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Architecture

PHOTOS: Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden Recreates NYC Landmarks With Millions of Twigs & Leaves

by Jessica Dailey, 12/23/11

filed under: Architecture,Art NYC,Green Space,The Bronx

A holiday favorite, festive train shows pop up everywhere during the winter season, but few are as impressive as the Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden. Now in its 20th year, the beloved show features intricate New York City landmarks recreated from twigs, leaves, barks, nuts, and dozens of other natural plant materials. From a fungus-formed Guggenheim Museum to a towering Brooklyn Bridge made of bark, the train show's amazing sculptures are a seasonal must-see. This weekend we traveled up to The Bronx to see the dazzling miniature city for ourselves -- click through to see it for yourself!

Interiors

Escape the Winter Weather at Openhouse Gallery’s Green Pop-Up Park in Nolita!

by Amanda Coen, 12/23/11

filed under: Green Space,Interiors,Kids,Manhattan

Has the colder weather kept you from enjoying the city's parks? The Openhouse Gallery offers the perfect solution: Park Here, an indoor pop-up park. With a daily event schedule that includes free food and drink tastings, film screenings and live music performances from the likes of Matisyahu, Deer Tick and the Freelance Whales, your summer park withdrawal symptoms will be taken care of!

New York Bar Owner Bans Fur in His Establishments

by Lori Zimmer, 12/23/11

filed under: Manhattan,Sustainability Initiatives

Fur wearing New Yorkers will be refused service at several bars and restaurants in the Upper and Lower East Sides. Johnny Barounis, a business owner and long time vegetarian, welcomes patrons that sport fur — as long as the fur stays outside. The door man of his East Village bar, ReVision, not only checks IDs, but also the authenticity of suspected fake fur before letting anyone in.

MetroChange Kiosks Would Enable New Yorkers to Donate Unused MetroCard Money

by Lori Zimmer, 12/23/11

filed under: News,Product Design,Sustainability Initiatives

As of late, you’ll notice that the MTA has given New Yorkers odd-change “bonus” increments that come with buying varying values of MetroCards. Thirty extra cents? What can a subway rider do with that? Some NYU students have a solution called MetroChange, which would enable New Yorkers to donate their remnant fares to charity.

Benjamin Jones’s Bicycle Composter Lets Brooklyners Pedal Their Way to a Healthier Garden

by Lori Zimmer, 12/23/11

filed under: Brooklyn,Green Space,Recycling and Composting

Sustainable designer Benjamin Jones combined his love of bicycles and green living and created a community composter that is not just environmentally friendly, but fun to boot! Funded by grants from PlayHarvest, the park allows visitors to cycle their way to fresh organic fertilizer. Located in the Red Gate Community Garden, the sustainably sourced composter is part playground, part machine, and all fun.

Architecture

HAO Architects Win Coleman Oval Skate Park Redesign!

by Lori Zimmer, 12/23/11

filed under: Architecture,Green Space,Manhattan

The redesign proposal for Coleman Oval Skate Park that we brought you back in October will soon become a reality. HAO/Holm Architecture Office officially beat out eight other firms with their proposal for an exciting plan that will transform the park into a premier skating arena. The new park will be funded by Architecture for Humanity and a Nike Gamechanger’s grant.

Energy

NYU Student Proposes Street Lamps Powered by Dog Poop

by Lori Zimmer, 12/22/11

filed under: Energy,News

image © Billa via Creative Commons

Melody Kelemu, a student at NYU, wants to use the poop from the dogs of New York to power lamps in our parks. The idea dawned on the neuroscience and environmental studies student when she moved to New York from her native Ethiopia, where the lawns (and dog poop) in her neighborhood were maintained by gardeners. If awarded a grant from NYU, the dog poop convertors could power street lamps in Washington Square Park and others.

The Jumeirah Essex House Erects a 10 ft. Tall Chocolate Christmas Tree!

by Brit Liggett, 12/22/11

filed under: Art NYC,Manhattan

The Inhabitat gang finds it difficult to resist any great green holiday decoration – whether it be a DIY terrarium ornament, a Jack Daniel’s holiday tree or a geodesic gingerbread house, we just can’t get enough. But we might have just come across the mother of them all: an edible conifer just popped up in a New York City hotel lobby. The Jumeirah Essex Hotel — owned by the same company as the Burj al Arab and its sky high tennis court — has erected a ten foot tall holiday tree made entirely of chocolate, and though we’re not sure if they’ll have a gorging party after the holidays are over, we’re impressed with their chocolate-inspired ingenuity.

Bloomberg Passes a Bill Requiring PCB Leaks in Schools to Be Reported to the Public Immediately

by Lori Zimmer, 12/22/11

filed under: News

Thanks to a new law, parents of New York City students can be a little less worried about undetected polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) leaking fluorescent light fixtures. The City Council and Mayor Bloomberg passed a law Monday that requires schools to notify parents and amend any potential leaks immediately. Previous to this law, the Bloomberg administration felt it unnecessary to hurry the process of replacing the toxic light bulbs.

Okamoto Studio Carves 14 Ice Sculptures for a ‘Grace-ful’ Installation in Midtown Manhattan

by Amanda Coen, 12/21/11

filed under: Art NYC,Manhattan

If you are a chess fanatic, you may remember the great upset that came in 1997 when, for the first time, a computer system beat a world champion under regular time controls. The game between Russian chess champion Gary Kasparov and Deep Blue, the IBM computer, inspired this beautiful 14-piece ice sculpture installation. Hosted by Arts Brookfield and sculpted by Okamoto Studios, the 24-hour installation took place this Monday and Tuesday at Grace Plaza in midtown amidst above-freezing temperatures.

Energy

World’s First Solar-Powered Menorah Lights Up Woodstock, NY

by Jessica Dailey, 12/21/11

filed under: Art NYC,Energy,News

Forget the 1969 three-day music festival, Woodstock, New York has a new claim to fame: the world’s first solar-powered menorah. Rabbi AB Itkin of the Chabad community in Ulster County designed and built the menorah using spare parts from a local store. While the renewable-energy menorah is not suitable for the mitzvah of traditional menorah lighting which requires fire as the source of light, the solar-powered menorah is to help inspire pride in the Jewish Festival of Lights and raise awarenesss of Chanukah.

Energy

2012 Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball Dazzles with Philips LED Lights

by Lori Zimmer, 12/21/11

filed under: Energy,Manhattan,News

The annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will once again showcase the dropping of a dazzling green ball, as the iconic sphere will be illuminated by energy efficient Philips LEDs! The LED ball will also welcome the new U.S. energy and lighting standards that go into effect on January 1st, under the Energy Independence and Security Act. In addition, Philips’ new LED light bulbs will be available for home use.

Silent Lights Could Transform NYC Traffic Noise into a Dancing LED Light Display

by Lori Zimmer, 12/20/11

filed under: Art NYC,Brooklyn

An interactive LED light display called Silent Lights could turn the Smith and 9^th Street area of Brooklyn into a dazzling light show! The project repurposes the noisy traffic under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, transforming it into an illuminated showcase of colorful lights. Silent Lights has already received a $5,000 grant from the NYC Department of Transportation, and is launching a Kickstarter campaign to cover the rest.

Architecture

Striking Weekend House Modeled After a Japanese Kimono Overlooks the Berkshire Hills

by Tafline Laylin, 12/20/11

filed under: Architecture

We've seen a lot of awesome Japanese architecture on Inhabitat, but we've never seen a kimono-styled home in our own state before. Until now. Architect David Jay Weiner was commissioned to build a small weekend home overlooking the Berkshire Hills for a Japanese client who wanted a quiet retreat from New York's busy city life. The light-filled home consists of a single sweeping volume that appears to fold in on itself and features an enviable interior that is chic and understated. Step in for more details of this beautiful, minimalist home in Rensselaer County.

Dun-Well Doughnuts Brings Its Old Fashioned Charm & Vegan Sweets to Brooklyn

by Lori Zimmer, 12/20/11

filed under: Brooklyn,Food,Sweets

Less than two weeks ago, the neighborhood between Williamsburg and Bushwick became a little sweeter. An old timey donut shop opened on Montrose Avenue, but this is no ordinary shop. Dun-Well Doughnuts is a premier vegan donut shop, complete with gourmet flavors, fresh coffee, bowtied workers, and jazz music.

Give the Gift of Philanthropy with an Ioby New York Gift Card

What do you get the discerning eco-conscious, community-involved New Yorker who has everything for the holidays? Help them help others by buying them an ioby New York giving card. Your selfless loved ones can choose one of ioby’s sustainable neighborhood projects to support with your gift card.

Architecture

DIY: How to Make a Gingerbread Brooklyn Brownstone

We have seen quite a few deliciously awesome gingerbread houses this holiday season, but designer and chef Renee Baumann has crafted a gingerbread creation that puts the rest to shame. Artfully combining her architecture and culinary studies, Baumann designed and built an intricate Brooklyn brownstone gingerbread house that looks almost identical to the real thing. Baumann painstakingly recreated a brownstone's features, from the carved cornice and decorative frieze to a bicycle leaning against the stoop. Plus, she detailed every step and made her templates available online, so you can make your own masterpiece at home.

Architecture

Cornell Wins Bid to Build New York City’s Applied Science Campus on Roosevelt Island

In the race to win the bid to build New York City’s Silicon Island East, it was Cornell and Stanford in a dead heat, and it was anyone’s guess as to who Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration would pick to head up the East Coast’s future preeminent school of applied sciences. Then, when Stanford dropped out just a few days ago, rumors started flying around the airwaves, and now it’s all but confirmed that Cornell will get the nod, the plot on Roosevelt Island, the nearly $400 million in New York City funding and infrastructure, and the chance to be the school on the cutting edge of New York City’s technology development future.

Architecture

Grimanesa Amoros’s Glowing LED Installation Lights up the Issey Miyake Store in Tribeca

The Issey Miyake flagship store on Hudson Street in Tribeca is a gorgeous feat of Gehry-esque design, with its undulating ceiling designed by the architect himself. Aside from cutting edge interiors and impeccable clothing, the store is also hosting an LED light sculpture installation that represents the Uros Islands off the cost of Peru. Created by Peruvian artist Grimanesa Amoros, the installation opened with a reception last week and will remain on display until January 14th.

Do Your Last Minute Christmas Shopping Today at Brooklyn Craft Central’s Holiday Market

The holidays are here! And if you're anything like us, you're scrambling to finish your last minute shopping and hoping to find unique gifts for your friends and family. Thankfully, the Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Market is happening today, and with dozens of local designers hawking their wares, the market is the solution to all of our gifting problems. Head to Littlefield in Gowanus today to see what they have to offer.

Architecture

Brooklyn Night Bazaar Brings Life to Spacious Williamsburg Warehouse

This fall saw the kickoff of the Brooklyn Night Bazaar at the Dekalb Market. Celebrating art, music and culture within the confines of repurposed shipping crates, Aaron Broudo's original "Southeast Asian inspired night market" now arrives to Williamsburg. Highly popular the first time around, for this edition Broudo worked with Ken Farmer of "Nuit Blanche" and architect Julien De Smedt, founder of JDS Architects, to take it to the next level. From December 15-17 visitors can enter into a warehouse transformed by custom made furniture, lighting, installations and the collaborative energy of all those involved.

City Grow Encourages New Yorkers to Build Their Own Urban Gardens Through Free Workshops

City Grow and Bronx Hydro wants New Yorkers to educate themselves about the benefits of indoor and urban farming. With locations in the Bronx and Brooklyn, they offer all of the supplies you could possibly need to set up your own edible garden. In addition, they offer free monthly workshops on sustainable urban farming that are open to the whole community!

Architecture

CounterEvolution’s Upstate Getaway is Packed With Their Signature Reclaimed Wood Designs

The folks behind Brooklyn’s CounterEvolution have been creating quality furniture from reclaimed bowling lane wood for a few years. But their inspiration to start the furniture business in the first place came from a cabin that owner Jim Malone constructed in the Catskill Mountains in 2004. Called Little Big North, the cabin is now available to rent as your own personal getaway, and it is chock full of gorgeous reclaimed and recycled woods, giving the cabin a warm, rustic charm.

Architecture

MVRDV Apologizes for World-Trade-Center-esque “Cloud” Twin Towers as Outrage Spreads

MVRDV just ignited a media firestorm as “The Cloud” – their new project for Seoul, Korea featuring two towers linked by a pixellated mass – drew comparison to the exploding form of New York City’s Twin Towers on 9/11. The architecture firm recently addressed cries of outrage by apologizing for the design, stating “It was not our intention to create an image resembling the attacks nor did we see the resemblance during the design process. We sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings we have hurt, the design was not meant to provoke this”, however Jan Marbles, one of MVRDV’s architects who worked on the project stated “I must admit that we just thought of September 11, 2001″. Many are still shocked and appalled by the design – according to MVRDV, they’ve received “threatening emails and calls of angry people calling us Al Qaeda lovers or worse”. So what do you think – Are the towers offensively similar to the flaming World Trade Center buildings on September 11th, 2001? Tell us what you think after the jump.

Energy

Zone Green Amendments by DCP Promote Sustainability for NYC’s Buildings

This week, New York’s Department of City Planning released Zone Green, a set of proposed amendments to the city’s zoning resolution designed to remove obstacles to erecting green features in the city’s built environment. These amendments, available for public comment and review, give designers, architects, and engineers greater freedom when contemplating green roofs, energy-efficient walls, alternative energy, and other sustainable measures. For years zoning impediments, especially to building envelopes and rooftop uses and access, represented one of the major hurdles to more efficient and sustainable construction projects and building retrofits in this city. Now, thanks to almost two years of work by a committee of construction and sustainability experts, these restrictions are beginning to be lifted. For a peek at the most prominent proposed changes to the city’s zoning ordinance, read on!