American architecture studio Kohn Pedersen Fox has unveiled images of a supertall skyscraper that is currently being built in Midtown Manhattan.
Commenters analysed the structure, with one praising the “contextual design approach” while another questioned: “Can we declare this day the end of messianic Miesianism?”
However, a commenter thought the design “kind of falls apart when you look at the details.”
Rafael Viñoly Architects unveils plans for vineyard-covered airport terminal
Other stories in this week’s newsletter that fired up the comments section included Rafael Viñoly Architects’ plans for a vineyard-covered airport terminal, a pavilion designed for The OWO hotel in London and the news that Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has implanted a brain chip into its first human patient.
Dezeen Debate
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Martin Brudnizki Design Studio has designed the interiors for a 1907 Renaissance-style palazzo building in New York, which has been turned into a luxury boutique hotel by architecture studio Perkins Eastman.
Throughout the late 19th century, the home of Charlotte Goodridge at 250 Fifth Avenue hosted receptions and musical evenings as part of New York’s social season.
Classical fixtures contrast a contemporary colour palette in the hotel’s rooms
Perkins Eastman added a 24-storey glass tower, designed with PBDW Architects, to the five-storey brick and limestone building.
This was originally designed by McKim, Mead & White as the Second National Bank in 1907, replacing Goodridge’s 19th century home.
Drawing on the history of the neighbourhood and heritage of the building, Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (MBDS) aimed to create an aesthetic for the new hotel that would embrace “Bohemian romanticism and the glamour of the gilded age,” while maintaining contemporary styling.
Martin Brudnizki has employed colour and texture to reflect global travels
“One of the biggest challenges was that we were working with both an existing and a new building at the same time, which each presented their own challenges architecturally,” studio founder Martin Brudnizki told Dezeen.
“We worked with the architects to marry the historic narrative with the contemporary tower addition, which reflects New York today, and the concept of the modern traveller,” he said.
A corner bedroom features yellow curtains
Rooms feature a rich colour palette of garden greens, buttercup yellow and peony pink with gold accents.
Bold patterns and textures jostle each other in a “harmonious and fun way, juxtaposing modernity with the classic finishings,” the designer said.
The hotel’s walls host an extensive art collection
“The intersection of interiors with architecture is so important. The mansion is a much more classical response to the history and details of the building, whilst the tower enthuses a more modern touch,” Brudnizki explained.
“Both are unified by the choices of colours and certain furniture, fixtures and equipment that carry between the two sites.”
Bedrooms feature a global blend of references, including Pagoda-style table lamps, custom wardrobes informed by traditional Chinese cabinets, antique inlaid side tables, Murano glass chandeliers and star-like ceiling lights.
The double-height entrance lobby features walls panelled with faceted antique mirrors, marble floors and grand arched windows – which echo throughout the hotel bedrooms as room dividers between sleeping and sitting areas.
Rooms have been designed to have a residential feel
“We loved the idea that all these great characters had once walked along the boulevard of Fifth Avenue and the fabulous parties hosted within the mansions of Fifth Avenue; the people and the conversations that took place,” said Brudnizki.
“We wanted to create a space that felt as though its interiors had been brought together over time, pulling items from our muse’s travels and adventures from across the globe.”
Antique glass panelling and modern mirrored artworks fill the double-height lobby
“It is a truly eclectic and layered project that is intended to feel as though it has been around since the days of The Gilded Age,” the designer concluded.
Other boutique hotels recently published on Dezeen include Christian Louboutin’s hotel Vermelho in Portugal and Trunk Hotel Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, by Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects.
This year’s Design Pavilion for NYCxDESIGN included an experimental installation dubbed Bamboo Cloud, designed and crafted by Shanghai-based architecture studio llLab. The lightweight structure appeared to float over Gansevoort Plaza in New York‘s Meatpacking District from October 12th through 18th during Archtober 2023. Bamboo, a versatile and sustainable material, has been an integral part of architectural history for centuries. Primarily embraced in Asian and African regions, this resilient resource has been employed for a boundless number of architectural applications. From woven mats and panels to split strips for shingles and siding, to entire bamboo culms used for structural elements like columns, beams, and rafters. This rich tradition of bamboo architecture serves as the foundation for the Bamboo Cloud, which arrived this month in New York City.
With Bamboo Cloud, the architects at llLab have taken the material to new heights, exploring an application that pushes the boundaries of what it can achieve. Bamboo’s strength and lightweight properties make it ideal for sustainable design innovations. The Design Pavilion for NYCxDesign exemplifies this potential in architecture. Composed of two amorphous ‘clouds’ constructed entirely from bamboo and supported by structural columns, the bamboo is intricately woven to form a porous surface that shelters a light and ethereal environment, ideal for relaxing and gathering in the city.
Bamboo Cloud is softly illuminated from within, as well as from below — thanks to a collaboration with architectural lighting design firm L’Observatoire International and lighting suppliers Nanometer Lighting Color Kinetics.
the Bamboo Cloud pavilion exemplifies the material’s versatility in New York City
from guilin to new york
The Shanghai-based team at llLab has been challenging the traditional applications of bamboo long before this Bamboo Cloud arrived in New York. The team had explored the material’s potential with a similar installation which, in 2020, occupied the dramatic, forested landscape of Guilin, China. see designboom’s coverage here!
‘Bamboo is still relatively ambiguously defined, though bamboo has been applied in various aspects in the field of architecture. In terms of structural calculation and material properties, it can still only be compared with wood in the role of ‘engineered bamboo,’ for imperfect construction implementation,’ said Hanxaio Liu, Founding Partner of llLab. ‘However, the Bamboo Cloud intends to unify original bamboo and engineered bamboo in terms of materials and applications, as well as their properties and physical presentation.’
two bamboo ‘clouds’ shelter an open-air space for relaxing in the city
Hanxaio Liu continues: ‘Bamboo Cloud focuses on the relationships between inherent material properties and their potential applications beyond convention. Bamboo has been mainly applied on the scale of handcraft, followed by the recent popularization of its utilization in sustainable buildings. However, the advantage of utilizing bamboo has not been thoroughly understood, so most applications have remained superficial.’
bamboo’s renewable nature makes it an environmentally responsible choice the Design Pavilion represents a vision for a fresh, sustainable future in architecture
A slender pool lined with a “vertical garden” features in an oceanfront home in southern California designed by US studio Montalba Architects.
The house is located within a dense, beachside neighbourhood in Manhattan Beach outside of Los Angeles. Designed for a couple who are long-time residents of the area, the dwelling is imbued with a sense of calm and a connection to the outdoors.
Facades were covered in stucco and western cedar
“Manhattan Beach House is intended to provide a spacious, peaceful feeling, offering an experience close to nature throughout the interior of the building itself,” said Los Angeles-based studio Montalba Architects
Situated on a narrow, sloped lot, the home rises three levels and encompasses 6,000 square feet (557 square metres).
Montalba Architects aimed to provide a connection to nature in the home
Facades are clad in smooth-troweled stucco and western cedar. Along the front elevation, a cedar and aluminium screen provides privacy and acts as a guardrail.
The slatted screen wraps around the north side of the home, where the main entrance is located. The screen adds definition to an entry courtyard while also providing visual continuity between the front and side facades.
A green wall sits beside an outdoor swimming pool
The front elevation looks west, toward the ocean, while the rear side faces an alley. To form sight lines and usher in daylight, the team focused on creating openings on both the exterior and within the house.
“Behind the street front, the volume of the house dissolves, with glimpses through openings between floors and between distant rooms.”
On the ground level, the team placed a four-car garage, gym, laundry room and guest quarters. The first floor holds the primary bedroom suite and a pair of offices, along with a two-car garage that is accessed via the alley.
A double-height courtyard on the first floor showcases a maple tree that is meant to be “a reminder of natural time and the seasons”.
“The courtyard is visible throughout the house, whether moving along the length of the house or up to the third floor,” the team said.
Glass doors on the top floor lead to a balcony
The top floor encompasses a kitchen, dining area, living room and media room. Glazed doors provide access to a balcony and a pool terrace.
The pool is lined with a “vertical garden” filled with drought-tolerant plants, including hardy geraniums, creeping Jenny and blue chalksticks.
Cedar covers the ceilings while oak lines the floors
“To maintain the living wall, the gardener is suspended over the adjacent pool on a rolling platform, which is stored on-site,” the team said.
Throughout the home, the team used earthy finishes such as cedar ceilings and white oak flooring and millwork.
The home was designed for a couple living in Manhattan Beach
The kitchen is fitted with oak cabinetry and Caesarstone countertops, and the fireplace surround is made of silver travertine.
Other recent projects by Montalba Architects include the renovation of a 1960s Los Angeles building by Edward Durrell Stone and the completion of a hillside home in Santa Monica that features ample glazing and a clever siting strategy.
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Global warming has increased volatile weather and is causing sea levels to rise at alarming rates. Combined, these two problems are making coastal regions increasingly vulnerable. Covered in asphalt, concrete and other hard surfaces, cities are already at a disadvantage due to their low porosity. Surface runoff relies heavily on the sewerage system; a very limited amount of water can get away through evaporation.
Unlike more natural or rural areas, where sand and soil can let surface runoff go underground, in cities, water can usually only go down in places where a manhole connected to the city’s sewage system is available. Under such circumstances, water is more likely to accumulate, overwhelming the sewerage system and causing flooding as it takes longer to get back to the underground water system or nearby tributaries. Manhattan is particularly vulnerable.
After Hurricane Sandy hit New York City in 2012, the city was left mourning the deaths of 43 people and assessing damage totalling $19 billion. More recently in 2021, Hurricane Ida devastated NYC. Hurricane, surge and flooding are the problems that the city has to deal with urgently. In January, Professor Jason Barr from Rutgers University proposed a divisive solution aimed to combat future flooding: extending Manhattan. The extension scheme is also to tackle the housing issue of the crowded island.
As proposed by Prof. Barr, the extension scheme by the south of the island is about 1,760 acres large. It runs approximately from Holland Tunnel to somewhere around Manhattan Bridge and extend beyond the Statue of Liberty towards the south. The extension seeks to provide about 180,000 housing units for 247,000 people in total. Constructed wetlands will stand between land and water to protect the city behind it from flooding.
Indeed, constructed wetlands have been proved to be environmentally beneficial and mitigate floods. Soil and plants hold the water when it comes and allow it to penetrate the ground while holding them. Compared to an unobstructed urban hard surface where water can run over immediately, constructed wetlands reduce the intensity of peak flow when flooding.
Furthermore, as they are connected to the sewerage, constructed wetlands function as biofilters for treating rainwater/storm runoff and urban grey water. The plants remove nutrients, heavy metals and other pollutants from the water. The filter bed, which normally consists of sand and gravels, also help remove solid contaminants. If well-planned, constructed wetlands can as well be a pleasant part of the urban landscape, adding to the biological diversity in cities.
Here comes the question: how large do the constructed marshlands and wetlands need to be on the extension to save Manhattan from damages and losses in future? According to a study after Hurricane Sandy which looked at coastal wetlands’ efficiency in flood/damage reducing, the wetlands covering only 2% of New York State’s land area have saved about $140 million or 0.4% of the state’s total losses.
Looking at the rough plan created by Prof. Barr, it is clear that more careful considerations are needed when planning enough artificial wetlands for protecting the entire Manhattan. Besides, the shown plan is making the East River even narrower, which could reduce its capacity.
There are other urban design strategies to cope with water. The Climate Tile project by Tredje Natur is reintroducing the hydrologic cycle to the city of Copenhagen. The visible part of the project is pavement tiles with small wholes on them that allow water to infiltrate into the ground and down to the sewerage. It is mimicking the natural process where surface runoff joins the groundwater through infiltrating the soil.
An invisible component of the project lies beneath the tiles, where the main part of the artificial water system functions. The rainwater collected from rooftops and the street level gathers through pipes. Connected to the soil under urban green areas, the water collected is then supplied to plants. The excess goes into the city’s drainage system after part of the water and nutrients are consumed by plants. This scheme can let water into the ground faster rather than completely relying on storm drains. By feeding water to plants first, it also controls the amount of water going into the main sewerage.
The restored Cheonggyecheon River, photo by Isageum on Flickr, accessed from Wikimedia Commons.
While the Climate Tile requires careful corporations with the existing drainage system, the Cheonggyecheon River restoration project in Seoul, South Korea, took the “radical” route in giving the river back to the hydrologic system. The Cheonggyecheon River flowed underground for about 50 years before once again seeing the light of day in 2005. The river was nearly dry when the road and highway that run above it have been removed. Continuing for over three miles, the river banks became a linear urban green space as well as flood plains to hold the river’s overflow during heavy rains.
Flood plains for overflowing are not any kind of modern invention but the most natural way to deal with seasonal flooding. As we harden the land to build more towers, we are also sacrificing the capacity of water bodies around cities. Meanwhile, the sea level keeps rising, pushing our water system even closer to its limit. Cities then become vulnerable when regular or unexpected heavy precipitation comes, leaving tragedies behind. Keeping a respectful distance between the built environment and nature is our way out from the climatic crisis, rather than continuing invading.
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images © Xi Chen + Chris King
