Curated by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the competition celebrates its 12th anniversary creating proposals for a public art installation celebrating “Love in Times Square” during the month of February.
Artist Anish Kapoor will have his first permanent public work opening as part of 56 Leonard St. in New York. Located at the base of the residential tower by architects Herzog & de Meuron, the specially commissioned artwork is integrated into the architecture of the iconic New York tower. Marking the collaboration between artist and architect, the work aims to become a new cultural landmark in Tribeca.
The complete Museum of Modern Art expansion by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Gensler is set to open in New York. The expansion adds more than 40,000 square feet of gallery spaces for exhibiting art. Launched in 2014, the first phase of renovations on the east end was completed in 2017, and the second phase of expansion on the west end is now complete and ready to open to the public.
The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and the Center for Architecture have announced new and expanded programs for the ninth annual edition of Archtober, the official New York City Architecture and Design Month. The festival, now in its ninth year, brings together more than 80 partners throughout the city’s five boroughs to celebrate the importance of design and the built environment.
FXCollaborative has designed a church community space and 33 story tower overlooking Central Park in New York City. The project was made for Harlem’s La Hermosa Christian Church, though no developer has signed on for the project yet. The new project would serve the surrounding community and aims to embody and celebrate the neighborhood’s legacy of music and art.
