Located on a prominent site along the East River, against the backdrop of rapidly built skyscraper condominiums, the 22,000 square foot Queens Public Library at Hunters Point stands as a public building and public park, bringing community-devoted space to the Long Island City waterfront.
Resisting recent trends of incorporating public libraries and much-needed social space within high-end residential towers, the Hunters Point Library stands independently, rising with a minimal footprint on its 32,000 square foot site to offer maximum surrounding green space to the local community and becoming an integrated part of the vibrant public park that lines the river’s edge.
The clean lines and carefully structured geometry of this modern Long Island home make a statement of aesthetic and style, while maintaining a natural connection to the surrounding landscape. Characteristic yet subtle, the architecture exhibits a clear and exciting contrast from the neo-traditional residences in the surrounding areas. Set back from the road and sited centrally on the plot, the structure is presented against a backdrop of old growth trees, and artfully carved to create a varied massing of solid and void, highlighted by a two-story glass box eliciting views directly through the home to the landscape beyond. The proportions of the structure work to minimize the effect of the two-story massing, emphasizing rather the horizontality of the elongated main level.
McDonald’s has just opened the first Landini Associates designed flagship store in New York City’s iconic Times Square. The new store replaces the original restaurant that opened in 1984, located on the corner of 45th and Broadway.
Built over three floors, the restaurant is an evolution of Landini’s global format for McDonald’s, Project Ray, named after the brand’s founder Ray Kroc. The colourful graphic environments that became the signature for McDonald’s internationally are replaced with a quieter approach; the walls of the store decorated only with occasional abstractions of the golden arches, framing the view outside.
This flagship adopts a composed yet bold approach to design, creating a calm environment of respite in contrast to the energy of the square outside. A three-story glass curtain wall provides customers with spectacular dining room views out to the beating heart of NYC, and a yellow staircase injects a pop of vibrancy whilst threading its way skywards.
Article source: Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates LLC
Many buildings in the Financial District were built in the early part of this century. They are assertive buildings, strong in form and bold in scale. Their architects interpreted freely from the language of classical architecture and, with exuberance, employed the full range of compositional elements.
The mid-block site of the fifty-one-story tower extends from Wall Street through to Pine Street. Across the street is 55 Wall Street, an 1842 landmark, from which development rights had been transferred.
The design of the building involved the challenge of devising a tower that was technologically and functionally contemporary, with state of the art communication systems, energy efficient and prepared for computerized offices, yet respected the quality mixture of 19th and early 20th century buildings in the area. It also provided a special opportunity to create a distinctive public space at street level, as a needed respite from the famous narrow canyons of the financial district.
Architecture Office, an architecture firm based outside of Austin, Texas, has designed the flagship work environment for ShareCuse, a new coworking space located within the historic 1928 Syracuse Building in the city’s downtown district. Drawing from the edifice’s rich 90-year history as an office building, and the firm’s own research into a range of workspace typologies, the design for ShareCuse explores, expands, and reinvigorates the notion of a cubicle.
ShareCuse accommodates 25 members, and is set within a 3,200-square-foot room on the second floor of an existing concrete and steel building. Architecture Office’s design for the space is defined by an arrangement of freestanding black cubicles and a kitchen island within the interior of the space, that define a series of interstitial lounge spaces throughout the open office. Ringing the open workspace are seven private offices, a conference room and a telephone booth.
Located at a street corner in the East Village of New York, Spritea is conceived as a freshly playful environment with a sense of fusion between the Eastern and Western tea culture. The space is organized based on an open layout, with a series of custom-made curvilinear banquette groups creating dynamic flow and lounge-like experience. The centrally located and carefully detailed bar island anchors the space while being highlighted by the elongated cylindrical ceiling geometry above. Together they showcase the elegant process of teamaking to the guests. The selection of materials renders a gentle and fresh ambience, with light tone site cast terrazzo floor and millworks. Being part of a historically preserved landmark building, the renovated storefront preserves the original structure and details of the building while blends the modern space to the neighborhood. The compact restroom reinforces the curvilinear geometries of the main space, featuring a double dome ceiling finished with light oak veneers. The curation of contemporary artworks and neon lights draws attention as one enjoys the unique tea experience.
This headquarters for a steam shower manufacturing company embraces the industrial nature of the firm’s business as well as the building itself, which MrSteam has occupied since the 1960s. Located in the commercial manufacturing district of Long Island City, the building contains MrSteam’s offices and manufacturing facilities. A minimal, bright redesign of the interior space highlights the raw, historic character of the hardworking building. The new design links past to present, revealing the original structural elements of the 1931 building with new insertions that meet the needs of MrSteam’s growing professional sales and operations staff.
The New York Public Library’s Midtown renovation will enhance and unite the full spectrum of offerings available across the Library system, from circulating and research services to business resources and educational programs for all ages.
Mid-Manhattan Library – the Library’s most heavily used circulating branch – is set to undergo a transformation that will create a new, state-of-the-art library that will serve as both a model and catalyst for a rejuvenated library system.The team of Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle worked for over a year analysing library usage data, interviewing staff, surveying the public, and meeting with community stakeholders to ensure that the new branch will best meet the needs of library patrons.
Louis Armstrong Stadium, located in Flushing Meadows, NY, has won a prestigious international design award, called Prix Versailles, Special Prize for Interior in the Sports category. The award recognizes structures for the beauty of their design, sustainability and commercial function. The stadium is designed by ROSSETTI, headquartered in Detroit.
Louis Armstrong stadium is one of a collection of facilities at the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) 42-acre National Tennis Center, which is home to the US Open. The 14,069-seat stadium opened in 2018 and features an innovative design that encourages air flow through the stadium while keeping rain off the court. It is true to the outdoor nature of the tournament by allowing play to continue during the rain while naturally conditioning the space for spectators and players.
Built in 1853, on the site of a stable in a vernacular Greek Revival style, 130 Charles Street was always a modest house in the heart of the bustling dockside of Greenwich Village. The house’s broad four bay front belies its’ shallow depth and rhomboid shape in plan. For most of its history the house was a multi occupancy building either as a rooming house or as tiny studio apartments, in the 1980‘s it was converted into a single family home.
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